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All Blog Posts
ljmarkson
Mar 308 min read
Make Your Yard a Safe Hummingbird Habitat!
Like everyone else who eagerly anticipates their arrival, I’m checking out my yard every day looking for my first “hummer” of the...
ljmarkson
Jan 73 min read
Restore Habitat to Hear the Sweet Song of the Hermit Thrush
Every habitat element in my pocket wildlife sanctuary contributes to a more biodiverse ecosystem. Hermit thrushes for example rarely...
ljmarkson
Sep 11, 20233 min read
A Day Focused on Restoring Biodiversity in our Own Greenspaces
At the recent Georgia Audubon’s cleverly named Georgia Grows Native for Birds Round Robin: Transforming Your Greenspace, they partnered...
ljmarkson
Jul 30, 20237 min read
Ways to Add Water for Wildlife to Your Yard
I didn’t always have over a dozen water sources in my intown (Morningside) Atlanta yard. Back in 2019 when I went through the process to...
ljmarkson
Mar 18, 20232 min read
Our Actions Have Amplified Cowbird's Impact
At the end of February, the when the red-winged blackbirds migrate North, their raucous noise is replaced by the gurgling murmur of a...
ljmarkson
Mar 14, 20234 min read
The Native Carolina Cherry Laurel Controversy
I recently watched a small flock of hungry cedar waxwings eat what berries (drupes) previous birds missed on my now blooming Carolina...
ljmarkson
Nov 18, 20223 min read
To Save Insects and Birds the Future is Now
It turned out to be a great idea for the Intown Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia native Plant Society to squeeze one more event into this...
ljmarkson
Jun 10, 20225 min read
How to Attract Bluebirds of Happiness to Your Yard
This year I’ve been documenting the joyful journey of a darling Eastern bluebird duo and their precious offspring finally choosing a...
ljmarkson
Mar 6, 20225 min read
Just Say No to Spring Backyard Habitat Destruction
There were no happy birds in my yard on a warm spring day last week. On Friday I watched them flitting around my neighbor’s yard...
ljmarkson
Jan 11, 20222 min read
If Nature Was Predictable, It Wouldn't Be So Fascinating
My tiny, semi-urban, rewilded yard surprises me. Every. Single. Day. This past Sunday it was deathly quiet in both the front and...
ljmarkson
Jan 9, 20225 min read
Red-Winged Blackbirds are Special
Years ago, when I had a lawn with a sad, lonely bird feeder in the middle of it, I would senselessly chase away flocks of Red-winged...
ljmarkson
Dec 30, 20215 min read
Cedar Waxwings Reveal How Pervasively Disruptively Invasive Nandina and Honeysuckle are to Wildlife
Soon after I started working on a post focused on invasive nandina (Nandina domestica), I went down a rabbit hole and ended up in a...
ljmarkson
Aug 16, 20212 min read
Hummingbirds and Windows
Drama unfolded in my small semi-urban rewilded yard recently when two ruby-throated hummingbirds, probably engrossed in a territorial...
ljmarkson
Mar 26, 20214 min read
Dear Neighbor: Your Mosquito Control is Environmentally Hostile
Spring in Atlanta means the return of the war on insects. If I combined everyone in my area into one person, this is the snarky letter...
ljmarkson
Mar 1, 20214 min read
Clean Bird Feeders = Healthy Birds
I don’t want to be the reason a bird gets sick or even dies so I’m diligent about keeping my bird feeders clean. A dirty feeder can host...
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