Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

Author: Mike Dunn

  • Millpond Meander

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    This is everybody’s dream swamp… ~A.B. Coleman (the man who donated Merchants Millpond to the state for a park) Over a week ago, Melissa and I managed a two night get-away to one of our favorite state parks, Merchants Millpond. I think Mr. Coleman was right, this may be everybody’s “dream swamp”. It combines an… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Hunting in Huntington

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    It’s all about whose where on the food chain. ~Len Wein My trip last weekend included some time at both Myrtle Beach State Park and nearby Huntington Beach State Park. While hanging with friends at the former park, I was impressed by the amount of bird activity and marine life (from the ocean pier) we… Read more…

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    Mike Dunn

  • Huntington Portraits

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    Portraits are about revealing aspects of an individual. ~Kehinde Wiley Last weekend I drove down to Myrtle Beach, SC, for a surprise birthday party for my friend Scott. Of course, I had to visit one of my favorite birding and photography spots while I was there, the nearby Huntington Beach State Park. The causeway leading… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Camera Captures

    These woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. ~Robert Frost The trail cameras continue to capture moments in the lives of our woodland neighbors. Here are a some clips from the past couple of months to… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Flight Path

    Birds learn how to fly, never knowing where the flight will take them. ~Mark Nepo This is a brief update on the recent posts where I shared a few sightings of tagged birds – one, a Common Raven in Yellowstone, and three American Oystercatchers on Masonboro Island in southeastern North Carolina. First, the shorebirds at… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Some Days You Get Lucky

    I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. ~Thomas Jefferson Today was one of those days. Coming back home after a doctor’s appointment, a motion caught my eye while driving past a small roadside vernal pool. I slowed and saw it was a Barred… Read more…

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    Mike Dunn

  • Still Hanging On

    Your growing antlers, Bambi continued, are proof of your intimate place in the forest, For of all the things that live and grow only the trees and the deer shed their foliage each year and replace it more strongly, more magnificently, in the Spring. Each year the trees grow larger and put on more leaves.… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Island Solitude

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    The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place. ~Rachel Carson Last week was another first for me – a canoe camping trip to Masonboro Island. Masonboro Island is one 10 sites that make up the NC Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve. This 8.4 mile long island reserve was protected in… Read more…

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    Mike Dunn

  • Day-tripping

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    I just take it one day at a time, and it always leads you to the right place. ~ Kyle Massey My two recent trips to Pungo were two day trips, leaving home before dawn and leaving the refuge after sunset. While not the ideal way to do this, even a day trip can yield… Read more…

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    Mike Dunn

  • Those White Winter Birds

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    Twenty thousand birds moved away from me as one, like a ground-hugging white cloud… ~Michael Pollan I managed a couple of trips to my favorite NC winter place recently and was rewarded with some wonderful scenes of wide colorful skies, masses of birds, quiet moments of watching wildlife, and some surprises. I’ll cover much of… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn