As his sloop rolled into the choppy waters of Florida’s Matlacha Pass, William Scott kept his eyes peeled for egrets. If any of the birds were roosting on the mangrove islands on either side of him, they would be easy to spot, with their brilliant white feathers contrasting sharply against walls of green. But there…
Month: April 2025
Feathers On Hats: The Murderous Trend that Launched the Conservation Movement
So far, most of the pieces that I’ve written for Bird History have been stand-alone stories. But for the next several months, my bi-weekly pieces will tell the story of how the United States started protecting its birds. This meandering, fifty-year saga, involving feather hunting, ladies’ clubs, murder, international treaties, and bird lovers from all…
Birding, 10,000 BC: America’s first humans found a world filled with birds. Some of the most incredible disappeared with the mammoths.
Bird History is free to read, but putting together these posts is a lot of work! If you like what you’re reading, I’d invite you to upgrade to a paid subscription on my Substack. If you do, I’ll send you one of my hand-made linocut prints — you can check them out at the end…