Category: Natural History
-
Happy Birthday
Wherever you meet this sign [National Wildlife Refuge sign], respect it. It means that the land behind the sign has been dedicated by the American people to preserving, for themselves and their children, as much of our native wildlife as can be retained along with our modern civilization. Wild creatures, like men, must have a… Read more…
Written by
-
Spring Forward
The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size. ~Gertrude S. Wister The change in our clocks this past weekend is one of the ways most of us know that spring is on the way in spite of the cold the past few weeks.… Read more…
Written by
-
Enough Already
Only with winter-patience can we bring the deep-desired, long-awaited spring. ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh I think I should have been more precise in my wishes in my last post, Until Next Winter….what I meant to say was I can’t wait until next winter at Pungo. I think I have had enough of whatever is happening… Read more…
Written by
-
Until Next Winter
Bird migration is the one truly unifying phenomenon in the world… ~Scott Weidensaul Having been stuck in the Piedmont the last two weeks with other priorities, I imagine the Snow Geese have left their winter home at Pocosin Lakes NWR and started their long journey north. The Tundra Swans have probably started as well, but… Read more…
Written by
-
Pungo Reflections – Sky
The sky is that beautiful old parchment in which the sun and moon keep their diary. ~ Alfred Kreymborg One of my favorite things about eastern North Carolina is the big sky (maybe that’s why I like Montana so much as well). And I have seen some wonderful big skies at Pungo this year, especially… Read more…
Written by
-
Pungo Reflections – Forest
Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares that will not withdraw from us. We need hours of aimless wandering…observing the mysterious world of ants and the canopy of treetops. ~Maya Angelou It was certainly too cold for ants on my last trip, but not for enjoying the treetops. On my trips with clients… Read more…
Written by
-
The Show
Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe. ~Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/snow_goose/lifehistory When I saw this quote, I said, yup, they nailed it. On almost any day from mid-December through early February, you have a good chance… Read more…
Written by
-
The View From Up There
…for many of us the world would be a poorer place without bears. We keep bears because they are a part of nature and because of what they do for the human mind, body, and soul. ~Steve Herrero I have seen several bears in trees this winter, even a couple with my groups, which is… Read more…
Written by
-
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
-
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
Roads End Naturalist 