Category: Natural History
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A Foggy Start
After the incredible experience with the Snowy Owl at Hatteras last week, I waited in line for an hour and a half for the emergency ferry to get off the island. Bright and early the next day, I headed to Lake Mattamuskeet, always an incredible place to experience the first light of a new day. Read more…
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The Many Faces of Hedwig
The crow wished everything was black, the owl, that everything was white. ~William Blake Those of you that know me probably know I had to look up the name of Harry Potter’s pet Snowy Owl, just to be sure I used it correctly in the title. Oh well, at least I am trying to fit Read more…
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Snow on the Beach
I have never been one of “those” people…you know who I mean, the bird chasers. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy birds, love to watch them, photograph them, and learn about them. But the idea of dropping everything and heading out to see a rare bird was not in my repertoire…until now. My young birder Read more…
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Subtle Beauty
It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds. Aesop Cardinal….Redbird…the names refer to one of our most beautiful backyard birds…and they refer to the male of the species, Cardinalis cardinalis. He is among our most strikingly colorful birds with his scarlet red plumage and crest. His mate is also a comely bird but Read more…
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When the North Wind Blows
I went camping last weekend with some friends at Pettigrew State Park and the weather decided to change dramatically during our stay. Saturday was relatively warm and overcast and we just missed the last of the rain when we arrived at the park around noon. Everything was slightly wet as we set up camp, and Read more…
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Tuft Times
Earlier this week I pulled a piece of wood out from under the deck and as I did, I apparently disturbed something that had been attached to the side of one of the boards. It was a cocoon of some sort, but it had a distinctive pupa that had been exposed by my actions. Before Read more…
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A Heap of Hawks
I have seen a bounty of hawks the past few days here in the woods. I got close to a Red-shouldered Hawk sitting out on a snag in the meadow the other day as I was carrying some firewood in the wheelbarrow. The next day, a Cooper’s Hawk blew by me on the deck as Read more…
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Eye Wonder
One of the joys of heating with a wood stove is cutting and splitting wood. There is something satisfying about the pile of logs ready for the fire after a couple of hours of work in the cold, crisp air. But often, I find some interesting stowaways in my firewood. Such was the case this Read more…
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Vines Bearing Grapes
As I mentioned in my last post, I had to leave Cades Cove about noon, and was wondering if my bear mojo was failing me and I would be skunked for bears on this trip (you may recall I am a big fan of bears and enjoy observing them). But, a couple of miles outside Read more…
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Cades Cove
Cades Cove is a 6800 acre valley on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is probably the most visited area of the park and the Smokies are the most visited national park in the United States with more than 9 million visitors each year (Grand Canyon is second with about 4 Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 