Least Sandpiper

Memories of La Jolla
Memories of La Jolla

There are two locations in San Diego County that produce in me thoughts of the three generations of Daynes that preceded me. The first is Scripps Ranch and Miramar Lake,…

Memories of Gilbert Water Ranch
Memories of Gilbert Water Ranch

Twice, I visited this gem of a bird sanctuary. My first explorations took place on 2020-02-23, as I traveled to Texas on my first birding expedition to the Lone Star…

Memories of the Dempster Highway
Memories of the Dempster Highway

On May 18, 2005, still new to birding, I left for a 73 day ‘trip of a lifetime’ that covered 12,000 miles. All did not go as planned, but it…

Memories of Minesing Wetlands
Memories of Minesing Wetlands

2023-05-18 A Quick Tour Of McKinnon Road Thursday, I drove north, towards my friend’s cottage near the shore of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. I planned a few stops along…

2023-05-25 Return to McKinnon Road
2023-05-25 Return to McKinnon Road

After a lovely week in the Township of Tiny Ontario, I said goodbye to the region and the friends I made there. I made two stops on my drive back…

2022-09-16 SPI on a Friday
2022-09-16 SPI on a Friday

Friday, after my morning visits with the birds at Sheepshead and later at the SPI Convention Centre, I took a break from the worst of the midday heat, and retired…

2022-09-03 Saturday at the SPIBNC
2022-09-03 Saturday at the SPIBNC

I spent the day soloing at the SPI Birding and Nature Center (BNC), and had a lovely time with the birds and with the people there with me, enjoying the…

2022-09-01 SPI Day One
2022-09-01 SPI Day One

I met my friend Mary after breakfast at the SPI Convention Centre, after I first stopped by the Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary owned by the Valley Land Trust. As I was…

2022-08-17 Anahuac NWR
2022-08-17 Anahuac NWR

I broke camp at High Island early and drove to the nearby Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge to explore. I’d visited the refuge previously in March 2021. I began my tour…

2022-03-04 Point Reyes
2022-03-04 Point Reyes

After driving all day up the coast and through San Francisco, Friday afternoon I pulled into Olema and booked into the RV Park there. Having driven all day from Carmel…

2021-04-27 SPI and Tuesday’s Babies
2021-04-27 SPI and Tuesday’s Babies

Earlier in April, I visited the South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center and saw Green Herons sitting on eggs. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to return and see…

2021-04-18 SPI Sunday Bird Fallout, Round Two
2021-04-18 SPI Sunday Bird Fallout, Round Two

Gone were the dense clouds and drizzling rain that plagued me early Saturday. The wind and the birds remained. There seemed to be even more birds on the island than…

2021-03-30 SPI Convention Centre
2021-03-30 SPI Convention Centre

In the coming weeks, I intend to spend as much of my time on South Padre Island as I can. Spring migrant birds could begin trickling into Texas any time.…

2021-01-22 A Day at Estero Llano
2021-01-22 A Day at Estero Llano

Friday morning I launched out of my campsite on a mission to explore one of the crown jewels of birding in South Texas; Estero Llano Grande State Park, south of…

2020-12-25 Christmas at Bitter Lake Near Roswell
2020-12-25 Christmas at Bitter Lake Near Roswell

In April 2020, as I was ending my first Texas birding adventure, I called my friend Jerry in Albuquerque and told him I was headed his way via Roswell. He…

2020-11-12 Thursday In Gilbert Arizona
2020-11-12 Thursday In Gilbert Arizona

It was a big day for me Thursday in Gilbert. The sun was at its harshest mid-day height when I arrived at the Water Ranch, but I stayed into the…

2019-08-12 Day Two in Crescent City
2019-08-12 Day Two in Crescent City

Time to wave goodbye to Crescent City and get moving south again. I expanded my awareness of the surrounding coastline yesterday, but still the harbor drew me back. It was…

2019-08-09 Brookings and the Smith River Mouth
2019-08-09 Brookings and the Smith River Mouth

On this Friday I drove from Medford Oregon to Brookings Oregon southwest along US-199 into California and then north on US-101 back into Oregon. US-199 starts in the Rogue Valley…

2012-08-01 Lindo Lake Solitary Strike-Out
2012-08-01 Lindo Lake Solitary Strike-Out

I’m always late to chase. I’d heard a Solitary Sandpiper was present at Lindo Lake, and though the reports were merely days old, it was clear to all present the…

2011-10-13 At The Salton Sea
2011-10-13 At The Salton Sea

I’ve had other wonderful visits to this amazing place, but this day ranks as one of the best.

2017-09-07 Central Oregon Coast
2017-09-07 Central Oregon Coast

A study on “peeping” I awoke at the north end of Coos Bay (North Bend Oregon) to a dense fog, then drove out the Horsfall Beach road. A recommended trail…

2017-02-17 Isla Socorro, A Day At The Beach
2017-02-17 Isla Socorro, A Day At The Beach

Yesterday was a big day exploring the higher elevations on Isla Socorro. To investigate as much diversity as possible, we visited a beach on the opposite side of the island…

2015-08-19 Saltworks Shorebirds
2015-08-19 Saltworks Shorebirds

By August each year, tern nesting is winding down at the Saltworks, but the Snowy Plovers still have a few chicks, so people in the southeast part of the Saltworks…

2015-08-05 Saltworks
2015-08-05 Saltworks

Having spent way too much time of late at the computer rebuilding my website, it was important that I get out to the field. Since Wednesday was a Saltworks day,…

2014 Early August Around Mono Lake
2014 Early August Around Mono Lake

During my stay with friends Carmine and Mark at June Lake California, I made several excursions in the surrounding area’s well known (and some not so well known) scenic attractions.…