Nature of Delaware Blog

By Ian Stewart Delaware Nature Society has over 200 nest boxes spread around the properties we own or help manage which we installed to provide nest sites for a variety of birds. Every summer these boxes are monitored by a team of volunteers who track over 100 nesting attempts by 5-6 bird species (and we…

Ian Stewart Sparrows are a mystery to most non-birders (and many birders too!) and it’s not hard to see why. The great majority of them are small, brown streaky birds that at this time of year are usually just glimpsed as they disappear into a tangle of undergrowth, so much so that sparrow sightings often…

Autumn among the beeches Ian Stewart If life is getting you down or you’re feeling particularly stressed why not take a gentle afternoon stroll through a beech wood? Walking through a beech wood in the fall is a serene experience that will instantly melt away your troubles. And if you look closely, the beeches have…

By Shannon Giordano, Public Relations & Social Media Coordinator Fall is a prime time for planting trees, and Delaware Nature Society has planted quite a few in the last three weeks. Planting trees in the fall can be the best time because the trees are going dormant for the winter and the ground is often very…

by Dakin Hewlett, Watershed Education Coordinator Fall not only brings the oncoming burst of changing colors, but also marks the beginning of the monarch butterfly’s incredible migration to Mexico. The DuPont Environmental Education Center highlighted the butterfly’s unique journey at their 4th Annual Marsh & Monarch Celebration on September 23rd. Blue skies and sunshine greeted over 200…

Ian Stewart American Goldfinches are one of my favorite birds. Their scientific name, Spinus tristis, translates as ‘Sad bird of thorn bushes’ and derives from their mournful rubber-duck like ‘squeak’ call. Personally, I think this name is unfair, as Goldfinches always seem such happy, colorful characters (like the female pictured below) with their jaunty, bouncy…