Tag Archives: travel
A Redwing in Iceland
I was surprised by a loud, unfamiliar song, and a large thrush landed in the bush in front of me. At eye level, I was confronted by the vibrant ghost of Irish winter past right in the middle of a … Continue reading
Pacific Shore Birds on Rose Atoll
I find that shore birds on distant Pacific islands can be hard to approach. They are often far out on sand spits or rocky outcrops, and fly off as soon as one approaches. On Rose Atoll, the southern-most US national monument … Continue reading
Rose Atoll, Remote US National Monument. Part One Brown Boobies
Rose Atoll is a tiny speck on the map in the Southern pacific and is part of American Samoa. This remote place has one small island that you can walk around in twenty minutes but is home for over 300,000 seabirds. … Continue reading
Ofu Beach American Samoa National Park
The second island in American Samoa I visited was Ofu. It is joined by a slim suspension bridge to Olisega and together they are six kilometers long. This isolated speck of paradise has steep verdant slopes of thick forest and … Continue reading
Beautiful National Park of American Samoa
I have just come back from a remarkable visit to one of our least known treasures and one of the most beautiful places I have seen – A National Park far deep in the Southern Hemisphere spanning several of the … Continue reading
August insects in Provence
I went for an early morning walk along the edge of the vineyards in a small valley near Bandol in Provence. The grapes were ripening and the wildflowers dying, but the insects, especially the dragonflies, were out in force. The sun … Continue reading
Whales and Seabirds at Stillwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Last Week I went whale watching on a New England Aquarium whale watching trip run by Boston Harbor Cruises. I was with NOAA Stillwagen Bank NMS and Mass Audubon staff. We had a wonderful trip counting seabirds and saw several … Continue reading
Seabirds of Christmas Island
On a recent visit to Christmas Island, Kiribati I was lucky enough to spend a short time with the local wildlife official on a rat-free island in the lagoon reserved for seabirds. Christmas Island is an important breeding area for several … Continue reading
Kiribati, The Warmth of Christmas Island
I visited Christmas Island for some meetings this week. It is the largest coral atoll in the world – 150 square miles or so and a lagoon about the same size. It is in a remote area of the Pacific as … Continue reading
Memories of China
A few years ago I was lucky enough to make a short visit to China. Here are some photographs from that trip that illustrate some of the unforgettable experiences I had in China – visiting the Great Wall – the … Continue reading
NaturalistNotebook 