Category: Natural History
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Hunting in Huntington
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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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…
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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…
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Island Solitude
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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Day-tripping
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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Those White Winter Birds
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…
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Frosted Feathers
It’s not that I like ice Or freezin’ winds and snowy ground. It’s just sometimes it’s kind of nice To be the only bird in town. ~Shel Silverstein This final post on our January Yellowstone trip shares a few highlights of the birds we encountered. There are certainly way fewer birds in this frozen land Read more…
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Moose Magic
Hunters will tell you that a moose is a wily and ferocious forest creature. Nonsense. A moose is a cow drawn by a three-year-old. ~Bill Bryson For many years, Moose have been one of the more difficult of Yellowstone’s large mammals to find. The best place was usually at the Northeast entrance or in the Read more…
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How Old is Your Ram?
The wild ram embodies the mystery and magic of the mountains… ~Jack O’Connor In honor of today’s contest between formidable members of the animal kingdom, I offer this short meander into the world of rams. Methinks the choice of a ram as a team mascot is a wise one – they are sure-footed, brawny, and Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 