A cluster of 10 bird observers stood near the large pond in Southeast Portland's Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, watching with wonder and amusement as a pair of common merganser ducks began their mating ritual.

It is one of the UK's most spectacular wildlife destinations - a haven for seabirds such as puffins and gannets and a magnet for thousands of visitors.

THE WAY AROUND: A Field Guide to Going Nowhere. By Nicholas Triolo. Milkweed Editions. 224 pages. $26. Having once again marked our planet's orbit around the sun, we'd do well to welcome the New Year guided by Nicholas Triolo's wise and insightful "The Way Around.

Most people don't describe their problem as being indoors too much. They say they're exhausted. Anxious. Wired at night and foggy during the day.