Author: Robert Francis

A few months ago I wrote a piece for Bird History about eating robins. When I started researching the article, I figured it would be something short and straightforward: “Isn’t it interesting that people used to eat robins? Here are some recipes.” Of course, once I started digging in, I learned that the story was…

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…

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…

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…

Dr. William W. Arnold had four decades as a successful physician under his belt. More recently, he’d become an avid amateur ornithologist. But he never thought to combine these two skill sets for the benefit of “the large number of maimed birds ever present here in Colorado Springs” until he was approached by a young…

Note: Last month, the folks at Audubon interviewed me about how I got started writing Bird History, how I go about researching each story, and why learning about the history of exploiting and protecting birds is so important. Check out the Q&A here! Farmers, industrialists, homemakers, and mechanics leafing through a 1918 issue of DuPont…

Before I get to today’s post, I want to share that I’ve opened up paid subscriptions to Bird History on Substack. If this writing has taught you something new, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to support the research that goes into my work. Subscriptions start at $6 a month — but the posts will…

I woke up last Monday morning and found my world blanketed with snow. Outside my window, I saw dozens of house sparrows mobbing the neighbor’s bird feeder. These birds are aggressive and disorderly on a good day, and the snow seemed to have sent them into overdrive. Six inches of powder had covered up their…