Riding on the MBTA: Don’t Let Congress Weaken a Century of Protecting Nature

This year we celebrate 100 years of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2018. Our nation, along with Canada (and later, Mexico and the USSR) agreed that our avian species needed protection. Now, more than 1,000 bird species are protected from unregulated killing, while controlled hunting of game birds is …

I Believe, Tim Gallagher!

The catchphrase of the New York Mets' 1973 pennant run was reliever Tug McGraw's "Ya Gotta Believe!" These could well be the watchwords of another Celtic crusader, Tim Gallagher, who's written two books about searching for rare (and maybe extinct) woodpeckers. I say, keep the faith, Tim. I've just finished Imperial Dreams, Gallagher's 2013 tome …

Out and About: Walking with the King(fisher)

Persistence is the key. Today, a sunny, clear day after yesterday's blustery snowfall, was a good day to walk. I noticed a lot of birdsong as I got out of my car at the office parking lot in Tarrytown. I suspected chickadees and the other winter regulars. They sounded so happy to be feeding after …

Saving Macaws on a Winter’s Eve

As the temperatures drop below freezing and gales whip off the mighty Hudson, I thought it appropriate to write about the macaws of Costa Rica. We can dream, can't we? This article appeared in Parrots Magazine (UK) in October, 2016, but for free, so I'm going to reproduce it here. (It's for the parrots' good.) …