Well once again I fell well short of my stated goals for the month. Â My focus on training for the Grand Canyon and the fact that the fish have been biting both cut into my birding time. Â And boy did I miss some good birds this month. Â My schedule does not allow me to chase…
Ever since we moved into our house in 2004, I have kept track of the different species of birds seen from my yard. Â Actually, I stretched just a bit and basically said that if I can see my yard and see the bird then it counts in my yard bird list. Â We live in a…
Those of you who know me well understand that my idea of fun usually doesn’t involve hanging out in a large urban setting in a major city.  The narrow one-way streets, the noise, the traffic, and the over-abundance of people elevate my level of stress and discomfort. So when I was given the assignment to…
That is all I needed. Â It was just after noon and the gobbler was 30 yards away from me. Â He hid behind his large clump of rugosa rose, I hid behind my clump of rugosa rose, and a hen decoy twirled in the wind in the opening between us. Â My heart was beating out of…
The 9 mile loop at the Wilderness Trail at Meramec State Park was completely bi-polar today. Â I arrived at the trailhead around 10:00 to find no other cars there at all, totally shocking for April 15th at this popular park. Â Of course it was 35 degrees with a gusty wind, and it had rained each…
When we got to Elephant Rocks I was very tired but ready for the trail at the same time.  I typically don’t like hiking, but thought it would be fun.  We started with a little low rocks, compared to what was coming later. After that we went to the 120 year old ruins of an…
I found myself worn out after a more difficult day than usual at work and having just finished a late appointment in St. Charles. I didn’t feel like sitting in rush hour traffic, and even though I was physically spent and only had my work boots and work clothes with me, I decided to take…
It was a cold day in March at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge near Omaha, NE when Jim and I arrived at the lake.  Even with the windows on Jim’s car closed because it was cold outside we could hear the sound that only a large gathering of geese can produce.  As we stepped out of…
Feeling restless and anxious to log some more miles in preparation for my next Grand Canyon hike, I sought out a new, rugged trail at Don Robinson State Park. Â My plan was to go hike the 4 mile Sandstone Canyon Trail, then the 2.5 mile LaBarque Hills Trail and make it home in time to…
