Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road


Category: Attracting Wildlife

  • The Last Hummingbird

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    We had our last hummingbird of the season at our new home earlier this month. But what a season it was – shorter than we had in NC, but incredibly active. Read more…

  • Snow Birds

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    Winter perches like a bird. Wings tucked in so the soul is heard. ~Angie Weiland-Crosby Another nice snowfall (it has been many years since I could utter that phrase around these parts). We probably got about 3 inches here and it was a nice fluffy snow (prepping us for our upcoming move to Montana no Read more…

  • Salamander Nights

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    The real beauties of nature Whisper Instead of shouting ~Melissa Dowland For those of you not on social media (I posted some of this today on FB)… I cleaned out (removed excessive filamentous algae and some leaves) our two small wildlife pools last Friday in anticipation of the predicted rain, thinking it might be the Read more…

  • Gold in the Yard

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    The responsibilities of life seem to rest lightly on the Goldfinch’s sunny shoulders. ~Roger Tory Peterson It’s been a very good year for the American Goldfinches in our yard. I haven’t put out thistle seeds this year but the goldfinches seem quite content with the sunflower seeds in the other feeders and, more recently, with Read more…

  • Moths and More

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    So much detail goes unnoticed in the world. ~Barbara Kingsolver After our moth party last month during National Moth Week, we have put out the moth lights and sheet a few more times to see what new species we might attract to our deck here in the woods. It has been pretty productive and we Read more…

  • Perfectly Paired

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    I have learned from nature that all is equal… all is equal and in balance. I see everything as fitting together. ~Joseph Raffael Here in our home in the woods, I can look out our windows and see all sorts of interconnections – butterflies on Ironweed and Joe-Pye-Weed, American Goldfinches eating coneflower seeds, and birds Read more…

  • Mothing 2023

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    Life begins at night. ~Charlaine Harris National Moth Week (NMW) is now officially over for 2023. This celebration of the insects of the evening was last week, July 22-30. It is meant to bring awareness to the incredible diversity of the nocturnal insects that many of us only see as something flitting around our windows Read more…

  • Yard Distraction

    You can always find a distraction if you are looking for one. ~Tom Kite The beautiful weather this week finds me outside starting some yard work – weed pulling, mulching, contemplating building some benches for the fire circle, etc. As is often the case, yesterday something caught my eye and pulled me away from my Read more…

  • Bathing Beauties

    Splish, splash, I was takin’ a bath… ~Bobby Darin and Murray Kaufman I’ve settled into a routine now of sitting in the chair where I can see the waterfall every morning with my coffee, again at lunch, and often late in the day while working on the computer. The birds seem most active early and Read more…

  • Clean It Out and They Will Come

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    When your environment is clean you feel happy motivated and healthy. ~Lailah Gifty Akita I mentioned in an earlier post that we finally got around to cleaning out our two water gardens (aka salamander pools) in November. One had sprung a leak mid-way up its height a couple of years ago. It still held enough Read more…