Sara, Mason, Ivy, and I spent the weekend visiting family in Potter County, PA, an extremely rural part of the state colorfully referred to as “God’s Country.” Having seen so many sides of Potter County over the last 20 years, I can attest to its tremendous beauty. Right about now, in early November, the foliage is decidedly post-peak with just wisps of rust and saffron clinging to bare branches. Bird biodiversity is probably at its annual low as summer’s breeders have long departed but winter residents have yet to arrive. Consequently, I had to content myself with chickadees and titmice, House Finches and House Sparrows, and plenty of woodpeckers, waterfowl, and red-tails. The same Blue Jays and Mourning Doves that will persist through what promises to be a bitter winter are loitering around while the last lingering Yellow-rumped Warblers are undoubtedly south-bound in a hurry.


Downy on suet


Harvest tableau


No. 1  The Larch

Written by Mike
Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.