I filled my bird feeders and hung them, looking forward to the cheerful chatter of birds during winter. The next day, a chickadee or two showed up, but nothing else. A few more days went by, nothing.

One afternoon, without warning, a flock of small birds darted to and from the feeder. The suspects had bright red caps on their foreheads like berets, black around their eyes and bills, brown streaks on their sides, and some had rosy pink chests: common redpolls.

At this spooky time of year, thoughts turn to spiders and other creepy crawlies. What better season to explore the wild world of animal toxins?

One of the superstars of poisonous animals in North America is the black widow spider. My first introduction to these legendary arachnids was while working for a summer in Arizona. The hot, dry climate is a haven for all sorts of many-legged creatures.

We’re heading out into Prince William Sound on a new adventure for this Wildlife Spy — searching for Pacific halibut. The boat is the Tango out of Valdez, a charter run by Mike and Patty Wing. They’ve been plying these waters since 1995, and put their experience to good use.

Watching a bald eagle drawing lazy circles overhead, I realize I’m fascinated because an eagle is large enough to observe how it flies. As it soars, I can see it slightly curve one wing to level off, tuck its wings a fraction to drop lower, all the minute adjustments it makes to ride the air.

Have you ever stopped to wonder how alien birds really are, under that coating of feathers? How honed their bodies are, literally down to their very bones, for the ability to fly?