№ 3012 Jul 2026
Coastal Art for Homes That Are Not Beach-Themed
You can live by the water without hanging a single anchor, and quiet wetland art in the style of antique oil painting is how the best coastal homes manage it.
Bioacoustics & field recordings
Song & Calls
A bird is often heard long before it is seen. These pieces are about the wetland’s voices: the booming bittern, the honk and hiss of geese, the alarm notes and contact calls that tell you what is happening before you raise the glasses.
30 dispatches filed under this habitat
№ 2912 Jul 2026
Lake House Wall Art: The Complete Guide
A room-by-room guide to lake house wall art, from the single big anchor in the great room to the stepped prints in the stairwell, with the scale rules and species picks that make the whole house look deliberate.
№ 2812 Jul 2026
Loon Prints: The Sound of the North on Your Wall
Why the common loon, with its midnight wail and checkerboard back, makes the most evocative print a lake house wall can carry.
№ 273 Jul 2026
Duck Hunter Gift Guide: 12 Gifts Beyond Gear
12 gifts for the duck hunter in your life that aren't another call or another box of shells, from oil-painting-style waterfowl prints to the small camp gear that actually gets used.
№ 2610 Feb 2026
Owls in North Carolina: The 6 Species You'll Actually See
North Carolina hosts six regularly-occurring owl species across the Blue Ridge, Piedmont and coastal plain. Great Horned, Barred, Eastern Screech, and Barn are the four you'll genuinely encounter; Short-eared and Northern Saw-whet appear seasonally. Here's where to find each, and how to identify them by call.
№ 254 Feb 2026
How to Attract Ducks to Your Pond: The Four-Habitat Build
Wild ducks need four things: shallow margins for dabbling, submerged food plants, predator-proof cover, and nest cavities. Get those four into a one-acre pond and you'll have Mallards, Wood Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers within a single season.
№ 244 Feb 2026
Swans of North America: Trumpeter, Tundra, and Mute
Three swan species occur in North America: the native Trumpeter (largest, with a clarion call), the native Tundra (smaller, more numerous), and the introduced Mute (Eurasian origin, common on parks and waterways). Here's how to tell them apart by bill, voice, and behaviour.
№ 233 Feb 2026
Ducks in Washington: The 12 Species You'll Actually See
Washington State hosts roughly 30 duck species across the Puget Sound, eastern shrub-steppe, and Cascade lakes. Twelve cover most of what you'll see: Mallard, Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, Wigeon, Bufflehead, Harlequin, Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Hooded Merganser, and three teals.
№ 2230 Jan 2026
Can Ducks Eat Cabbage? Yes, and It's Great Enrichment
Cabbage is safe and excellent for ducks - raw or cooked, chopped or whole (hung on a string as a tetherball game). Green, red, savoy, all fine. The single best winter enrichment for a confined flock.
№ 2126 Jan 2026
Can Ducks Change Gender? Yes, and Here's How
It sounds like myth but it's documented science: hen ducks whose ovary is damaged or stops working can develop secondary male plumage. The bird is still genetically female but visually presents as a drake. Here's the hormonal pathway and why it happens.
№ 2018 Jan 2026
Why Do Geese Attack Each Other? A Field Naturalist's Read
A naturalist's guide to goose-on-goose aggression - why Canada geese fight, what the hissing actually means, the four-step attack sequence to read, and why it almost always peaks in March.
№ 1917 Jan 2026
Why Do Ducks Quack? The Real Meaning Behind the Call
Female mallards quack; males rasp. Each call has a job: contact, alarm, courtship, or location. A naturalist's read on the duck vocabulary.
№ 1814 Jan 2026
What Are Baby Ducks Called? Ducklings Explained
Baby ducks are called ducklings. A field naturalist's read on what that actually means - the timeline from hatch to fledge, how to tell a duckling from a gosling or a cygnet, and the brood biology that decides how many survive.
№ 1713 Jan 2026
Sounds That Scare Geese: What Works and What Doesn't
Predator distress calls and dog barks scare geese; ultrasonics and most static noises don't. A naturalist's read of the deterrents that hold up in the field.
№ 1610 Jan 2026
Do Swans Quack? No - Here's What They Actually Sound Like
A naturalist's guide to the actual sounds of swans - hiss, hum, snort, trumpet, whistle - and which species makes which. Spoiler: the 'mute' swan is anything but.
№ 153 Jan 2026
Can Geese Eat Bread? No, and Here's Why
Bread is the single worst common food fed to wild geese. A naturalist's read on why it causes angel wing in goslings, fouls park ponds, and what to feed instead.
№ 141 Oct 2023
13 Blue Birds in Wyoming
Dive deep into the world of birdwatching with our guide to the blue birds in Wyoming. From the vibrant Mountain Bluebird to the quavering call of the Pinyon Jay,...
№ 1314 Aug 2023
Barn Owls: Habits and Identification
Barn owls, often referred to as the "ghosts of the night," are mysterious and captivating creatures. Their silent flight, heart-shaped facial discs, and enigmatic calls have enchanted humans for...
№ 1214 Aug 2023
Owl Behavior: Hunting, Calls, and Courtship
Owls, those silent sentinels of the night, have fascinated us for generations with their distinctive calls, haunting eyes, and impeccable hunting skills. Yet, beyond these commonly known traits lies...
№ 1114 Aug 2023
Owl Feathers: The Secret to Silent Flight
Owls are not just known for their keen eyesight and nocturnal habits; they're also renowned for their incredibly silent flight. This near-soundless movement, a crucial factor in their hunting...
№ 1014 Aug 2023
Owl Mating: Courtship, Pair Bonds, and Breeding Season
A naturalist's read on how owls actually pair, court, and breed - the calls, the food gifts, the early-year timing, and why most owl species pair for life.
№ 914 Aug 2023
How Owls Interact with Other Species
At night, when the world seems calm, and most creatures are nestled in slumber, the forest is alive with a symphony of sounds, signaling the interactions between various species. At the heart of this...
№ 814 Aug 2023
Predators and Threats Facing Barn Owls
Barn owls, with their iconic heart-shaped faces and ghostly calls, are revered hunters of the night sky. Yet, even these master predators aren't exempt from the circle of life. While they rule the...
№ 719 Jul 2023
Water Birds in Florida: 27 You'll Actually See
A naturalist's field guide to Florida's 27 most-seeable water birds - which wetlands they prefer, when they show up, and the four locations where you'll see most of them in a single morning.
№ 630 Jun 2023
Water Birds in Connecticut: 25 Species from Sound to River
Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River, and inland marshes give the state 25 regular water birds. A naturalist's read on what's where through the year.
№ 515 May 2023
Do Male Ducks Quack? The Real Answer
When most people think of ducks, they picture the classic quacking sound. But do male ducks quack? Sort of but not really. Male ducks do quack, but their quacks are usually softer and raspier than...
№ 43 Feb 2023
Geese Behaviour: A Naturalist's Field Guide to the Honkers
Why geese hiss at you, what the V-formation actually does, and how to read a Canada goose's body language. A field naturalist's notes on what's really going on with the most misunderstood bird in the park.
№ 33 Feb 2023
Snow Goose Calls: The Sounds and What They Mean
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of goose calls is their loud honking sound. But did you know that there are different types of calls depending on the situation? To name a few, there...
№ 21 Feb 2023
Do Swans Really Sing When They Die? The Swan Song
Have you ever heard the iconic story about swans singing their swan song when they die? It's often referred to as a beautiful, melodic farewell to the world – but do swans actually sing a song as...
№ 128 Oct 2022
Do Geese Eat Snakes? Yes, Smaller Ones
Geese are fascinating animals. They are known for their impressive flying abilities and loud honking, but do you know what they eat? Believe it or not, geese will eat snakes! We investigate other...