Val Cunningham
Latest from Val Cunningham
The charm of chickadees in the winter
They know what they’re doing and they do it with dash, style and, frankly, charisma.
January 14, 2026
How and where to spot owls in the metro area? Listen up.
Plus homely cardinals, missing goldfinches and a life-and-death battle between a hawk and a snake.
December 4, 2025
What food can we offer dark-eyed juncos? Think small.
Plus sparrow shout fests, more robins sticking around in winter, turkeys love acorns and how to prevent window strikes.
November 14, 2025
Does treating ashes for borers harm birds?
Plus: Can birds decide not to migrate? Why are jays persnickety? Where can you see cranes in Minnesota?
October 30, 2025
Why don’t blue jays stay on Park Point? They avoid merlins.
Plus: How to avoid weeds from feeder seeds, what makes hummingbirds so feisty, and cleaning hummingbird feeders.
October 16, 2025
Eagles are indeed eagle-eyed
Plus: What’s behind gathering of flickers, can hummingbirds sing, are feeders bad?
October 2, 2025
Loons you see in summer may be casing the joint
Plus: Cormorants, Cooper’s hawks and how to find scarlet tanagers
September 18, 2025
If you can attract an osprey nest once, chances are you'll see them again
Plus: Why don’t birds sleep in their nest? How much do birds sleep?
September 4, 2025
Attempt to rescue an injured pileated woodpecker turns into a saga
A man sets off on a rescue mission when he finds an injured bird in the street.
August 14, 2025
Woodies and hoodies: Why were these ducklings hanging out together?
A reader saw a mixed brood of ducklings following a merganser and wondered why there were two "woodies" in the group..
July 31, 2025
Parent birds work overtime in nesting season
Birds like blue jays and robins make excellent helicopter parents, mutually raising their broods during the summer.
July 17, 2025
Young cardinals are brown but will molt into red feathers
Why are big flocks of geese flying north in late spring after migration?
July 3, 2025
