Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road


Category: Trip report

  • Octo-Ungulates

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    Ungulates. The most boring animals on earth. All they do is stand around and chew their cud. ~Hal Brindley It seems there are not a lot of quotes out there about ungulates (hoofed mammals) but I found this one in a clever blog post by someone that I know through social media. I agree with Read more…

  • Canid Capers

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    Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. ~George R. R. Martin One of the best things about Yellowstone in winter is the enhanced Read more…

  • Winter Wonderland

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    Through the weeks of deep snow, we walked above the ground on fallen sky… ~Wendell Berry I alluded to this trip in our last post when I whined about missing our “big snow” at home while we were away. Well, we were away in our happy place, Yellowstone. And, even though it is experiencing a Read more…

  • Refuge Ramble, Part 2 – Pea Island and Alligator River

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    Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way. ~John Muir This is the last in a series on my wanderings last week in eastern North Carolina and is about the middle of my trip when I visited the coast. After Read more…

  • Bodie Island

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    I think the most important quality in a birdwatcher is a willingness to stand quietly and see what comes. Our everyday lives obscure a truth about existence – that at the heart of everything there lies a stillness and a light. ~Lynn Thomson After a rainy first day at Pungo, I headed to the coast, Read more…

  • Refuge Ramble – Pocosin Lakes and Mattamuskeet

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    Our public lands – whether a national park or monument, wildlife refuge, forest or prairie – make each one of us land-rich. It is our inheritance as citizens of a country called America. ~Terry Tempest Williams Last week was another of those times I really appreciate our public lands. I spent four days on the Read more…

  • 1 Bird, 2 Birds, …and some cool other stuff

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    Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own. ~Charles Dickens This past Thursday was our annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count at Pettigrew State Park. As usual, Melissa and I covered our part of the count circle, much of the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. We had planned to Read more…

  • Buffalo National River

    On the river, time does not exist – only the sound of the rushing water, the cries of the wood thrush and crow and the sight of light dancing on the water. ~Ginny Masullo Our second paddle adventure back in October was on a section of the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. The Buffalo River Read more…

  • Keeping Current – The Wild Things

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    Rivers are places that renew our spirit, connect us with our past, and link us directly with the flow and rhythm of the natural world. ~Ted Turner My only regret from our canoe camping trip last month was that I did not bring my usual camera gear to record some of the wonderful wildlife we Read more…

  • Keeping Current – The River

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    The rivers flow not past, but through us… ~John Muir it has been a little over a month since our paddling adventure. I’m finally getting around to sharing some of the incredible memories from that trip. My knee has been causing some real problems these past few months so we agreed to try a paddling Read more…