Northern Cardinal

2024-05-03 Kickapoo Caverns
2024-05-03 Kickapoo Caverns

In 2024, I travelled to Texas to experience the Total Solar Eclipse on April 4. Cloud-cover limited the drama for the eclipse. But all was not lost, because after the…

Memories of Patagonia
Memories of Patagonia

Near the start of my 2023 expedition to Canada, I passed through Patagonia in March and visited the Patton Center for Hummingbirds for my first visit to this well-known birding…

Memories of Redington Road
Memories of Redington Road

In 2004, I was just beginning my education about birds and how to capture them in my images. It was an exciting time for me. Many of my meetings with…

Memories of Kickapoo Caverns State Park
Memories of Kickapoo Caverns State Park

In October-2022, I spent two nights at Fort Clark in Brackettville Texas. It was my base camp during my tour of Kickapoo Caverns State Park, about 30 miles away. In…

2023-07-04 Gage Gardens, Marathon TX
2023-07-04 Gage Gardens, Marathon TX

Tuesday morning I broke camp early at the rest area 20 miles east of Marathon Texas. I drove to town and had breakfast at the Oasis Cafe. Marathon has a…

2023-Early July At Kickapoo Caverns
2023-Early July At Kickapoo Caverns

As I write these notes, I have returned to my southern California homestead. The past three weeks have been so hectic, I have not had time to properly tell the…

2023-06-19 Harrisonburg VA Region
2023-06-19 Harrisonburg VA Region

I pulled into Harrisonburg VA from Strasburg on Sunday. Before I hit the road, I scouted the region for promising locations to find birds. There were three places that seemed…

2023-06-07, A Week In Wernersville, PA
2023-06-07, A Week In Wernersville, PA

I left Canada five days ago without a clear plan for my drive south. After all, I had Nova Scotia in my sights when I left San Diego last March.…

2023-05-05 Dayton Ohio
2023-05-05 Dayton Ohio

While visiting with my friends in South Dayton, I found time to meet some of the local birds. Bruce and Loretta provide an array of bird feeders, so I sampled…

2023-04-27 Baker Wetlands, Lawrence Kansas
2023-04-27 Baker Wetlands, Lawrence Kansas

Thursday, I rode my bike through the center of the Baker Wetlands south of Lawrence Kansas, and spent the day hoping for, but not finding, an American Woodcock. Far from…

2023-03-21 in Patagonia
2023-03-21 in Patagonia

Tuesday I visited the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia, a destination I have heard many folks rave about over the years. It was my first visit, but I sure…

2022-10-04 Davis Mountains
2022-10-04 Davis Mountains

Davis Mountains State Park has its origins in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps project to help lift the broken economy out of the depression. The Civilian Conservation Corps…

2022 September at the National Butterfly Center
2022 September at the National Butterfly Center

During the last week in September 2022, it was my pleasure to spend several days with friends and visiting wildlife at the National Butterfly Center in Mission Texas. I spent…

2022-09-22 Santa Ana NWR
2022-09-22 Santa Ana NWR

I learned a new word recently: “Documentarian”. The Oxford Dictionary’s first definition is “a photographer specializing in producing a factual record.” I believe it perfectly describes the goals I set…

2022-08-21 Sunday Tour of Blackjack Peninsula
2022-08-21 Sunday Tour of Blackjack Peninsula

After leaving High Island, and exploring Anahuac NWR, I continued south and spent some time at Brazoria NWR and San Bernard NWR. My next targeted destination was the Blackjack Peninsula,…

2022-08-10 A Taste of Kansas
2022-08-10 A Taste of Kansas

My tour of Kansas came to an end, but I spent only a little time with my camera on the birds. The primary obstacles to my birding endeavors were the…

2021-03-19 Friday Among Sabal Palms
2021-03-19 Friday Among Sabal Palms

Only five miles south from my camp in Brownsville (Texas), Sabal Palm Sanctuary is an attractive birding destination. Nestled into the southernmost arc of the Rio Grande, it has jungle…

2021-02-25 National Butterfly Center
2021-02-25 National Butterfly Center

I tried to visit the National Butterfly Center last week, but the big freeze and the power outage at the time mandated that they close, so I had to turn…

2021-02-19 Bentsen RGVSP Again
2021-02-19 Bentsen RGVSP Again

I wanted to wait for my bicycle to finish up in the shop before I attempted more explorations of Bentsen Rio Grande State Park. South Texas has been hard hit…

2021-02-16 Bentsen RGV State Park
2021-02-16 Bentsen RGV State Park

Another cold morning it was in South Texas this past Tuesday, but I was determined to get out and explore the region. The camp where I’m staying is only 1.5…

2021-02-06 Edinburg Scenic Wetlands
2021-02-06 Edinburg Scenic Wetlands

It takes a little over an hour of freeway driving to reach Edinburg (Texas) from my camp in Brownsville. The reserve encompasses 40 acres, but most of the trails available…

2021-02-04 Laguna Vista and Laguna Atascosa
2021-02-04 Laguna Vista and Laguna Atascosa

My time in Brownsville is winding down, so I wanted to visit a location that I enjoyed very much during my spring visit last year. Laguna Atascosa NWR was one…

2021-01-28 Sabal Palms, Ten Days Hence
2021-01-28 Sabal Palms, Ten Days Hence

It was a foggy morning ten days ago when I visited Sabal Palm Sanctuary for the first time. It added an air of mystery to my introduction to this amazing…

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…

2021-01-19 A Day on South Padre Island
2021-01-19 A Day on South Padre Island

A visit to the Lower Rio Grande Valley without spending time on South Padre Island would be silly. Tuesday I paid the island my respects. It came as no surprise…

2021-01-11 Quemado Roadside Birds
2021-01-11 Quemado Roadside Birds

Less than two miles south from the small town of Quemado Texas, is a roadside rest stop, or picnic area, as Texas calls them. I found this location while on…

2021-01-06, Winding Up My Stay in Big Bend
2021-01-06, Winding Up My Stay in Big Bend

It was a week I’ll remember fondly. As I drove out of New Mexico late last December, I had doubts about being able to pull off a stay inside Big…

2020-11-28 End of November Gallery Updates
2020-11-28 End of November Gallery Updates

I finished the gallery updates from my half day at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. As I pen these words, I’ve made my way into New Mexico. I’m in Glenwood, where…

2020-11-16 Monday at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum
2020-11-16 Monday at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum

The morning at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum started off slow. I like to hike to the top of the property where there is a pond called Ayers Lake. On the…

2020-03-13 Three Days At The Triple R
2020-03-13 Three Days At The Triple R

Sadly, shortly after my March-2020 visit to the Triple-R RV Resort, (but before the Covid-19 pandemic) they shutdown operations. I’ve heard no word about any plans to reopen. I personally,…

2020-03-07: Bird Adventures In Big Bend
2020-03-07: Bird Adventures In Big Bend

Prologue The Texas adventure I dreamed about for years began in California, but passed through Arizona and New Mexico before reaching the promised land. Preparations for my journey began in…

2020-02-24: Boyce-Thompson Arboretum
2020-02-24: Boyce-Thompson Arboretum

Sunday, after spending the day at the Gilbert Water Ranch, I drove the Superstition Highway forty miles east to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona. I’d been here only…

2004-06-23 Redington Road
2004-06-23 Redington Road

In 2004, I was just beginning my education about birds and how to capture them in my images. It was an exciting time for me. Many of my meetings with…

2015-10-26 Tubac Arizona
2015-10-26 Tubac Arizona

From Sierra Vista I set my sights on the Santa Cruz River Valley. The path most scenic took me through Patagonia, a town well known to birders. I’ve passed this…