Roads End Naturalist

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

Author: Mike Dunn

  • Singing in the Rain

    I’m happy again I’m singin’ and dancing in the rain I’m dancing and singin’ in the rain ~Lyrics from Singing in the Rain by Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown I will admit to not quite feeling that happy to wake up to the downpour this morning, but somebody did. At least, they seemed happy Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Suet Sampler

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    I don’t feed the birds because they need me; I feed the birds because I need them. ~Kathi Hutton Sunday was a gray, chilly day here in the woods and the birds were quite active at the feeders. One group of birds, in particular, had my attention, the gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Warbler Watching

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    The real jewel of my disease-ridden woodlot is the prothonotary warbler … The flash of his gold-and-blue plumage amid the dank decay of the June woods is in itself proof that dead trees are transmuted into living animals, and vice versa. ~Aldo Leopold This final post on our recent swamp trip is about one of Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Bird Spot

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    Simply wait, be quiet, still. The world will freely offer itself to you. ~Franz Kafka Yesterday’s post mentioned the excellent birding we experienced on our recent paddle trip on the Roanoke River. When we arrived at our second camping platform, Three Sisters, the late day light was gorgeous and the sky was filled with all Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Social Distancing – Swamp Style

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    Yes, though you may think me perverse, if it were proposed to me to dwell in the neighborhood of the most beautiful garden that ever human art contrived, or else of a Dismal Swamp, I should certainly decide for the swamp. ~Henry David Thoreau I will admit to feeling a little guilty about this, but Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Keepin’ On, Goin’ On

    No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. ~Maya Angelou There has been a lot of talk these past few weeks of the value of connecting with nature, especially during these stressful times where everything “normal” seems unattainable. There is definitely solace in Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Naming Nature Part 2

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    Here is the answer to yesterday’s quiz along with things to note as you make your observations. The snake is a Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata). It is a small snake with adults ranging up to about 12 inches in length. They are fairly common, but somewhat secretive, in wooded areas and edges of old fields. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Naming Nature

    I wonder what it would be like to go into a forest where nothing had name. How would we act in a forest if there were no names for anything smaller than an ecosystem? How could we walk, if there were no way to talk about anything larger than a cell? ~Kathleen Dean Moore When Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Blue-gray Silk Snatcher

    Its nest is composed of the frailest materials, and is light and small in proportion to the size of the bird. ~John James Audubon on the nest of what he called the Blue-grey Fly-catcher A friend and co-worker of Melissa says the wispy call of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  (Polioptila caerulea) sounds like a faint “Steve”. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Day-flyers

    We are all naturally seekers of wonders. We travel far to see the majesty of old ruins, the venerable forms of the hoary mountains, great waterfalls, and galleries of art. And yet the world’s wonder is all around us; the wonder of setting suns, and evening stars, of the magic spring-time, the blossoming of the Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn