Author: Mike Dunn
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Finch Findings, Part 2
Here are the long overdue results of the winter finch quiz from my last post, Finch Findings. On a less pleasing visual note…while photographing the finches last month, I noticed something I see every few years in the House Finches I encounter. One finch landed and looked over his shoulder. After I snapped a quick… Read more…
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Finch Findings
This winter’s theme is a “mixed bag” of finch movements. ~Ron Pittaway, Ontario Field Ornithologists After seeing the first Purple Finches at my feeder a few weeks ago, I started searching online for some information. I ran across one of those interesting combinations of technology and old-fashioned field observations that seems so common in the… Read more…
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First Snow
When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I’ll know I’m growing old. ~Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson I have to admit, that describes me. I love snow and winter – I know, I am outside the norm on this one, but I do. And my first snow of the season happened… Read more…
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A Well-named Bird
…he wears a coat of the purest, richest, and most gorgeous blue on back, wings, and tail; he carries on his back the blue of heaven and the rich brown of the freshly turned earth on his breast… ~Arthur Cleveland Bent, in Life Histories of Familiar North American Birds, 1949. I finally had a chance… Read more…
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Learning by Experience
The feeling of respect for all species will help us recognize the noblest nature in ourselves. ~Thich Nhat Hanh Last Saturday I had the pleasure of sharing two of my favorite places with an enthusiastic group of NC State students in the Leopold Wildlife Club. I was asked if I would accompany them on a… Read more…
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Autumn’s Palette
Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus Years ago I had a school grounds workshop scheduled for a week day in October near Asheville. I didn’t get a hotel room ahead of time since I figured it would not be a problem during the week. After checking various places… Read more…
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Boneyard and Butterflies
Discovering this idyllic place, we find ourselves filled with a yearning to linger here, where time stands still and beauty overwhelms. ~Anonymous Another report on my recent trip to the South Carolina Lowcountry…after looking for dolphins on the boat charter and enjoying some of the fine dining to be found in Charleston, it was off… Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 