Author and radio host Laura Erickson explains how to attract birds to your yard, behaviors to watch for, and more.
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”
In the 1964 movie Mary Poppins, “the little old bird woman” played by actress Jane Darwell sits on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral in … Read More “Laura Erickson tells why you shouldn’t feed pigeons”
