My mom and I started the new year off right birding around this preserve! However, the trails were not clearly marked nor mowed. On the map, there are more trails through the property, but they weren’t apparent. So, I probably won’t go back unless there are updates about trail management. Later in the afternoon, I […]

Featured photo by Whitney Lanfranco My first lifer of the year (5/31) was the bird pictured in the cover photo, gray kingbird! Then, pelagic season hit its heyday in early summer. I went on my first overnight pelagic of the year (6/4) which didn’t yield any lifers but great looks at cool birds. First thing […]

My mom and I rented kayaks for the morning (9am – 12pm) from Kayak Excursions, and paddled all along the Bunche Beach shoreline! It was a pretty awesome trip! I got a blister on my thumb, though, so I might try bike gloves (or something like it) next time. Honestly, it seemed like it would […]

My mom and I took a tour of the Hurricane Ian destruction by heading out to Pine Island. We walked all the trails in this county park. Then, we walked the boardwalks of Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve. I have the latter bookmarked for kayaking in the future!

I finally “overpacked” as evidenced by the bruises left on my arm from my bag straps! So, I’m learning to pare down to actual essentials. I finally got a beanbag and slept on the upper deck, and it’s the best sleep I’ve gotten on the boat! My camp pillow and sleeping bag did the job, […]

Temps ranged from low 70’s (I think?) to 80’s for our back-to-back trips! Here’s what I wore: UPF shirt UPF pants visor Costa sunglasses flip flops light sweatshirt (when it was windy and cooler) For the mornings when it was breezy, I wish I had brought my pack-able puff layer.

Tonight we return from an incredible day at sea! We left 9pm last night and temps were in the low 70s. It appears that land temps in Wildwood got down to an overnight low of 59F and high in the 80s. There was minimal wind and very calm seas. Here’s what I needed to keep […]

I finally went on the famed pelagic! Land temps started in the mid-60s and dropped to the low 60s throughout the day. It was windy and foggy in the morning. Here’s what I wore… Duffel coat parka Light puff layer Wind stopper gloves Light smart wool base layer fleece-lined leggings wool compression socks Arctic muck […]

Water bird (et al.) winter Today (1/17) kicks off the year in earnest, as we’re done quarantining after traveling for the holidays. We saw the pink-footed geese in northern NJ! The next weekend, we went to my parents house to drop off a few things and successfully tried for the green-tailed towhee while we were […]

Today, we walked the yellow trail through this lovely preserve!