by Marjorie Rachlin Sitting on the back porch the morning of April 15th, I heard a rapid, bubbly birdsong coming from the back of the yard. Sure enough, my house wren was back, after spending a pleasant winter in the southern U.S. or maybe Mexico. Right on time. He’s never been more than two days […]
Backyard Nature: No red herring
by Marjorie Rachlin Did you know that herring come up Rock Creek to spawn this time of year? Blueback herring and alewives, males and females, leave the ocean every spring. They swim up Chesapeake Bay, then up the Potomac. It’s part of an annual migration that happens in the rivers all along the East Coast. […]
Forest Hills From A Dog’s-Eye View
By Emmy Elfin Full disclosure: This is the only neighborhood in which I have lived. However, I have walked the streets of Georgetown (don’t appreciate the cobblestones) and Cleveland Park (too many humans bustling about) and numerous other DC destinations, some more scenic, some less friendly. Forest Hills, as any canine will tell you, has […]
Backyard Nature Guide: Spring Critters
By Marjorie Rachlin One sunny day in early March, I heard what I had been waiting for: a high sweet trill, repeated every few minutes. When I walked over and looked in my neighbor’s goldfish pond, I found several American toads submerged along the edge, big eyes peering nearsightedly out of the water. Two of them were […]