Willet
Memories of Bahia Grande – Texas
The road from Brownsville to Port Isabel and South Padre Island (TX-48) crosses a low, flat plane called Bahia Grande. I traveled this road many times during my stay in…
Memories of Burns Oregon
On 2022-04-24, after a long drive from Joseph (Oregon), I arrived in Burns late Saturday afternoon. Rather than surrendering to fatigue, I drove through the region just north of town…
2022-09-17 SPI Beaches
Saturday, I fulfilled my ambition to ride my bike up the beach and look for plovers. I drove north a few miles from the Convention Centre and found a parking…
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…
2022-08-21 Mustang Island
Mustang Island is one of the long strips of dune islands, or barrier islands off the Gulf Coast of Texas that protect the mainland from the worst fury of the…
2022-04-26 Burns Again
Having spent Monday night at the Narrows RV Park near Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, I was ready to begin closing the gap to see my good friends in Payette Idaho.…
2022-04-25 In Malheur
The clear blue skies I enjoyed in Burns Oregon on Saturday and Sunday degraded to a gloomy gray on Monday. Still, the gloom was not so deep as to dampen…
2022-04-24 In Burns Oregon
My decision to visit the Malheur area required a long drive from Joseph to Burns that took me six hours of drive-time. I think there were five passes to cross…
2022-03-06 A Few Hours At Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay is only 34 miles from my Point Reyes Camp near Point Reyes. Years ago I stopped at The Tides Restaurant and enjoyed their good food and a ring-side…
2021-04-08 SPI Birding & Nature Center
I’ve made it no secret. My mission is to experience as much of the vernal migration through South Texas as I can. South Padre Island is the best place I…
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.…
2021-03-27 Palmito Hill & Boca Chica Beach
Just 10 miles inland from Boca Chica Beach is Palmito Hill, another of my favorite birding locations. On my way to the beach, I stopped to scout the birding opportunities.…
2021-03-04 Galveston Boat Ride
I continued my exploration of the Texas Gulf Coast last Wednesday (2021-03-03) when I drove from Aransas NWR to Galveston, 170 miles to the east. After spotting birds loafing on…
2021-02-08 South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center
South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center is part of a network of birding meccas in south Texas, collectively called the “World Birding Center”. It sits next door to the…
2020-03-17 Tuesday After The Boat Ride
I said my goodbyes to the Skimmer and her crew in Fulton Beach after a wonderful morning full of highlights at Aransas NWR. I fully expected to settle in somewhere…
2020-03-17 Aransas By Sea
I arrived at 215 North Fulton Beach Road in Fulton, Texas at 8:30am. Our departure aboard the Skimmer was scheduled for 9am, so I had some time to assemble my…
2019-09-06 – Friday at Border Field
Earlier I wrote about the first two stops I made on my tour through some of my favorite locations between the San Diego Bay and the Mexican border. This episode…
2013-08-23 J-Street and Border Field
Two locations well worth visiting any time I’m in South San Diego Bay region are J-Street by Chula Vista’s Bayfront Park, and Border Field near the Mexican border. I spent…
2013-05-11 Tijuana River Mouth
With every visit I make to the Tijuana River Mouth I’m rewarded with a sense of renewal. Fresh air blown over the waves of the Pacific Ocean, sun and sand…
2013-04-04 Border Field
Weekday visits to Border Field, at the extreme southwestern corner of the USA, requires a long walk. It is over a mile from the parking area to the sandy beach,…
2013 March In South San Diego County
In March 2013, I went twice to Lower Otay Lake in search of a Prairie Warbler. As did many of my adventures in South San Diego County, my first trip…
2017-08-17 Antelope Island (Part 1 of 4)
I fell in love with Antelope Island in the spring of 2015 when introduced by friends Ron and Mia, so when my new friend Joe suggested we spend the day…
2017-08-11 Salton Sea Sunsets
Choosing to add a few more “features” to my RV delayed the launch of my expedition into the inter-mountain West. I might have taken Interstate 15 on my way to…
2017-02-12 Isla Santa Margarita
We left Isla Asuncion late in the afternoon, and while we slept, the captain and crew drove all night towards our next destination: Isla Santa Margarita, ¾ the way down…
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
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,…
2015-07-02 Tijuana River-Border Field
On this day, I ventured down to Tijuana River Valley looking for the reported Yellow-Throated Vireo I’d heard of there. I struck out on the vireo, but there was a…