“CBC” stands for “Christmas Bird Count,” an event sponsored by the Audubon Society that was begun on Christmas Day 1900 by ornithologist Frank Chapman and 26 fellow conservationists. I have been participating for only a few years, but it has become one of my favorite things to do. I am fully indebted to my friend, fellow certified naturalist and expert birder Roselie Overby, who lets me ride along with her and learn. By myself, I would be virtually useless. Indeed, my only marketable contribution when it comes to birding is that I occasionally get a really nice photo of a…

This 2024 Year in Review is dragging on a bit, but not for lack of images to share! Picking a place to feature for November was easy. Picking just a few images to share is hard! Because.. snow! I was in Denver to attend the opening reception of an art exhibit for new satellite members at D’Art Gallery, a co-op in the Denver arts district I have joined. In fact, the voluminous snow resulted in the opening reception being canceled. But what fun it was to tramp around and photograph snow for a change! I did get to see the…

“You’re a noticer,” said my friend Cherry Whipple when I posted some of these photos from a nature walk out at Black Bayou Lake NWR on Facebook. Thank you, Cherry. Yes, I strive to be. The occasion was Friends of Black Bayou’s annual Fall Celebration. I’m always there with my Care of Creation table right next to the Louisiana Master Naturalists–Northeast table ready to talk to folks about how to learn about the natural world and take better care of it. But the first event of the day is a nature walk for the early birds. I followed a group…