SMALL NEWS IS BIG NEWS
By Brian Kluepfel
By Brian Kluepfel We have considered the pileated woodpecker a bird of good fortune since we saw one just outside our apartment on moving day four years ago. Such a massive, beautiful creature, we were compelled to watch, even
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By Brian Kluepfel This was the year that really flipped us the bird, but 2020 is nearly over. A deadly virus combined with incalculable human hubris and selfishness has brought us to a frightening point, and I’m frankly glad
Read moreBy Brian Kluepfel Much has been and will be written about the 2020 elections, but from the narrow point of view of birders, Joe Biden’s victory is a win against an administration that tried to amend, among other laws,
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By Brian Kluepfel Many people see autumn as a dark time – the days shorten as we prepare to face certain winter ahead, full of snow and freezing temperatures. I prefer to view it as an exciting time – my
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By Brian Kluepfel In my opinion autumn is the most beautiful season. Not for me, the icy winter winds nor the summer’s oppressive heat and humidity. Not even spring’s allergy-inducing flowers! Give me the slow, resplendent dying of a New
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By Brian Kluepfel Since there’s plenty of time to read these days, I came across two interesting bird-themed books last week. Douglas Adams is best known for his “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series. They sold millions and earned him fame.
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By Brian Kluepfel The May confrontation in Central Park between a white woman walking a dog off-leash and a Black birder asking her not to threw into sharp contrast many divisions in our republic. And it just went to show
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By Brian Kluepfel The blue-throated macaw is feted with names for its color (the blue throat patch distinguishes it from the commoner blue-and-gold), a noted scientist (Wagler) and for a native place-name (Caninde-yu – “macaw-yellow” in Guarani – is also a
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By Brian Kluepfel I find myself shivering in a wooden hut on the edge of the river; it is where two years ago I scrawled a missive to a higher power, asking that my new marriage be blessed. Today, I’m
Read moreBy Brian Kluepfel Colombia has a bit of an image problem. Much of this perception is indeed based on an ugly reality which the nation is trying to leave in the past; much of that is perpetuated in mass media.
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