“There’s a rare bird in the vicinity,” proclaimed a Saturday night email from my old friend and birding mentor Marcus. Not only rare, this one was a mega rarity: a Terek Sandpiper. So far, only one person had seen this species in our state before, and that was on Saturday […]
Woody
184 posts
What a concept! Doug Tallamy, University of Delaware professor and author of Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope, encourages homeowners across the country to create native plant landscapes and to join a growing movement called Homegrown National Park. Homegrown National Park (HGNP) is not a real national park, nor […]
Why would we leave the Pacific Northwest during May — when our diverse and abundant natural lands and shores are exploding with birdsong and spring migration? For one reason: warblers. Every spring, the north and south shores of Lake Erie become one of the greatest migration spectacles in North America, […]
Every time I visit the deserts of the American Southwest, one plant captures my attention before all the others: the ocotillo. Scattered across the landscape, these thorny, minimalist shrubs look like skeletal umbrellas turned upside down—spindly, gray, and lifeless at first glance. Yet appearances are deceiving. Ocotillos are among the […]
As a birding guide and avid birder, I am often asked this question. It’s difficult to answer. Rather than trying to choose just one, I’ll profile seven favorites, including one family. Avian Architects: Bushtits These small gray-brown birds with long tails and a soft, chimy call are extraordinary architects. Imagine […]
After 56 years, I finally returned to Oaxaca—this time with Lori and longtime friends Bill and Denise. I first visited as a college student and was impressed even then, but this visit far exceeded our high expectations. Between a Naturalist Journeys tour and three days of independent exploration, Oaxaca delivered […]
For a birthday mini-adventure, I decided to chase a rare bird. The bird was a Taiga Bean Goose, a potential life bird, a feathered winter celebrity, that was spotted only 25 miles from home. The chase began on a sleepy, narrow road wound along the Snoqualmie River in farmlands below […]
A strangely welcoming wooden figure stood outside of Seattle’s Nordic Museum on a dark, rainy day last year. It was Frankie Feetspinter, created by Danish Artist Thomas Dambo. The sculpture appeared to be fashioned from scrap lumber and indeed, it was. It still stands there today. Dambo’s intention is to […]
Diminishing tree canopy is global issue. As you read this, you might recall the adage: “Think globally, Act locally.” By applying a remarkable new tool (a link to an interactive map) shared in this post, you can do just that. It enables you to find out what your tree canopy […]
One of the joys of birding is that every outing is a scavenger hunt. You never know what you will find and there are often surprises. Looking for Green Herons epitomizes this kind of “hunt” where the only shooting is the click of a camera. But that only happens if […]