I have long suspected that squirrels were nesting in my Wood Duck box.

     Confirmation came on Sunday between showers. (Not thrilled with the photo, but better than nothing.)

    Join nifty naturalists Edith Wallace and Don Torino for a plant identification walk around the Celery Farm. Both are knowledgeable and delightful to go on a walk with. (And they do not end sentences with prepositions, unlike that awkward last sentence of mine.)

   Meet at 9 a.m. at the Green Way entrance.

   Bug spray and sunblock are always good ideas. So is looking out for (and avoiding) the over-abundance of Poison Ivy.

   Photographer Kevin Watson recently got our advance copies of "Hawk Mountain," and we have to say it looks and reads pretty dang good (if you'll excuse the language).

   We can wait for everyone to see this enormous labor of love.  It should be available by early September.

   If you would to see a sample chapter from the publisher's Web site, you can click here.

  In addition to speaking at Hawk Mountain in September and October, we will do a few events locally. First up: The first Fyke meeting of the fall season, on Friday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. at the Wyckoff Library.

    The event is free, and Kevin and I will be available to sign books and talk hawks. More info (but not much) is here. Maybe we should tell them we have a new book out.

   Due to work demands, Fyke Nature Association's master calendar-maker Reed Andariese was not able to helm a calendar project this summer.

   We owe Reed a huge debt of gratitude for his beautiful work and  long hours putting the calendar together the past three years. (Thanks, Reed!)

  Rather than let 2010 arrive totally dateless, Fyke President Emeritus Carol Flanagan has volunteered to do a new calendar, albeit not quite as ambitious as Reed's. (Thanks, Carol!)   

   Carol is now looking for images from the Celery Farm for the calendar. A few simple rules apply, says Carol-- 

   * Due to time constraints, the deadline for photos for the 2010 Celery Farm calendar is August 28, 2009.  We want to have the calendar available for Allendale Day on Oct. 3.

    * You do not have to be a professional -- if you like your photo, then others may very well like it, too!!  

   * You can submit a few images, but only one can be used.