Author: Mike Dunn
-
Season of the Swan
…this harsh sound softened and modulated by distance, and issuing from the immense void above, assumes a supernatural character of tone and impression, that excites, the first time heard, a strangely peculiar feeling. ~Dr. Sharpless, 1844, on the sound made by Tundra Swans during flight It is a magical sound, that first haunting note of… Read more…
Written by
-
Spectacle
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. ~John Burroughs It has been a great winter of experiences in nature. I have had the pleasure of sharing many special sights and sounds with a number of special people, as well as having moments of solitude in… Read more…
Written by
-
Snipe Hunt
If alarmed it squats for concealment…;the longitudinal stripes on its back and head so closely resemble prostrate stems of dead grass that the bird is difficult to distinguish. ~Arthur Cleveland Bent, 1927 People often react with a bit of disbelief when I mention seeking snipe. After all, many have heard of the proverbial prank called… Read more…
Written by
-
Changing Weather
Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin My group last weekend certainly experienced most of these types of weather, something not that uncommon on an eastern North Carolina winter outing. I always… Read more…
Written by
-
Sunset Sky
The sky is the daily bread of the eyes. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson I had a group tour the first few days of 2015, so I went down to Pungo on New Year’s Day to scout things out. It was a cold and beautiful afternoon. The usual groups of Tundra Swans dotted the fields and there… Read more…
Written by
-
Counting Birds
We can never have enough of nature. ~Henry David Thoreau For me, I suppose that quote could be altered to, I can never have enough of winter wildlife in eastern North Carolina. Okay, not as poetic for sure, but true nonetheless. Why else would I (and 6 other bird nerds and friends) spend all day… Read more…
Written by
-
The Tree Fox
The Fox of Carolina is gray…When hunted, they make a sorry Chace, because they run up Trees, when pursued. ~John Lawson, 1709 On almost every visit to Mattamuskeet NWR these past few months, I have seen one or more Gray Foxes. I am guessing they had a den somewhere along Wildlife Drive and the adults,… Read more…
Written by
-
December Scenes
If we can somehow retain places where we can always sense the mystery of the unknown, our lives will be richer. ~Sigurd F. Olson Wildlife refuges, parks, open spaces – these are the special places I love. And we are lucky here in North Carolina to have an incredible variety of public lands to enjoy.… Read more…
Written by
-
Refuge Magic
I do not understand how anyone can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to. ~Marjorie Kinnan Rawling For me, that place of enchantment in my home state is Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge…more specifically, the Pungo Unit of that refuge. I had a trip this past week with a couple of friends… Read more…
Written by
-
Otter Outing
It swims and dives with great readiness and with peculiar ease and elegance of movement… Thomas Bell on otters, 1874 I recently spent a couple of days with a great group of guys in my favorite winter haunts – Pocosin Lakes and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuges. The first day started out beautifully with a rich… Read more…
Written by
Roads End Naturalist 