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HOMEBODIES

HOMEBODIES

by | Nov 12, 2020 | Birds, Wildlife

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Anywhere you hang your hat is home, or so the saying goes, but the same holds true even if your cap is actually a cluster of rose-colored feathers, or even a cloche of streaky tan and taupe.  Perhaps we rarely see a House Finch...
ENDEMIC IMMIGRANTS

ENDEMIC IMMIGRANTS

by | Oct 14, 2020 | Birds, Wildlife

A prominent German-American publisher in St. Louis at that time, sponsored the Transatlantic voyage of a dozen Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus, aka German sparrows) and representatives of 5 other species from his fatherland. Hoping to establish colonies in the Missouri Rhineland, shortly after their arrival the itinerant avians were released into the park.

BRITISH INVASION

BRITISH INVASION

by | Oct 23, 2019 | Birds, Wildlife

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD It seems to happen once each century. In 1775 the Redcoats showed up in Boston, the Beatles made a big splash about 200 years later in 1964, and in the sweet-spot in-between the House Sparrows (Passer domestics) arrived. It’s difficult to...
GRASSROOTS

GRASSROOTS

by | Sep 25, 2019 | Birds, Wildlife

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence, especially if your yard-care ethic is benign neglect, and your neighbor is a wannabe greenskeeper. Generally speaking, though, the sentiment behind that familiar grassy idiom...