by don | Mar 20, 2017
A low guttural croak comes out of the fog hanging over the French Broad River. I turn and look towards the noise. A silhouette starts to form. I can see the shadowy outline of a large head and beak. Long wide wings row through the fog and long legs trail behind. I...
by don | Mar 1, 2017
Regular readers of “The Naturalist’s Corner” may remember that I’ve decided to keep a 2017 year-list of birds. I noted, when I wrote about the list that I was not much of a “lister” nor “chaser.” My list would be made up of birds encountered in my backyard and during...
by don | Feb 15, 2017
Back in January I surveyed the Tellico Fire with MountainTrue biologist Josh Kelly. We were there to check out the intensity and severity of the fire. The date was January 19 and we found a few Hepatica acutiloba (sharp-lobed hepatica) in flower. Kelly said that was...
by don | Feb 1, 2017
In the land of the noonday sun, there lives a noonday snail. The noonday globe snail, Petera clarkia Nantahala is a medium-sized snail, about 3/4 inch wide and 1/2 inch high. This little slimeball is known only from about two miles of high calcareous cliffs in the...
by don | Jan 19, 2017
The 2011 movie “The Big Year” – a comedy starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson – didn’t ruffle a lot of feathers. According to Wikipedia, the movie with its $41 million budget only grossed $7.4 million. But the Cornell Lab of Ornithology reviewed the movie...
by don | Dec 22, 2016
Your Cold Side Time to make tracks In winter’s first snow. Breathe in the first blast Of winter’s cold. Touch winter As winter touches you. It is your cold side. Your side Of short days and long nights. And welcome to the shortest day and longest night of the...
