African Safaris
They slide on their bellies across the snow, congregate on icebergs and seem to fly through freezing water in search of fish. That’s how most people picture penguins: playing among icebergs in Antarctica.
Antarctica & Arctic
The first time I saw Antarctica, I cried. It’d been a couple of days aboard ship cruising the notoriously rough waters of the Drake Passage, but when I raised my cabin’s blackout curtain that February morning, I knew that every step I’d taken to get there had been worth it.
Churchill Polar Bears
As the end-of-the-year holidays approach, themes of ice-skating rinks, snowflakes and cute polar bears in sweaters decorate many homes and shops.
Nature & Wildlife
The beginning of November always makes me think of the fall migrations of birds. In the United States, this annual ritual typically begins around August 1 and lasts through November 30; although, some birds may migrate earlier or later, and migration can start as early as mid-June and last until early January.
Nature & Wildlife
Our world is a colorful place. Just think of the vivid blues, greens, oranges, reds and yellows of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, the rainbow-hued mountains of Zhangye National Geopark in China or the shimmering green and purple bands of light in the aurora borealis above the tundra in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.
Antarctica & Arctic
American environmentalist, historian and novelist Wallace Stegner called our national parks “the best idea we ever had.” In 1983, he wrote: “National parks are … absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”
Nature & Wildlife
Songs have power. That was never made clearer to me than when I recently read about some new discoveries involving the songs of animals. Songs can lead us to find rare wonders.
Conservation
In our human-dominated world, Earth’s most iconic and imperiled wildlife are facing tough decisions. Two lion brothers recently illustrated that fact when they undertook a long, record-breaking swim across a predator-infested African river in search of homes and mates.
Nature & Wildlife
Glaciers are tremendous accumulations of snow, compacted by weight and turned to ice. They move with gravity due to their own mass, often carrying rocks and sediment debris with them.
Conservation
The grace of a running gazelle, the majesty of a migrating herd of wildebeests, the elegance of an outstretched wing in flight or the grand glissades of massive glaciers. These are nature’s lissome movements. There’s nothing else like them.
Nature & Wildlife
I think of February and March as a miniseason, that of northern lights. This time of year provides an opportune moment to turn your gaze to winter’s night skies.
Antarctica & Arctic
On first impression, Antarctica may look barren and less biodiverse than most other places on Earth. But in recent years, we’ve learned that the White Continent is actually overflowing with life; that is, if you include the microscopic kind.
