My name is Hayden Goold. I am a fourth-grader at School in the Woods in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I am sitting at a picnic table looking at birds with binoculars. I see a blue and black bird with a mohawk. It’s a Steller’s Jay! I try to come closer, but he flies higher into the tree…

Kurt Hoelting – a writer, wilderness guide, and commercial fisherman – went car-free and jet-free for one year to reduce his carbon footprint. Instead, he traveled by foot, kayak, and bicycle. Drawing a 60-mile radius around his home, Kurt explored the land within the circumference – and…

Writer Ivan Doig wrote about bird songs, including that of this Western Meadowlark, in his book, Ride with Me, Mariah Montana: "Warbles and trills and solo after solo ... the air was magically busy. None of us spoke while the songs of the birds poured undiluted. I suppose we were afraid…

I’m Emily, a fourth-grader at School in the Woods in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I love the Great Horned Owl’s call. Did you know that Great Horned Owls almost always hunt at night? First, they locate their prey from small movements on the ground. Next, they dive down at the perfect moment…

A pigeon pacing up and down anxiously in Central Park sees his friend hop up on the curb. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for hours!" The new arrival says, "It was such a nice day, I decided to walk!" This laugh track also includes gulls, ducks, and chickens. Email us your own bird…

The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) operates three field research stations in Costa Rica: one in a very wet forest on the Atlantic coastal plain; another near the Pacific Ocean where there’s a long dry season; and the third, near Panama at mid-elevation. Dr. Gordon Orians, a past…

The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) in Costa Rica celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. Dr. Gordon Orians, a past president, reflects on the importance of its work and contributions: “Costa Rica has more species of birds than all of North America put together,” he says. “Many…

Years ago, Yellow-billed Cuckoos like this one were frequent visitors to the Pacific Northwest. They’re one of the few birds that eat tent caterpillars, a species that can wreak havoc on the leaves of trees. It’s a mystery why the cuckoos no longer come. During a tent caterpillar outbreak…

A Bald Eagle that was feeding on the ground suddenly rises up. With two powerful strokes, its massive wings carry it high into a tree, where it lands and looks down. Nature is impersonal, but we feel a connection, don't we? How can we not draw strength from wild creatures we admire?