Backyard Accessories & Notes from the Edge of the Woods

One fine afternoon at work, on the side of the rolling hills and open fields in our small town my daughter turned on Merlin. (This app helps identify birds by sound) To our surprise the kestrel was nearby! I watched, listened, sat, quietly waited for weeks to catch a good photo of this beautiful creature.

I read something somewhere about the "unicorn effect" in birding ; where we search and search and search and for that one bird until we actually get the chance to see it! I finally got the chance to snap a few photos. Along the way... I learned a lot about this fascinating bird and the factor of their decline.

Then fall migration came...it was astounding.

What started as casually noticing turned into actually paying attention; watching, listening, trying to learn what was passing through. Somewhere along the way, birds were filling up my camera memory and my search history.  I spent hours in the backyard, learning, listening, photographing. All the while appreciating what we truly have in our own backyard. 

Now I keep track of what I see through FeederWatch and eBird, and I run a trail camera through Snapshot NY to catch what moves through the yard when I’m not out there. It’s been a way of realizing how much is happening here all the time, whether I notice it or not.

My family and I live on the edge of the woods in the Hudson Valley of New York. 

My great grandmother used to feed birds from a wide wooden platform, something simple, steady, and always full of life. I’ve been working toward building that again in my own yard. (Note: the aged photo below is of said great grandmother's feeder)

Wing & Hollow grew out of that. It isn’t a guide or a how-to. It’s a place to pay attention and just...relate. We are rooted in New York, offering wildflower seeds designed for birds, pollinators, and the spaces where yards meet the woods.

Notes from a backyard: what shows up, what changes with the seasons, and what I’m learning as I go. Most of the time, I’m figuring it out in real time. You'll find my 8-year-old is usually a step ahead of me.

If you’re noticing birds for the first time too, or just starting to pay attention to what’s around you, you’re in the right place.