Welcome! I’m Larissa Breedlove, a writer and communications strategist based in the greater New York City area. It feels auspicious to launch this blog on National Bird Day. While I’ve always loved birds, it took buying a (used) “real camera” in March 2024 to take birding more seriously. Through birding, I’ve learned the natural world can include a city block as much as a trail or park. The great agrarian writer Wendell Berry often reflects on the dangers of defining nature as separate from us. Birds’ parallel world is woven through our own.
Tibbetts Brook Park, my longtime birding hotspot, is a place I visited for years before birding allowed me to notice a greater variety of birds for the first time, notably my beloved wintering ducks. I am partial to waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors.
A few notes: Because I am based in the Northeast, my blog content, birding locations and resources are mainly focused on this area. I also visit North Idaho a few times a year, so you’ll notice references to Western species, too. This site is a growing “one stop shop” for birding resources, general information on helping sick or injured wildlife and humane ways to manage bird challenges, particularly woodpeckers.
So, enjoy and happy exploring! I’m so glad you’re here.