Christmas Bird Count data helps us better understand birds so we can better protect them! ~US Fish & Wildlife Service Here’s a quick report on our annual trip to Pungo for the Pettigrew Christmas Bird Count that was held last weekend. For a change, we had nice weather – chilly and windy, but sunny most… Read more…

I am the hawk and there’s blood in my feathers, but time is still turning they soon will be dry. And all those who see me and all who believe in me, share in the freedom I feel when I fly. ~John Denver Melissa and I were gone on another truck camping adventure for a… Read more…

It is a sad truth, but we have lost the faculty of giving lovely names to things. ~Oscar Wilde I enjoy cold winter days as I tend to pay more attention to the little things in our woods like patterns, surprise colors, and living things that I sometimes pay less attention to in warmer months… Read more…

Ice has a social life. Its changeability shapes the culture, language and stories of those who live near it! ~Robert Macfarlane I went for a walk in our cold woods on Monday and came across some remnant ice patterns left from a combination of heavy rain followed by frigid temperatures while we were away for… Read more…

Many people think of winter as bereft of birds after autumn migrations, but in fact this can be a bountiful season for bird-watchers. ~Val Cunningham It is the time of year when I yearn to be with the birds of Pungo. There is something magical about their abundance, their flight, and their sounds. And the… Read more…

Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods. ~William Wordsworth I’m trying to get into our woods every few days to see the changes that are occurring as autumn transitions to the bones of winter. The big change this week was the sudden accumulation of oak leaves on the forest floor.… Read more…

The trees will tell their secrets to those who tune in. ~Steven Magee I check the trail cameras once a week or so and am always anxious to see what secrets they uncover in our woods. The past few weeks it has mainly been squirrels chasing each other around and deer, lots of deer. November… Read more…

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 It’s been awhile since I posted. Not sure where the time goes, but here we are. Last week I had a last minute idea to run down to my favorite… Read more…

Like delicate lace, so the threads intertwine, oh, gossamer web of wond’rous design! Such beauty and grace wild nature produces… ~Bill Watterson Yes, ’tis that special holiday, ’tis Halloween. And we manage to gravitate toward all manner of spooky things and transfer our fears anew to many elements of the natural world such as bats,… Read more…