Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
The Scenic Byway A Washington State scenic byway twists and turns following a 25-mile stretch of the Yakima River through the Yakima Canyon. The sheer cliffs rise 2000 feet above the river, providing ideal nesting habitat for raptors, home to the state’s densest nesting … Continue readingYakima Canyon Scenic Byway
In north Idaho, osprey are ubiquitous. They are migratory fish hawks who winter along the southern US coasts and summer primarily along the eastern US coast, around the Great Lakes, northern Canada, and in the Pacific Northwest. Nesting platforms are common. These tall posts with … Continue readingOsprey Nest
I wore my hiking shoes today instead of my hiking sandals after yesterday’s snake encounter. Although, I’m not sure they’ll be much help with the bears and mountain lions today. An Old Railroad Trail The Cowiche Canyon trail follows Cowiche Creek along an old … Continue readingCowiche Creek Canyon Trail
The Canyon Basalt columns rise from the Tieton river valley providing protected roosts and nest sites for ravens and golden eagles. Climbers are also drawn to the sheer rise, crawling like ants up the walls. Lichens decorate the gray and brown rocks in yellow … Continue readingBirds and Snakes on the Tieton River Trail
The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge website lists among their 45 species of mammals elk, deer, moose, badgers, river otters, porcupines, beavers, bobcats, and cougars. I set my alarm for the following morning. Fog hung in the mountain valleys highlighting the ridges and trees as I … Continue readingTurnbull National Wildlife Refuge
Winter and spring all in one walk. Round Lake State Park in North Idaho is a 200-acre preserve surrounding a 58-acre lake with hiking trails, multi-use trails, and a campground. It was chilly when I started out on the 1.8-mile Trapper’s trail roughly circling the … Continue readingRound Lake State Park, Idaho
They said there’d be armadillos. They weren’t wrong. I arrived at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, a 2760 acre mix of saltwater marsh, pine and deciduous woods, and grasslands, midmorning on a gorgeous, mostly sunny spring day. Before its establishment as a refuge, Harris Neck … Continue readingHarris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
If you google “Corkscrew Audubon Swamp” plus “Florida Panther”, you’ll find videos of startled people and startled cats like this one on You Tube by Andrea Wipperfurth (March 2016). So when I saw that Audubon Corkscrew Swamp was near where we’d be staying in Florida, … Continue readingAudubon Corkscrew Swamp
The Morning Blind As the first rays of dawn appear, I begin to see faint gray forms in front of me. The morning chorus of the sandhill cranes had already started when I arrived. Just a few voices here and there. I knew they were … Continue readingAmerica’s Greatest Migration
As we pulled into the empty parking in the early morning sun, a red-tailed hawk flew by in dogged pursuit of a raven. I wonder what raven mischief raised the hawk’s ire. It’s a windy, windy day and they seem to get blown past us … Continue readingCougar Bay Hike in Coeur d’Alene