Flip through an older bird guide and you might find yourself at a loss, even if you are well-versed in birding. “A Pigeon Hawk? What is that?” You would know that it’s probably a bird of prey — a bird of prey that might even specialize in catching pigeons —…
Kestrel Liu
It’s winter. It’s cold. It’s freezing your ears off every time you exit the building. The glaring white snow, though ethereal and enchanting, stings your eyes as you carefully tread between sheets of dangerously dark ice. Mind your steps, but do look around if you ever hear a shrill, metallic…
(Mirror: Birding certainly is not my task. ‘Tis the binoculars whom you’d ask.) If there are birds that perplex novices and experts alike, the warblers are sure to be among them. The complexity starts with the name: Warblers found in the Americas (classified as family Parulidae) are not at all…
As the wind picked up and chilly raindrops battered midterm-wearied faces, the student naturalists took shelter in a patch of conifers next to the McKnight Prairie. While idling beneath the safety of the canopy, they came across one tree, the base of which was littered with white droppings. Investigation check—pass.…
Ever taken a walk (or a nap) in the Lower Arb when the sun is down and the moon glares bright? The woods, steeped in milky mist spiked with moonlight, slumber in the absence of the scorching sun that has been bothering us for the past week. Nevertheless, plenty of…
As the implausibly gorgeous weather jumpstarts Spring Term, many of us find ourselves savoring the warm breeze on lawns or under trees. Taking a stroll across campus, you likely would notice some elegant indigo flowers fluttering in the wind on their slender stalks; in the Upper Arb woods, those striking…
As the weather here in Northfield starts to take a more amicable turn, hopefully you all get a chance to spend some time outdoors and outside the hustle and bustle of Week 8. All around campus, colorful chirps are enriching our auditory landscape and giving us a break from the…
Hello everyone and welcome back to Carleton (be it physically or virtually)! As the wind turns crisp and occasionally chilly, we are starting to see some bright autumn colors in the Arb, credit to members of the Aster family (Asteraceae). The New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) is in the peak…