The Wild Idea That Began in Yellowstone

The first thing Carly Crow remembers is the cold. She was thirteen years old, far from her home in southern Georgia, sleeping in a tent beneath the vast Wyoming sky. The trip was part of a Girl Scouts adventure called Wyoming Wildlife Wonders, a journey that included time in two of the country’s most iconic […]

Field Notes: Magic in Minnesota

Photo by Jody Mills As a guide, I define a successful trip by whether we encounter what I call “magic.” Magic, frankly, is hard to define. It’s that moment when we are lucky enough to witness something precious, powerful, or undeniably beautiful in nature. I’ve felt it while watching thousands of cranes fly into roost, […]

Field Notes: When the Monarchs Returned

It was the first time I’d been back to this monarch sanctuary in three years. Not by choice. There simply hadn’t been enough monarch butterflies to occupy this stand of oyamel fir in the reserve. The 2025-2026 season brought the highest monarch counts in over a decade. People ask me all the time if I […]

The Boardwalk

For a few weeks each May, the southern shore of Lake Erie becomes one of the best places in North America to stand still. At the Magee Marsh boardwalk in northern Ohio, warblers move through at eye level, sometimes so close it feels absurd. A male Chestnut-sided Warbler picks through leaves an arm’s length away, […]

Field Notes: On the Lek

Long before sunrise, we loaded into vehicles for the hour-long drive to the spot just west of the Kansas border in southeastern Colorado. It was unusually warm for a lek morning. The temperature was far more enjoyable than the 3 am start time.  We could hear them before we could see them. The first calls […]

Birding & Beers: 4 Noses Brewing Company

4 Noses Brewing Company is located in Broomfield, Colorado, just east of the Rocky Mountain foothills. The family-owned brewery features an open, lively taproom, a spacious patio, and a rotating selection of taps that regularly include lagers, ales, porters, and stouts. The brewery was founded in 2014 by the Bibliowicz family: brothers Tommy and David, […]

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas… Bird Count Time!

  A Tradition Worth Joining Every winter, tucked between holiday errands, extra layers, and unpredictable weather, birders across North America take part in one of the continent’s oldest and most enjoyable traditions. The Christmas Bird Count is part citizen science, part social outing, and part perfectly valid excuse to spend a day watching birds—no matter […]

What Early Signs Are Revealing About the 2026 Monarch Season

If you’ve been waiting for the right year to experience the monarch migration in Mexico, 2026 is shaping up to be something truly special. The 2025 season brought a wave of hopeful news—something we don’t often get in conservation—and everything indicates a memorable overwintering season ahead. Even though the monarchs got a late start in […]

5 Things I Love about Colombia

Colombia has a way of sneaking into your heart, even if you’re just visiting for a few days or a few weeks. I’ve traveled there twice in the past year, and each trip left me more captivated than the last. As a naturalist guide, I spend my days immersed in nature and wildlife, but Colombia […]

Ever Seen a Green Jay? Why South Texas Should Be on Your Nature Travel List

  A backyard in Texas recently became the epicenter of birding news when the first naturally occurring hybrid between a blue jay and a green jay was spotted near San Antonio. See photos and read more here → The discovery surprised many—especially those who didn’t even realize a bird called a green jay existed. But […]