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 […]
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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 […]
Owls were swooping down to the ground, just feet away, for their evening feast. This is the scene on July evenings where a family of six Barred Owls put on a show in Ravenna Park just blocks away from our home. At dusk, this owl family moves from the forested […]
Due to their beauty, feistiness, athletic prowess, and globetrotting abilities, hummingbirds have an outsized presence per unit size. While their aerial dance moves are sublime, their life history and their day-to-day capabilities are miraculous. Let us begin with the smallest hummingbird in the U.S. Named for the muse of eloquence […]
As gardening season approaches, consider incorporating native plants in your yard and garden. Even native planting beds or strips can significantly enhance your yard, attract birds, bees and butterflies who pollinate our food crops and provide other important habitat values. Every Spring we are bombarded by ads promoting […]
In some ways, I felt like the last person I know to get to Belize. I had been hearing about it for years from friends, family, birders, divers and Mayan Ruin explorers. It has such a great reputation as an ecotourist haven; now I know why. One of my friends […]