Category: Trip report
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Moving South Along the Parkway
It was as if all the world might be composed of nothing but valley and ridge. ~Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain This is part two of our trip last month down the Blue Ridge Parkway. After the crazy weather at Mount Mitchell, we headed to our next destination, a somewhat out of the way campground, Balsam Read more…
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Mountain High
Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully. ~Kristen Butler It’s been awhile since my last post and a lot has happened since then. Melissa and I took a couple of weeks to head to the mountains last month and then it has been busy here at home. So, the Read more…
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Millpond Meander
This is everybody’s dream swamp… ~A.B. Coleman (the man who donated Merchants Millpond to the state for a park) Over a week ago, Melissa and I managed a two night get-away to one of our favorite state parks, Merchants Millpond. I think Mr. Coleman was right, this may be everybody’s “dream swamp”. It combines an Read more…
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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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Huntington Portraits
Portraits are about revealing aspects of an individual. ~Kehinde Wiley Last weekend I drove down to Myrtle Beach, SC, for a surprise birthday party for my friend Scott. Of course, I had to visit one of my favorite birding and photography spots while I was there, the nearby Huntington Beach State Park. The causeway leading 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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Roads End Naturalist 