It was one of those technicolor spring mornings as I hiked a mountain trail in the Santa Ysabel Preserve near Julian a few years ago. Wildflowers dotted the spring-green meadows, the sky was bright ...

As you travel along, I’m sure you’ve noticed birds on the gravel roadside. Many of them are northern flickers searching for ants to eat. Many others are finding weed seeds that are in the gravel, and ...

by STORY AND PHOTOS JERRY BUTLER Special to the Democrat-Gazette Special to the Democrat-Gazette/JERRY BUTLER Water cascades over the body of an olive green sparrow as it bathes in a puddle. Although ...

Morning Fresh Farms in Platteville raises chickens in cages, and chickens free from cages. The chickens without wire walls receive certification from American Humane, a Denver nonprofit that has been ...

I took a dust bath once, just to see what it was like. Then I had to take a shower. Dear Gary: I had an influx of finches in my backyard this weekend. They found a corner of the yard with no grass and ...

I am sitting outside at 9:30 a.m. with my cup of tea, watching the birds come to our creek. A male white-breasted nuthatch selects a lower section of the creek. He dips his head and bill into the ...

THE PICTURE WASN’T very clear but the description that went with it was. The writer was concerned about a Steller’s jay in her yard. It was exhibiting some very strange behavior. The bird flew to a ...

Feathers are of ultimate importance to birds — crucial for flying, protection from rain, heat and cold and, during nesting season, attracting mates and defending territories. No wonder, then, that ...