A listener finds an animal bone in her yard...

Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days people spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to birdcount.org. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.

By being observant, you can learn a lot about the natural world - even in an urban setting.

The red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a medium-sized hawk. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. It is a permanent resident throughout most of its range, though northern birds do migrate, mostly to central Mexico. The main conservation threat to the widespread species is deforestation.

Ampullariidae, common name the apple snails, is a family of large freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks with a gill and an operculum. This family is in the superfamily Ampullarioidea and is the type family of that superfamily. The Ampullariidae are unusual because they have both a gill and a lung, with the mantle cavity being divided in order to separate the two types of respiratory structures. This adaptation allows these snails to be amphibious.Pomacea bridgesii, common names the spike-topped apple snail or mystery snail, is a South American species of apple snail that is considered invasive. Federal law states that it is illegal for apple snails to be imported across state lines.

Dobsonflies are a subfamily of insects, Corydalinae, part of the Megalopteran family Corydalidae. The larvae (commonly called hellgrammites) are aquatic, living in streams, and the adults are often found along streams as well.

"Ladybugs," or ladybird beetles, hibernate in the winter. These beetles are very beneficial to gardners.

Rudy shares a quote of Ralph Waldoe Emerson's "Beauty."

The Agelenidae are a large family of spiders in the suborder Araneomorphae. The most widely accepted common name for members of the family is funnel weaver.

Introduced to South Carolina, this Asian native shrub blooms in our winter.