The Value of Field Sketching: Video Replay The video below is from a live event hosted by Sonoma State University’s Center for Environmental Inquiry in which I was interviewed about the values I find in a field sketching practice for educators and naturalists....
Amazing Mating Behaviors of the American Alligator The alligator is a rare success story of a species that was saved from extinction and is now thriving thanks to habitat conservation, legal protection, and efforts to reduce the demand for alligator products....
Inspiration for My Sketching ‘Big Days’ While spending six weeks birdwatching in Costa Rica, I had time to read in the evenings since the days are short in the tropics. I found a well-worn copy of Birding Without Borders written by fellow Oregonian Noah...
Stories about the flora and fauna I observed during my first trip to Costa Rica in 2019 (I’ve since returned 3 times!) In Search of Quetzals I was treated to a morning birdwatching in the field with guide Jorge Serrano Salazar from Paraiso Quetzal Lodge to...
What’s So Special About Seahorses? With the head of a horse, the eyes of a chameleon and the tail of a monkey, it’s no wonder seahorses have captured our imagination for millennia. Cultures have memorialized them worldwide, from 8,000-year-old cave paintings in...
John Muir’s description of the Water-Ouzel One might think that California’s most treasured naturalist; John Muir, who was instrumental in founding the Sierra Club and inspiring the establishment of the National Park Service, would count as his favorite...
A Glow in the Dark Sea Creature Next time an evening stroll takes you to the seashore, your wet footprints may surprise you by glowing in the dark! Though many marine organisms have the ability to glow, called bioluminescence, it’s likely that the single-celled...
Below you’ll find some favorite quotes that inspire me when out in the field sketching in my journal. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PAGE OF NATURE QUOTES FOR YOUR JOURNAL “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may...
The video below introduces a movie by the folks at Frog Rescue and Jonathan Kolby, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer who is studying threatened frogs in remote regions of the world. Learn more about his Honduran Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Center. ...
The Black-headed Grosbeak is a handsome bird with a lovely melodious song that I never tire of listening to. In spring these birds return from their wintering grounds in Central America to nest in the western half of North America. Their strong bill helps them to...
