Spangler WOOD & BIRDS

A week after returning from the Florida everglades and keys, I headed to the Outer Banks for another weekend of birding. This was a...

After returning to work for a short workweek following the month-long government shutdown, I decided to immediately take a week-long...

The continuing government shutdown afforded me an opportunity for a productive mid-week OBX solo birding trip. I saw/heard 120 species of...

Eager for any excuse to head to the coast, I participated in the first annual Dare County Rarity Roundup this year. While no literal...

My second consecutive weekend camping on the coast included a black bear-filled day at the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR on the...

A spur of the minute overnight kayak camping trip down east led me to Shackleford Banks and featured some great birds, including two...

A short and sweet day trip to SE NC involved a busy agenda of paddling the Black River cypress swamps, eating Calabash seafood, and...

This year, the mudflats on Jordan lake emerged early and didn’t stay for long. Ideal for wading birds, less so for shorebirds or early...

My wife and I took part in an unforgettable and very active 5-day expedition across Southeast Alaska aboard the National Geographic Sea...

This year’s OBX paddle/camping trip took me and a friend to Cape Lookout and Cedar Island (again), but with a slightly different flavor....

A short trip to Wrightsville gave me a chance to experiment with my new camera setup (Nikon D500 w/ a 70-300 mm f/5.6 lens) from my kayak.

My third annual winter OBX solo birding trip was an exercise in efficiency, comprising just two full days of birding (compare last year’s fo

Late summer/early fall 2017 ushered in some particularly strong piedmont mudflats, reinforcing this as my favorite time of year to bird...

Work brought me to the Florida gulf coast for a couple of days. In my off hours and the weekend that followed, I managed to see my family...

A friend and I replicated our Memorial Day OBX trip from last year, but changed the location from Ocracoke/Portsmouth to Cape Lookout...

This year, I turned President’s Day weekend into a four-day nonstop birding adventure to the OBX and Pamlico/Albemarle Peninsula. What an...

A Christmas trip to Florida two years ago—specifically, a 12/20/14 kayak trip on the Chassahowitzka River—is what initially motivated me...

With more experience under my belt, and spoiled by the extensive mudflats present last year, I was really looking forward to the fall...

This excellent non-birding trip (aka honeymoon), which included an extended stay on Cumberland Island (GA) and a quick trip to Savannah...

Three long days, 96 bird species, and 4 life birds, with 23 miles traveled by kayak in the Ocracoke, Portsmouth, and Alligator River...