Feathers in the Falling Light — Part II

Birds of Short Hills In the Quiet Days of Late Autumn Morning in late October arrive softly beginning to wear its winter hush. The air thins, the light sharpens, and the woods grow spare. What was once a chorus has become a quiet ensemble — fewer voices, but each one distinct, resonant, enduring. The leaves that remainContinue reading “Feathers in the Falling Light — Part II”

The Vanishing Sparrows

(They were once everywhere—flitting through courtyards, nesting in the quiet eaves, stitching our mornings with song. The house sparrow was not a creature of the wilderness; it was part of our breath, our rhythm, our childhood. Now, they are gone.Not with a storm, not with fanfare—just gone. With them, something else has faded too. TheContinue reading “The Vanishing Sparrows”

Where Have the Sparrows Gone?

My six-year-old granddaughter, returning from school, looked up at me with bright, curious eyes and asked, “What’s a house sparrow? Can you show me one?” Such a simple question—and yet it left me searching for an answer I could not readily give. How do I explain that the birds that were once our constant companions,Continue reading “Where Have the Sparrows Gone?”