https://mailchi.mp/dab1866182a5/conservation-conversationsour-south-african-birding-big-year-a-familys-search-for-191480?e=685507abb9 Continue reading Conservation Conversations: Bird of the Year 2022 – Cape Gannet!

http://www.surfbirds.com/community-blogs/blog/2022/02/05/paddyfield-pipit-doesnt-make-the-grade-for-the-british-list/ Continue reading Paddyfield Pipit doesn’t make the grade for the British List | surfbirds

https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/american-coots Continue reading American Coots | BirdNote

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours at a Kathy Shaner workshop, and brought a shimpaku back for the third year to continue its journey toward becoming a bonsai. The first two workshops are chronicled here. This is a shot from before the workshop, after being allowed to grow most of last year. Some initial comments… Continue reading Shimpaku Workshop Tree Revisited

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Here is a quick flashback on this juniper that I’ve been working on with Kathy Shaner, each March for the last 3 years. This year, we worked on the maple and didn’t touch this shimpaku. I like where she’s taken it, and have started to develop my own vision, so I didn’t push the issue… In ’09 In ’10 In… Continue reading Shimpaku workshop re-revisited

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
These three popular regional varieties of Juniperus chinensis are discussed often, but rarely are their features compared.  A few good articles exist that describe them, including Brent’s site, as well as this archived history of the shimpaku (although neither site shows a photo of Kishu).  Here are some observations and comparisons of each.  As always, please feel free to share… Continue reading Much ado about Shimpaku…and Itoigawa and Kishu Juniper

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
With quite a few new projects underway, and winter work still a couple months away, several of the next few posts, like the spruce, will be bonsai “cliffhangers”.  Other upcoming work will include a Japanese Black Pine that has been chronicled over the past 5 seasons, revisits of a Zelkova and Beech shared on BonsaiNut, and maybe some more technical… Continue reading Itoigawa Juniper: work in progress

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Pinching is removing the new extension growth. Maybe for purposes of clarity, we can call it cutting or trimming. While terminology is important, the technique is really what matters. Pinching a juniper’s foliage using a “Grip And Rip” method is how I was taught to handle new growth on a juniper…nearly 20 years ago. It is now accepted (more likely,… Continue reading Trimming Junipers during the growing season

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Beech grow a bit like black pines. They are apically- and distally-dominant, they issue one flush of growth per year (unless intervention, such as pruning, causes another flush), and require different techniques to develop good branching. Admittedly, I am still learning these techniques. It seems that with this beech, it’s one step forward, two steps back. It didn’t help that… Continue reading Fall defoliation of a Japanese Beech

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Continuing the development of this ume included enjoying the blooms for a few weeks during the Christmas break: …then a significant pruning back and wiring of the branches. The challenge with ume is that the work can only be done at certain times, meaning that progress on branch development and especially ramification is rather slow. Pruning during the growing season… Continue reading Prunus Mume (part 5…of 4?)