No question: It's been a very mild winter. Both flowers and weeds have popped up early.
With the start of Daylight Time and warming temperatures, I put on one of my butterfly ties this morning...
If you have a special fascination for nearly any facet of radio - domestic broadcasting; receiving distant broadcast stations (AM, FM, shortwave, TV); scanners; pirate stations; to a lesser extent, Citizen's Band & Amateur Radio - a radio hobbyists' conference kicks off at the start of March...
For those of us who are amateur lepidopterists, winter does not necessarily end all our activities.
For lepidopterists who collect specimens, winter is a great time to properly mount all those butterflies and moths...
For years, postal administrations have tried to create excitement and generate revenue with novelty postage stamps.
By the 1960's, several countries were issuing stamps in gold or silver foil; in unusual shapes; or in 3-D...
You probably heard or read the stories in the general media that the United States Postal Service would end its long-standing rule that U.S. postage stamps cannot portray people who are still alive...
No doubt about it. Hurricane Irene has represented a bonanza for Delmarva's birding enthusiasts.
As The NEWS JOURNAL notes in a Page One story Wednesday, many unusual birds were spotted in Delmarva just after Irene blew through, including:
Black terns; Royal terns; immature white ibis; Pomarine jaeger; White-tailed tropicbird; Sooty tern; Band-rumped storm-petrel; Bridled tern; Wilson's storm-petrels; Marbled godwit; Parasitic jaegers; etc...
When I wasn't listening to the radio on my recent road trip, I was listening to Yes' first studio album since "Magnification". (I actually picked up the CD at a Borders store in Tallahassee three weeks ago, just before the announcement of Borders' demise...
Here are the results of the annual northern Delaware butterfly census conducted by members of the Delaware Nature Society (and me) for NABA -- The North American Butterfly Association -- this past Saturday...
The Delaware Nature Society will conduct its annual butterfly census for NABA - the North American Butterfly Association - this weekend, and I'll be one of the participants...
The last couple of weeks - with many warm days - have brought out many of the region's early-summer butterflies and moths.
For the far northern part of Delaware, and all around Pennsylvania, that means the tan to orange Great Spangled Fritillary, about the size of the Monarch...
With the exception of a few warm days in April, it seemingly took forever to get reliably warmer temperatures for spring, and many critters seemed to emerge a little late...
I don't know about you, but this past winter seemed to linger forever!
Yes, we'd get a few warmer days, but then the overnight mercury would plunge again below freezing...
The United States Postal Service recently released its list of the most popular stamp issues, based on the quantity of U.S. stamps saved rather than used...
From time to time, I hear from people who've pulled an old shortwave receiver from the attic - or who'd like to purchase a new receiver.
To be sure, many international broadcasters are now available on the internet, via satellite radio, or via public radio...
Once, as a teenager growing up in the late 1960' and early 1970's, international shortwave broadcasting was truly my window to the world.
Often while doing homework, I'd have Radio Netherlands, Swiss Radio International, Radio Sweden, Radio RSA, Deutsche Welle, Radio Canada, the BBC World Service, or even the Voice of America playing in the background...
I've bumped into several regular butterfly observers in our region who marvel at what a spectacular butterfly season it's been. I agree.
Compared to 2009, populations of some butterfly species have been huge...
The latest disc by an up & coming alternative group in my car C.D. player: "Release Me" by The Like, a band which first came together in September 2001...
A standard U.S. 44-cent, commemorative postage stamp honoring Mother Teresa comes out this weekend.
It will honor Mother Teresa's birth centenary.
Doubtless, some Americans - inspired by Mother Teresa's life and work - will request the stamp at the nation's post offices...
Members of the Delaware Nature Society - and other naturalists - joined me in conducting our annual butterfly census for NABA, the North American Butterfly Association...
I saw my first Monarch of 2010 over the 4th-of-July weekend at Lums Pond State Park... and in my own backyard.
Others have reported Monarch sightings even earlier in the Mid-Atlantic region...
