Geologic History of Trinidad & Tobago

The islands of Trinidad and Tobago lie offshore the coast of northeastern Venezuela, at the southern end of the Lesser Antilles chain.  Unli...

Bird Listening

Though I have been an avid birdwatcher for 40 years, I have always been deficient when it comes to identifying birds by their song.  Now and...

Southwest Monsoon in January

The Southwest Monsoon, bringing welcome rains to the Desert Southwest, occurs in summer each year, though its intensity and extent often var...

Early Snows over Kansas

Driving back to Missouri over the past two days, I encountered the usual mix of winter wildlife, including rough-legged and red-tailed hawks...

Northeast Blizzard, Western Heat

As residents of the Northeast urban corridor brace for blizzard conditions tonight, those living along the Front Range or across the High Pl...

Gull Flocks at Dawn

Our Littleton, Colorado, farm sits on the west wall of the South Platte Valley, commanding a broad view to the east and southeast.  As a res...

Into Raptor Country

Stepping outside yesterday morning, I was greeted by a snowy landscape, bright sunshine and, to my good fortune, the sight of a golden eagle...

Our Window of Freedom

It seems to me that a window of freedom is vital in our lives, a period during which we are independent of others and have no one dependent ...

The Dead Sea Transform

The Dead Sea Transform marks the western edge of the Arabian Plate, extending from the East Anatolian Fault (in southeastern Turkey) to the ...

Just Enough Snow

The latest cold front moved across Colorado two days ago, producing a mild upslope flow and cooling our afternoon high by 20 degrees; howeve...

A Second Try at Red Rocks

Two months ago, a friend and I endured single digit temperatures at Red Rocks Park, hoping to observe rosy finches and this winter's res...

A Mid Winter Thaw

Thanks to downsloping chinooks over the past few days, we are enjoying a mid winter thaw along the Colorado Front Range; today's afterno...

Combating Terrorism

For decades now, we have been fighting terrorism with intelligence, police enforcement and military action; our success has been limited at ...

Counting in the Chinooks

It was mild and sunny along the Colorado Front Range this morning, but the monthly waterfowl count at South Platte Park was hampered by froz...

Mild Air, Frozen Ground

Heading back to Colorado this morning, I left Columbia under clear, cold skies; the temperature was 26 degrees F.  Before long, I encountere...

Facing Death

Like all other life forms that inhabit this planet, we humans live with a death sentence in our future; how and when that sentence will be e...

Snows in a Blue Winter Sky

Returning to Missouri over the past two days, we left the colors and fragrance in south Georgia and, as we approached the Appalachians, were...

Least Terns

Easily identified by their small size, yellow bill, buoyant flight and quick, sharp dives for fish, least terns are permanent residents of S...

Freedom, Truth & Zealotry

In our search for truth, humans adopt a wide variety of religious, political and cultural beliefs.  While it is imperative that we are free ...

Winter Reaches the Gulf

The Arctic Blast that spread across the Great Plains and Midwest over the past few days pushed into the Deep South overnight.  This morning,...

More Visitors on the Bay

Two more bird species turned up on Sarasota Bay this morning.  A common loon, down from the lakes of Alaska, Canada or the northernmost U.S....

The Java Sea

Recently in the news due to the crash of Air Asia Flight 8501, the Java Sea is the southern section of a vast shallow sea that extends south...

Winter Beach

The beach on Longboat Key, Florida, is not especially wide or scenic.  Nevertheless, it attracts an excellent variety of migrant and residen...

Back on the Bay

Our Longboat Key condo sits on the west edge of Sarasota Bay, offering views of the open water as well as mangrove islands that rise offshor...

Farther South

We left Dalton this morning in rain and fog, conditions that persisted throughout much of Georgia.  Within that moist haze, bird sightings w...

A Drab Beginning

On our journey to South Florida, we left Columbia this morning under a low, gray overcast; unfortunately, the weather conditions did not imp...

Leaving Winter

Our first road trip of the new year will take us from the wintry landscape of central Missouri to the warm, marine environment of southwest ...