For 2019, one thing I would like to do is go to several National Wildlife Refuges in the Mid-Atlantic region that I have yet to visit. There are many refuges to choose from. The refuges are, I think, generally much smaller in acreage than many national and state parks. The refuges also have less visitors […]
Field Trips
Paris Lessons: Versailles, the Ultimate McMansion
You hear about Versailles, but when you stand looking up at the gold leafed exterior (fake today, real in the 1600s), the ceilings covered with masterpieces and the sheer size of the place, you can understand why the French Revolution happened. In 1661, Louis XIV began the fifty year process of having one of […]
Hiking the Lower Wissahickon
I went on a strenuous hike in the Wissahickon. Even though the leaves were gone from the trees on city trees, leaves seem to stay on the trees longer in the Wissahickon Gorge. In this photo the Wissahickon Creek joins the larger faster Schuylkill River. Apparently, a recent study found that the Wissahickon water did […]
Raptor Rush Hour Traffic In Fort Washington Park Sky.
It seems the Militia Hill Hawk watchers that gather at Fort Washington State Park are having an exciting year. This year’s migration is proving the best year ever. By September 23, more than 20,000 birds of prey flew over the park in the annual migration southward. Ninety-six Bald Eagles were among the travelers. For the first […]
Field Trip: Swamp Serenity
This past summer, I travelled to South Carolina to visit my mother’s family in Sumter, South Carolina. It was hot. The temperature topped 100°. One hot morning (which was all of them) my mother and I decided to visit the Swan Lake Iris Gardens. Swan Lake Iris Gardens is “the only public park to have all […]
Occaneechi-Saponi Powwow Photos
This past weekend I travelled to beautiful Mebane, North Carolina. The Occaneechi band of the Saponi Nation held the annual powwow and spring festival. Powwows are traditionally from the Plains Indians but indians all over the country hold powwows as a way to connect with other indians, local non-indians and as a way to raise […]
A Warbler Walk in the Morning
It was a wonderful early summer morning, not hot, but with a slight cool breeze blowing. The walk was a “warbler walk”. A walk through favorite habitats of the migrating and resident nesting warblers of Philadelphia. The walk was led by Schuylkill Center Executive Director, Mike Weilbacher. Mike has only been at the Center for […]
Photos from the Lakota Wolf Preserve
This past weekend I traveled to the Lakota Wolf Preserve. The Lakota Wolf Preserve is the home of Timber, Tundra, Arctic and British Columbian wolves, Northern and Southern Bobcats, and Red Foxes. The Lakota Wolf Preserve is located at 89 Mt. Pleasant Road, Columbia, New Jersey. It is a two-hour drive from Philadelphia. See their […]
A Wetland Walk at Tinicum NWR
Sunday was cold with a biting wind, so, I decide to go on a bird walk. It wasn’t raining. I bundled up to meet some of my naturalist buddies down at Tinicum Marsh (John Heinz National Wildlife Refugee at Tinicum) for a 9am bird walk. I like going on these walks because the people who led them […]
A Cold Winter's Day for Christmas Bird Count
This past Saturday was my first Christmas Bird Count. Overview it was the 112th Audubon sponsored Bird Count since it began. The day was clear and sunny. The bare brown trees and shrubs had a restful zen quality. A bareness, a wabi-sabi kinda of vibe. There was a cleansing to the cold breeze. The cloudless […]
