Perch & Trail is a small publication, and trust is most of what we have. This page lays out how we decide what to publish, how we handle mistakes, and where our recommendations come from.

Where our writing comes from

We write from firsthand experience whenever we can. A feeder we recommend is one someone has filled and watched. A trail in Away is one someone has walked. When a piece draws on research rather than time in the field, we say so and point to where the information came from.

For anything involving wildlife, plants, or the outdoors, we lean on established sources: regional field guides, conservation groups, and the public agencies that track seasons and species. We try to name those sources in the text so you can read further on your own.

Recommendations and independence

When we point to a product, a lodge, or a destination, we do it because we think it earns the mention. No business can pay to be recommended here, and no ranking on this site is for sale. If our view of something is mixed, we say what we liked and what we did not.

From time to time a post may carry a link that earns us a small commission, or mention a place that hosted us. When that is the case, it does not shape the opinion. We would rather lose the income than tell you something we do not believe.

Corrections

We get things wrong sometimes, and when we do we fix them in the open. If a correction changes the meaning of a piece, we note what changed near the top or bottom of the post rather than quietly editing it away. Readers who flag an error are doing us a favor, and we treat it that way.

Comments and tone

Comments are welcome as long as they stay civil and on topic. We remove spam, personal attacks, and anything that turns a thread sour. Disagreement is fine and often useful. Contempt is not.

If you have a question about how a particular piece was put together or why we made a certain call, the contact page is open. We would rather explain our reasoning than have you guess at it.