Winter is considered a time of quiet and hibernation, and often we wait until spring to think about viewing birds and other creatures. But the cold of winter increases the energetic need of wild animals, sending them out to seek food at all hours of the day. It’s one of the best times to watch [...]
Entries Tagged as 'urban nature'
Leave the Leaves (for the Thrushes!)
November 30th, 2011 · 3 Comments
Three years ago, I spotted the first Hermit Thrush I’d ever seen in my backyard. She was standing on our concrete patio, poking her bill beneath the scattered autumn leaves and nibbling the worms and other tasty invertebrates found there. Since then, we stopped sweeping the leaves off of our patio, and we never rake [...]
Tags: birds, urban nature
Squirrel on the Desk: Urban-Wild Research Gone Too Far
September 26th, 2011 · 5 Comments
I’ve talked a little about the new manuscript I’m working on–an urban bestiary. As part of this project, I’ve been studying urban squirrels in depth. I don’t feed birds much, but I do keep a tiny sunflower seed feeder suctioned to my study window just above the window box, which brings chickadees, nuthatches, and finches [...]
Tags: urban nature
The Roofer’s Birdhouse
August 14th, 2011 · 24 Comments
A few weeks ago we had a new roof put on (alas–now we are on a serious fiscal austerity program!). Our roof is complicated, and the job took several days to complete. One day while the roofers were here and I was out walking to escape the noise, I discovered a voice message on my [...]
Tags: birds, urban nature
Squirrel Stories?
June 23rd, 2011 · 20 Comments
Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Tame ‘em? Eat ‘em? Cuteness to the limit? Vermin? I know you have squirrel stories. I’m researching squirrels for my next book, and would love to be inspired by your experiences. Share your stories here, or if you prefer privacy, email to: urbanwild@thetanglednest.com. Many many thanks.
Tags: urban nature
Go Outside! My Autumn Office…
November 16th, 2010 · 9 Comments
Tom has a poster in his study, hanging right over his computer. It was created by Claire, and features a flower, a buzzing bee, and the words: “Daddy! Go Outside!” (Sometimes he accidentally gets stuck in the interweb…) Recently I heard myself think, “Glad it’s so damp and chilly, now I can stay in and [...]
Tags: seasons, urban nature
Camp Tangled Nest: Why We Love Sleeping In Our Backyard Tent
August 22nd, 2010 · 10 Comments
We’ve been off camping in the Olympic Peninsula’s Hoh Valley all week. Beautiful! But it’s always nice to be back at Camp Tangled Nest. When summer comes, we spend most nights in our plenty-big, extra-cozy backyard tent. Last year we stayed out there into October! Here’s why: Tom: Despite the occasional raccoon grunting past in [...]
Tags: seasons, urban nature
“Crow Divebombing Help” – A crow aggression primer for desperate web searchers
June 8th, 2010 · 8 Comments
My husband Tom, who manages the technical side of this blog, has been watching the search terms that bring traffic to the site. While the random one-off searches can make for interesting reading (today someone found the Tangled Nest by searching for “the world is our tool for love”–I guess that’s good!), certain terms come [...]
Tags: birds, crows, urban nature
Baby Bushtits and Late Spring Birdlife
May 30th, 2010 · 6 Comments
Yesterday my friend Kathryn emailed a few photos of the freshly-fledged Bushtits in her plum tree. That same day, I heard adult Bushtits chirping in our yard, and followed them to the lilac tree and our own little cluster of newly emerged Bushtits. I love how they huddle, all smooshed together in a little group. [...]
Tags: birds, seasons, urban nature
Simple Spring Foraging (and a nice Nettle Frittata Recipe)
April 19th, 2010 · 8 Comments
You don’t have to be a hardcore forager to take advantage of the wild greens that abound in this lovely spring season. Trust me–we are not traipsing about far off-trail, toting a GPS. But we do enjoy gracing the table with simple wild edibles that we glean close to home. My two spring favorites: miner’s [...]
Tags: foraging, recipes, seasons, urban nature
