On days when it is too hot for us old folks to do much outside, we still reject being trapped in our air-conditioned home. Instead, we would rather be enclosed in our air-conditioned car, seeing the …

A few weeks ago Tropical Storm Debby skirted us and we were spared the high winds and storm surges that were predicted when the storm headed north of us. But that’s not to say it didn’t influence the nature around us …

For a dozen or more years, I’ve been doing my best to get into the Atlantic Recreation Center pool at least twice a week to get some exercise. Fernandina Beach is blessed with competent and friendly water aerobics instructors and a tribe of their followers. Some people in the pool are totally focused on getting the toughest workout they can bear.  Others come for the socialization with their peers, who are aging along with them. And some, like me, also keep an eye out on the sky and trees and buildings around us. This place is alive!

Each August, I get excited about foraging for wild grapes. I am fortunate to have a secret place in Nassau County where I can collect wild scuppernong grapes for my personal use. There are many …

This past Sunday I got an email from Mike Phillips, the editor/publisher of the Fernandina Observer which in a nutshell said, “Can you help our team get photos of the upcoming storm …

On my recent trip to Washington state, I did my best to take in the active volcanos, salmon runs and mountain vistas unique to the northwest part of the state. Along the way, I found rainforest …

These past few weeks, I have explored and written about our own beaches here on Amelia Island, but this past week, I had a different experience: Cannon Beach in Oregon. Bucko and I once lived in …

In 2023, North Atlantic right whale #1812 - War - gave birth to her seventh known calf along the shores of the Southeast United States. Her curious calf was spotted entangled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on June 22, 2024, by researchers with the Campobello Whale Rescue Team and colleagues.

I’m by no means a fisherperson. The few times Bucko tried to entice me into surf fishing I soon walked away and started looking for fossilized shark teeth and talking to strangers. That’s probably why I didn’t really learn about mole crabs (sand fleas) until recently.

The Atlantic to Okefenokee Conservation Corridor, more than 55,000 acres of potential conservation land known as the A2O, has been granted a significant approval. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC) has approved the A2O for inclusion on the Florida Forever Priority List.

Every beach along our shore has different merits, and I try to visit them all. Recently, for the first time in many months, I parked my car at the Simmons Road access, and even though it was only 9 …

The border between Florida and Georgia rests in the middle of the St. Marys River, just north of Amelia Island. Being so close, I often follow the efforts of Georgia conservation groups. The June …

Last week we took our friend Sage, who was visiting from Austria, boating around Amelia Island. As we approached Egans Creek bridge, we witnessed a firetruck and two ambulances headed for the boat …

At an unassuming house in a local subdivision, a former peacetime Marine Corps infantryman positions his two telescopes on the driveway and executes his meticulously prepared approach, saying, …

Lots of our longtime residents on Amelia Island know that gopher tortoises, those lumbering creatures of the dunes, sometimes make their way to the sea. Occasionally, over the years, I, too, have …

I was almost too late to catch the horseshoe crab monitoring project on Amelia Island this spring but I managed to connect with local horseshoe crab survey team leader Kathy Mason right at the end …

Bucko and I were in a challenge this year: Who could come up with the best birthday outing for one another? A few weeks ago, we celebrated his milestone birthday in our favorite …

Tucked away behind the scenes of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is the Northeast Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) Marine Mammal Response Field Laboratory. FWC is part of the …

I had a big desire for my birthday this year. I wanted Bucko to go with …

In the fall of 1994, reports began to surface that a West Indian manatee was swimming in the Chesapeake Bay. The West Indian manatee is typically found in the warm waters of Florida …