Roads End Naturalist

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


Enter your search here:

Due to our site update, photos on older posts may not display correctly. Sorry for any inconvenience.

  • Fast Water, Slo-mo Birds

    I spent some time at LeHardy Rapids along the Yellowstone River this week filming birds in the raging waters. Each species manages to utilize this extreme habitat to find what it needs to survive. Read more

  • The Wallow

    The wallow is an important feature of the rut showing a bull’s prowess and fitness. Read more

  • Pika Perfect

    I spent some quality time this week in the Beartooths observing American pika, perhaps the cutest mammal in this region. I spent 6 hours in the area with bonus sightings of mountain goats and much more. Read more

  • Amphibian Exploration

    ,

    My books are now available on a second platform (besides Amazon)! Click through for more info, to read one of my favorite stories from the series on spotted salamanders, and to learn a bit about their western cousins that I recently had the chance to observe. Read more

  • Raising Raptors Update

    We have been back to check on most of the raptor nests a couple of times since our last post. Things are changing rapidly. Read more

  • Of Bears and Ants

    ,

    Check out another of my stories from Walks with a Naturalist… and find out how some recent experiences with bears in the park led to an even deeper exploration of the role of thatch ants in the ecosystem! Read more

  • Harlequin

    We always enjoy watching the harlequin ducks at LeHardy Rapids. This year there was a female hanging with the colorful males and they were spending more time in the whitewater showing off their skills in the raging current. Read more

  • Walks with a Naturalist – Volume 3 is out!

    ,

    My third book is out! The third volume includes thirty more nature stories with photos and illustrations on topics ranging from the white ash tree that was in my yard growing up to finding ant lions in your backyard to snorkeling with colorful fish in mountain streams to seeing wild canids in Yellowstone. If you… Read more

  • Raising Raptors Redux

    A chance encounter with a park visitor leads me to an amazing afternoon of observing an owl nest. Read more

  • Raising Raptors

    I spent all day yesterday observing three raptor nests hoping to film the adults feeding their young. The spotting scope and phone set-up provided some great footage of these raptors raising their young. Read more

Roads End Naturalist

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

Copyright Mike Dunn and Melissa Dowland