Our party of friends––Tony Donaldson, photographer Bill Mullins, Alan and I––had the opportunity at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to join Rod Drewien and refuge personnel, including head biologist John Vradenburg, for a morning of duck banding. Banding programs allow biologists to track the … Continue readingA Daze of Ducks
We have just finished another winter stay in the bunkhouse at the headquarters of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, courtesy of the refuge manager Tom Melanson and our good friend Rod Drewien, who goes each year to count geese for the refuge. This year’s … Continue readingA Bitter Day
A new highway running northwest of Quito carries us to the Mindo region, where long forested ridges drop toward the distant coast. We are entering Pacific-slope cloudforest––verdant, lush, cool, draped with orchids, sheltering brilliant hummingbirds and giant earthworms. Cloudforest atop the ridge at Bellavista (Photos … Continue readingA Ridgetop in Ecuador
Apologies, friends! Life has interfered with my getting back to this blog in a timely fashion. Ecuador is a small jewel of a country, lying astride the Andes. Its volcanoes tower to more than 20,000 feet, and many slopes are still verdant with forest. Can … Continue readingA Five-Antpitta Day!
Well, yes, the rumor floating around is true: my suitcase didn’t go with us to Ecuador. And do you know what? It wasn’t a problem! Amazing what we can get along without, in a pinch! Alan lent me an over-sized field shirt, and my Birkenstock … Continue readingTraveling Lightly
Tohono Chul, a marvelous botanical garden and gallery in Tucson, has invited me to be their Artist-of-the-Month in October. The show runs from October 1 – 31, and I do hope that any of you who are in Tucson in October will be able to … Continue readingTohono Chul
Red Columbine on Sauk Mountain (Photos by Narca) At the end of our stay in the Pacific Northwest, Alan and I join our friend Jim for a hike in the North Cascades, up Sauk Mountain. End-of-summer flowers cloak the slopes, attended by many worn butterflies. … Continue readingSauk Mountain
What could be more fun than accompanying a 5-year-old on his first whale-watching trip? Puget Sound off the coast of Washington is famous for its Orcas, or Killer Whales, and regular whale-watching daytrips run out of Port Townsend, on the tip of the Olympic Peninsula. … Continue readingOrcas!
Last week in Washington State, our friend Jim introduced us to two really good websites for traveling tricks-of-the-trade. One is a blog, View from the Wing, and the other is FlyerTalk, an on-line community of frequent flyers. Both provide a wealth of information on travel-related … Continue readingTwo Great Travel Websites
Just now, the nest of a Berylline Hummingbird graces Cave Creek, next to the Stewart Campground bridge. The nest was discovered by a couple from Michigan (if you read this, please tell me your names!), then refound by Raymond VanBuskirk and Michael Hilchey. We’ve made … Continue readingA Berylline Hummingbird