It seemed like a recipe for failure: birding on the shortest, darkest day of the year in the rainy Pacific Northwest. If you were looking for […]
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Five years ago, enroute from Denver Airport to the city, Lori and I noticed a huge green patch on the map northeast of Denver with the oxymoronic name Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Intrigued yet wary, we set out to explore this place. Soon after exiting […]
Pick up a pair of dice. Now put one down and hold the other die in one hand. The weight you are holding is roughly equivalent to that of a Rufous Hummingbird! Now, imagine that tiny bird making an annual 8,000-mile round trip from central Mexico to as far north […]
Fortunately, Yes! But not the majority of Seattle City Council or our Mayor. Only Councilmember Alex Pedersen spoke out about the proposed removal of “Luma” – an exceptional Western Red Cedar in Seattle’s Wedgwood neighborhood: “The chopping down of such exceptional trees is additional evidence that city hall is failing […]
Martha Bean, a friend of mine, wrote this super nice piece about me and my book in the Wenatchee Naturalist Blog: https://www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/woody-wheeler-look-up/
It took time for the safari experience to sink in. Not until we were staring into the eyes of Massai Giraffes browsing the tops of Acacia trees 20 feet from our jeep, their long raspy tongues extended, and their ears perked with curiosity, did I comprehend that we were […]
Bluethroat, European Stonechat on borders of Jordan & Egypt Birding Between Borders and So Much More Finally, after a two-year Covid delay, Lori and I were able to take the inaugural […]
Oh Canada! What a sight for sore eyes you are. Not only your supernatural parks and wilderness, but also your immaculate city parks, vandalism-free campgrounds, trash-free highways, and clean bathrooms. Oh Canada! What a sound for sore ears your conversations are, often including kind and considerate words like “please,” “thank […]
Oregon’s Coastal Visionaries “Ahhh, the coast: that single word encompasses…craggy headlands, crashing waves, sandy beaches and rocky tide pools …” So says Travel Oregon about the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway. To this list I would add temperate old growth forests, marine mammals, and seabirds. What makes it even […]
Often you hear them before you see them. To me, Purple Martins are the blues singers of the swallows. They vocalize in loud, gravelly chirps combined with throaty warbling as they soar overhead like miniature purple-black jets in search of insects. When they are not in flight, you can find […]