Author and radio host Laura Erickson explains how to attract birds to your yard, behaviors to watch for, and more.
I love Blue Jays. They combine beauty, brains, and spirit in a sleek three-ounce package topped with a perky little crest. People who’ve watched robins … Read More “Dealing with smart and spirited Blue Jay, for better or worse”
Sometime in the 1990s, I got a phone call from a man who had grown up in the house we live in. He had been … Read More “Laura Erickson: How planting a tree can ensure a brighter future”
Late every summer and into the fall, when I’m ambling down a country road in northern Wisconsin, watching raptors at Duluth’s Hawk Ridge, birding along … Read More “Laura Erickson: Why I’m drawn to Cedar Waxwings”
On March 20, I got a puppy, a Havanese named Pip. I’ve taken her on a few birding walks, but my first goal is teaching … Read More “The pleasures of finding life birds for a new puppy”
I’ve been hand-feeding mealworms to Black-capped Chickadees in my yard for many years, so I’ve had extraordinary opportunities to observe their behavior. They’re not banded … Read More “Simple chickadees observe a complex social hierarchy”
When I started birding, in 1975, I wasn’t interested in photography. I was a college student and couldn’t afford a telephoto lens or the expenses … Read More “Laura Erickson: How photography can open up a whole new world of birding”
In 2013, I tried to see as many birds as I could in the Lower 48. I recorded 604 species, each one a thrill. From … Read More “Why even a Big Year can’t compete with the comforts, and the birds, of home”
In fall 1975, my husband and I went to Port Wing, Wisconsin, on Lake Superior, where his parents were fixing up a house for retirement. … Read More “A reluctant farewell to a favorite spot for Le Conte’s Sparrow”
Several years ago, our neighbors decided to establish natural habitat in their front and back yards. They constructed a small pond with a recirculating pump … Read More “How habitat created by neighbors brought warblers, waxwings, and other birds to Laura Erickson’s yard”
