Natural History Journal

Next stop on our summer roadtrip through the Pacific Northwest: Mount Rainier National Park! Catch up on our summer travels here: Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part II:  Birding the Pacific Northwest Coast Part III:  Inland Valley and Lowland Forests Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park Way back in June, we spent a couple of nights camping in Mount Rainier National Park.  The perks of visiting the park early in the season were very light crowds, quiet trails, and the opportunity to catch birds early in their breeding season.  The pitfalls of visiting at this time, however, were significant: deep snow made hiking the iconic high-elevation trails around the mountain impossible, the wildflowers were not yet blooming, and... it rained.  A lot.   But we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, as we hiked in the atmosphe...

For even more staggering mountain beauty, we made our way northeast from Olympic National Park , to North Cascades National Park, via idyllic Whidbey Island and the Skagit River Valley.   Catch up on our entire trip here! Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part II:  Birding the Pacific Northwest Coast Part III:  Inland Valley and Lowland Forests Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park Way back in June, we spent 3 nights camping (and birding) in the North Cascades: here is just a small peek at what we found along the way! The most common birds we encountered were American Robins, Western Tanagers, Pacific Wrens, Hammond's Flycatchers, White-crowned Sparrows, Hairy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Violet-green Swallows, and Swainson's, Varied and Hermit Thrushes.   Probably the best bird photo from the entire trip: an or...

At last: We have reached the Mountains!   (Okay, way back in June we reached the mountains... I'm a little behind in my writing.) My home is in the lowlands, but the mountains will forever call my name.  (Literally, for those of you who know me...)  While the Sierra Nevada are my mountains, I feel a particular affinity to all of our western mountain ranges, including the magnificent Cascades of Oregon and Washington. In this fourth installment of posts covering our summer travels in the Pacific Northwest, we will explore the mountains and forests of Olympic National Park. Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part II:  Pacific Northwest Coast Part III:  Inland Valleys and Lowland Forests Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park It might be disloyal of me to say, but it is quite possible that my favorite National Park (of the 30 I have visited) is Washington's Ol...

In Part III of our Pacific Northwest adventure, we'll explore the lush, green lowlands between the rugged coast of the Pacific Northwest and the mighty, snow-clad Cascades.   From prairies and wetlands to riparian and coniferous forests, the Pacific Northwest staggers the mind with its endless kaleidoscope of shades of living green!  Is there anything more lovely than the sun filtering through a lime green leafy canopy of delicate vine maples?  Or a meadow of grasses and daisies shining brightly in a forest clearing?  Or fog-drenched forests clothed in mosses and carpeted with ferns?  I think not!  Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part II:  Birding the Pacific Northwest Coast Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park Male Lazuli Bunting at William L. Finley NWR Traveling from place to place in a state of awe, we v...

Brooding seas, turquoise waves, dark spruces, raindrops on maple leaves, dripping ferns, and incredible ancient rainforests filled with more birds and unique shades of green than even seem possible...   Welcome to the Pacific Northwest!   Join us for the second part in a series on our recent adventures in Oregon and Washington! Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part III:  Inland Valleys & Lowland Forests Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park After our puffin triumph at Cannon Beach , we headed north up the coast to the mouth of the Columbia River to explore the region made famous by the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-06.  For birds, nature and hiking (as well as history), I recommend visiting Fort Clatsop and Fort Stevens, south of the Columbia River, and Cape Disappointment on the north side.  (The Lewis an...