A short morning walk slows down as birdsong leads to a Northern Cardinal hidden in spring leaves.

For weeks now, walking along Salisbury Road, Blue Spring Road, Jackson Avenue, and Garfield Way, I have been picking up the dry, mechanical trill of Chipping Sparrows from the pines and conifers lining the streets. I started keeping a rough tally. Six, sometimes eight on a single walk. They are clearly there. They just rarely...

Watching a backyard full of American Goldfinches shift from winter grey to spring yellow.