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That Sound
Nothing in the cry of cicadas suggests that they are about to die. ~Matsuo Basho I imagine you are deluged with social media posts and news reports about the spectacle that those of us in this area are living with right now – the emergence of Brood XIX of periodical cicadas. I hesitated adding one Read more
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Seldom Seen
Coyotes have the gift of seldom being seen; they keep to the edge of vision and beyond… ~N. Scott Momaday As you may have noticed in recent months, I have not written as many blogs as in the past. I will try to do better since there is a lot to share. I’m going to Read more
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Predator Potpourri
You can’t imagine anything like nature as we know it without predators. ~Dale Jamieson I’ve been out in the yard a lot these past couple of weeks doing the spring chores of removing the dead stalks from last year’s wildflowers, adding some mulch to walkways, etc. The spring wildflowers are showing themselves as are the Read more
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Egg-citing
The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside is shell. ~Zora Neale Hurston This is a quick follow-up to my last post about the breeding congress of Spotted Salamanders two nights ago. I went out last night around 10 pm and checked both pools. In the murky pool (lots Read more
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They’re At It Again!
All nature’s creatures join to express nature’s purpose. Somewhere in their mounting and mating, rutting and butting is the very secret of nature itself. ~Graham Swift Rainy nights in January and February bring out the lust in our neighborhood…salamander lust that is. My last post highlighted the first major mating migration of the year for Read more
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Celebration of Life
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. ~Dolly Parton Melissa and I traveled to Damascus, VA, yesterday for a funeral service for one of my aunts. It was a lovely tribute to a wonderful woman. Even though it is about a 4-hour drive, we decided Read more
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While She Was Away…
Take time to do what makes your soul happy. ~Unknown author I suppose I really don’t have to worry about this particular quote. I think I do a pretty good job of taking the time to do the things I enjoy. With Melissa leading a museum winter workshop in Yellowstone, I decided to get out Read more
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Counting Birds Again
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
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South Africa – Days 1-4
Custos Naturae – Guardian of Nature ~The slogan formerly found on the logo of Kruger National Park, South Africa Last summer, a friend and former coworker, Andrew Torlage, asked me out for a beer to discuss an idea. Andrew was born in South Africa and moved to North Carolina less than a decade ago. He Read more
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Trying to Understand Our Wild Neighbors
We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts. ~William Hazlitt And in some cases, we see nature with our trail cameras… This season seems to have fewer large buck deer than I have seen the past few years, but recently, a beautiful 8-pointer kindly walked in front of Read more
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Roads End Naturalist 