Running for 37 miles along Maryland's eastern shore, Assateague Island is wild Atlantic coast. It's a barrier island, long and slender with the Atlantic Ocean on on the east side and a shallow saltwater bay on the west. In between, several different ecosystems and habitats shift with the seasonal ebb and flow of tides, coastal…Read more Assateague Island National Seashore, MD
Wildlife
Bird Language
Do you talk to the birds around your home? I would imagine probably not - the physical structure of the human larynx is not well suited to the trills and warbles that most songbirds can create with their dual syrinx setup. But even if we can't talk directly to them, most of us certainly appreciate…Read more Bird Language
Bighorn Sheep… Of The Gods?
Happy Vernal Equinox everybody, and welcome spring! Last week I had to spend a little bit of time in Colorado Springs, CO. I was there with someone who had never been to Colorado, and who really wanted to get out and into the mountains, but we had almost no time for anything fun. Best we…Read more Bighorn Sheep… Of The Gods?
Silence of Spring: A World Without Wings
Imagine, if you will, an empty meadow. Not just empty in the way humans tend to define it - without crops, buildings, commerce or a parking lot - but empty in the sense of being an ecological ghost town. No buzzing of insects, no chirping of birds. Grasses and wildflowers swaying in the wind, but…Read more Silence of Spring: A World Without Wings
Humpback Whales in Maui
February is peak humpback whale season in Maui. There are about a thousand in the triangular area of water between the west shore of Maui, Lanai and Molokai, giving birth, mating, singing non-stop to each other, and getting up to all sorts of whale antics. You can see them almost constantly, from the beach, from…Read more Humpback Whales in Maui
Ka’anapali Humpback Whalesong – Maui, HI
Late November to mid-March is peak humpback whale season in Hawaii. Every year thousands of them migrate from waters off Alaska to the Hawaiian islands, where they give birth, mate, and nurse their young until they're strong enough to make the journey back to rich feeding grounds in the cold waters of the North Pacific.…Read more Ka’anapali Humpback Whalesong – Maui, HI
Bumblebees and Azaleas
Azaleas are a "garden" flower, or maybe a nice shrub to line the driveway - but occasionally, walking through the forest, you see these relics alongside daffodils, indicators of a more human-cultivated past. They bear testimony that a homesite used to stand here, and the plants, and the bees that love them, thrive long after…Read more Bumblebees and Azaleas
Springtime in the Swamp
Springtime in the Swamp! New shoots coming up, the duckweed and lilies are greening, and the beavers are busy!
New Neighbors
Cutting to the chase - we have coyotes in the neighborhood. Truth be told, these days there are coyotes in most neighborhoods, but this is a new thing for me. I remember as a kid, maybe 15 years old, we heard one deep in the mountains of western Virginia on a backpacking trip - and…Read more New Neighbors
Iceland, 2019 – Part 2, Snæfellsnes Peninsula
This is part two in a series outlining my family's exploration of Iceland during the summer of 2019, pre-COVID. It was a mostly outdoor experience, exploring the wild and natural sights of a beautiful country during the height of summer. For the full journey, and notes on places to go and things to see, check…Read more Iceland, 2019 – Part 2, Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Cold, Heartless Beauty
I have to take a break from reminiscing about Iceland to share what's going on right now. We've been accumulating freezing rain and drizzle for the past few days. This morning the sun is out, and turning every ice-coated branch into a crystal chandelier. It's beautiful - but these trees are carrying a lot of…Read more Cold, Heartless Beauty
Puffins!
As I'm reminiscing on last summer's trip to Iceland (and working up videos, etc), I'm uncovering some photos that just make me smile. On the cliffs above Reynisfjara, a black sand beach with impressive caves and balsatic columns outside Vik, on Iceland's southern shore, dozens of puffins were nesting. These pudgy little birds were impressively…Read more Puffins!
Maui’s “Flame of the Forest” is an Out-of-Control Wildfire
During our 2018 trip to Hawai'i (see other posts for touristy and mostly outdoor adventures on the islands), we wound up taking a drive along the famous Road to Hana, on Maui. If you're unfamiliar, this route is a narrow (often single-lane) route that winds in and out of the canyons on the north shore…Read more Maui’s “Flame of the Forest” is an Out-of-Control Wildfire
Hawai’i 2018: Day 3 – Swimming with Mantas!
Way back in the summer of 2018, in the "before time", we could travel, and hang out in large groups. Remember those days? Ah, innocence. Little did we know... https://youtu.be/mlgaZRprj3A Day 3 on the Big Island started with that most fleeting of opportunities - sleeping in. We had an evening appointment requiring several hours in…Read more Hawai’i 2018: Day 3 – Swimming with Mantas!
Arctic Tern
Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) have one of the longest migrations in the world, annually flying from the Arctic to the Antarctic, a distance of over 12,000 miles (19,000 km), AND BACK. As we were told in Iceland, this exertion leaves them perpetually ticked off. At one point during our Iceland summer (2019), we pulled off…Read more Arctic Tern
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 