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.

  • Searching for Snows

    , ,

    Don’t refuse to go on an occasional wild goose chase – that’s what wild geese are for. ~Henry J. Haskins I am lucky in retirement to have more time to seek out places that provide a wildlife spectacle. There is something transformative about witnessing masses of animals in a wild place. This time of year,… Read more

  • Chilly Chincoteague

    ,

    The time will come when winter will ask what you were doing all summer. ~Henry Clay I had some time to explore over the recent holiday weekend, but decided that my favorite place, Pungo, would probably be too crowded so I thought I should try someplace else. My original plan was to head to Florida,… Read more

  • Viewfinder

    ,

    The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. ~ Dorothea Lange One of my groups a week ago were all members of a photography club. I generally don’t do the classic photography workshop type of program. I am usually more interested in helping people see the natural world with… Read more

  • Birds Galore

    ,

    It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility. ~Rachel Carson I had two groups scheduled for trips over the last week, one a group of photographers, and one some friends from my museum world. The… Read more

  • Snakes on a Plain (Coastal Plain, that is)

    ,

    For hibernating rodent and hidden turtle, what dreams, I wonder, come on such a day of spring in January? ~Edwin Way Teale I just returned from several days down at Pocosin Lakes and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuges. The weather started off beautiful, then wet and warm, then cold and windy – quite a variety of… Read more

  • Falcon

    What appeals to us most in this daring little falcon is its lightness and quickness. ~Winsor Marrett Tyler A friend told me about a pair of American Kestrels hanging out in a particular field in Raleigh. I had to run into town for an errand the other day and decided to run by the field… Read more

  • Celebrating Parks – January

    The creation of a park establishes that sense of a special place. When you enter a park – you think differently. You pause and it takes you a little bit out of the rush of time and I think that is why so many families take their kids back and why those kids will take… Read more

  • One Wet Bird, Two Wet Birds…Four Wet Birders

    ,

    The best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Unlike most years, I was dreading this year’s annual Christmas Bird Count. The weather forecast had been calling for more rain, 80% most of the day. We have already had so much rain and I anticipated the… Read more

  • Yellowstone this Summer

    …you will remember these fine, wild views, and look back with joy to your wanderings in the blessed old Yellowstone Wonderland. ~John Muir, 1898 Join me, June 2-9, 2016, for an unforgettable experience in the world’s first national park, Yellowstone! Next summer will mark 100 years since the creation of the National Park Service, and… Read more

  • Appreciating a Place

    ,

    Sense of place…it is a combination of characteristics that makes a place special and unique. ~the Art of Geography I am lucky. I have several wild places that give me that feeling of a sense of place, of completeness, of peace. I think almost any location can become such a place given time to experience… Read more

Roads End Naturalist

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

Copyright Mike Dunn and Melissa Dowland