I like to make a calendar for my family and friends. It is a chance to showcase my photographs around a particular theme and share the wonders of the natural world. It is a chance to look hard at what I’d captured, trying to pull out the very best. A calendar limits me to thirteen … Read more
The Marckworth Forest is northeast of Carnation, Washington. The Department of Natural Resources manages these lands for timber. The state harvests trees to help support the school system. Yet, it has lots of natural habitats and can be an outstanding place to visit. The area is a few miles up the hill from Stillwater and … Read more
A large log lies on the ground by the horseshoe bend in the lane. The dead trunk had toppled about two decades ago, but it had stood upright, still dead, for as long as I can remember. I first noticed the snag when I was about eight years old. My mother and I were probably … Read more
Pigeon guillemots, Cepphus columba, nest in burrows dug into cliffs around Puget Sound, or they lay their eggs on beams under piers. In the breeding season, they are black with large white wing patches and have bright red feet. In winter, they molt into black and white plumage. First winter birds have a few more … Read more
In July, the Milky Way rises almost vertically in Washington State, moving from east to west throughout the night. On Sourdough Ridge, twilight faded toward darkness, and the stars began to glow. The star band appeared on the southern horizon and rose over our heads to the north. No clouds were visible on any horizon, … Read more
The lace lichen hung only inches from my eyes. So close that each eye seemed to be seeing a different part of the plant. Its yellowish-green leaves draped like long hair strands, although the middle ones were more like wide-egg noodles. Technically, these aren’t leaves but thalli. The Oxford Dictionary defines a thallus as “a … Read more
The light was beginning to fade. The trail weaved around small trees, through several dips, and into a grassy patch. This was our first afternoon in the wilds of Madagascar. That morning, we’d driven from Antananarivo into the eastern mountains. The forest smelled dry, and leaves crunched with each footstep, even though this was a … Read more
Raptors are one of the most engaging of our avian groups. Today, we consider them carnivorous birds with hooked beaks, keen eyesight, and talons, but that definition has changed in the last fifty years. And not all birds we call raptors fit that description. Falcons, hawks, eagles, harriers, vultures, owls, and kites are among those … Read more
Madagascar is often called the eighth continent, underscoring its unique ecology and geography. Located approximately 250 miles off the east coast of Africa, the island is the fourth largest in the world. It boasts a landmass only somewhat less than the combined area of California and Oregon. The landscape is diverse, with high mountains rising … Read more
The bird leaned over, plucking a small bluish-black fruit from the tree and then holding it in its bill. Its red tongue seemed to roll along the outside of the fruit like it was testing the taste before swallowing it. Gulp and the fruit went down the gullet. Although this took a fraction of a … Read more