Category environment
Sweetwater Wetlands Park
A walk at Sweetwater Wetlands Park offers a great way of observing wildlife. Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, a Killdeer, Anhingas, Sandhill Cranes and Moorhens were some of the sightings on a morning walk. A Killdeer sat on her nest on the gravel path. The area was marked off with cones and barricade tape […]
Baltimore Oriole bathing
An advantage of washing dishes is being able to watch the birds that come to the birdbath outside the kitchen window. A wide variety of birds visit the birdbath for a drink or a bath — cardinals, mockingbirds, chickadees, catbirds and brown thrashers are some of the regulars. Sometimes I get to see migrating birds, […]
Blooming azaleas
I’m enjoying the azaleas on a lovely morning. The sun is filtering through some of the blooms. Occasionally I can hear — and then see — bumblebees flying from blossom to blossom. A light breeze is blowing. Birds are singing, and the Sandhill Cranes just flew overhead. Hope my photographs of the azaleas will add […]
Volunteers play key role in protecting sea turtles
Inspired by the celebration of World Sea Turtle Week, I’m sharing photos of volunteers monitoring sea turtles on Sanibel Island. The photos illustrate the important role that conservation organizations and volunteers play in protecting sea turtles and educating the public. The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation monitors 18 miles of beach, from the Sanibel lighthouse to Redfish […]
Cedar Waxwings arrive
When the berries on the holly tree in my yard are ripe, I start looking for the Cedar Waxwings. Some years the Cedar Waxwings don’t come to town. The timing of ripe berries in the trees doesn’t coordinate with the migration of the Cedar Waxwings. Sometimes the Cedar Waxwings do arrive, but you can miss […]
River views in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The sun was shining as we hiked the Little River Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a cool fall day in a time before Covid-19. We carried tripods so we could try some slow motion water photos. Stepping from rock to rock, we walked out into the river. We set up our […]
Be sure to vote
Have you voted? In the 2016 Presidential election voting, only about 56 percent of the voting age population voted. In close elections, that means just over 25 percent of the voters are determining the outcome. To find out election information, check out The League of Women Voters’ very helpful website of election information. Here are […]
National Public Lands Day and every day — hike safely
National Public Lands Day, on Sept. 26, is one of the five days when admission to national parks is free. Thousands of people will be in the parks on National Public Lands Day and millions will be in the parks this year to enjoy nature and perhaps look for a boost in spirit in the […]
Enjoy and support our national parks
The Fourth of July is a time for those of us living in the United States to think about what makes this country special. The 62 national parks certainly are one of the country’s greatest treasures. I was fortunate to grow up less than an hour’s drive to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hiking […]
Hiking at Mt. Hood
If you’ve spent time involved in activities in nature, like hiking or boating, you know how the “same” nature experience can be so different from one day to the next and even from one minute to the next. The wind shifts, a storm front passes through, the day goes from sunlight to dusk to darkness. […]
Julie Dodd 