Epic Summer Trip Part I: Conboy Lake NWR
No one warned me about summer birding. Okay, someone warned me, but I didn’t think it could be this bad. Okay, it’s not “bad” exactly, but it’s pretty challenging. In the morning, there’s approximately one minute to find active birds before it becomes too damn blazing hot outside. And that one minute is around 5:00 am.…
Mount Margaret Backcountry
In an attempt to escape the city for a weekend, my boyfriend and I headed to Mount Margaret Backcountry, a rugged and gorgeous setting north of Mt St Helens in the Blast Zone of the 1980 eruption. We hiked 6 miles in to Panhandle Lake. It was here at our campsite that I was spoiled with…
Sauvie Island Summer
I met the coolest bird on this trip. I arose early. Before sunrise, I went to Oak Road on Sauvie Island in the hopes of finding summer birds. I also wanted to take advantage of “the golden hour.” It was more like “the golden hour of the cow.” Savannah Sparrows showed me their good sides. And I…