I read a lot of things. And I’ve always thought of sharing the best of what I read here on Wingtrip and now I’m finally doing it. Below are a collection of articles I read this past week. I’m not endorsing every opinion, but instead… Read More
All posts by “Brendan McGarry”
Wandering at Discovery
Discovery Park is a place I visit when I want a slice of nature and solitude but don’t have time nor energy to get to higher up or farther out. At any time of year I can go birding, get some exercise, and maybe get… Read More
Some Days You Just Need to Look Out
(Please note that the videos here are not supposed to be professional: 1) I’m not a pro. 2) It’s about the idea not the polish. 3) I’m lazy. I recommend reading and then watching.) Outside my window I wouldn’t expect to see much. Outside my… Read More
A River Out of Exile
From where we stood, the wide valley opened into the nothingness of low slung clouds. If brought here blindfolded, aside from a couple hints, I would’ve not known the location, other than a river valley in the Pacific Northwest. The give away was the river… Read More
Debriefing with Dolphins
I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye, to mull over a summer past, until I saw it from the air. A great dark mass bulging from the water, narrated by the strong white noise of a purring engine and spinning propeller. I gesticulated wildly at… Read More
A Natural History Lexicon | Mantle
Welcome to Wingtrip’s Natural History Lexicon, a regular rundown of natural history terms, however varied and at random. To find future and past posts on this subject, simply search “natural history lexicon” or find it in the tags. Thanks for reading! Mantle Noun /ˈman(t)l/ –… Read More
Barred Owls on the Farm (and a Brief Discussion of Non-native Species)
They were screaming from the woods. Over and over the piercing, wheezy complaints were just audible from the garden. I noticed them first and told everyone else to listen. Of course listening isn’t always hearing. Soon everyone was tuned in, but I scrambled over the… Read More
Reservations and Jumpstarts
I didn’t realize I was feeling stressed till I walked around the farm. Out there were the waves of green I’d forgotten about. Aimlessly I dawdled between this plant or that. Admiring the life I’d helped my friends stick in the ground, meditating on what… Read More
Photographing Just the Bees, Not the Birds
Winter in the Northwest was deflated this year. Spring seems to have come early, because we never really had those agonizing monotonous days of gray skies with just enough rain to keep you indoors, but not enough to feel like you should. I still managed… Read More
How to Take Macro Photos on Budget
Last year, feeling in a bit of a rut photographic rut, I decided to act on a DIY project I’d been contemplating. In my internet perusals of nature photography I’ve always been impressed by macro photography of insects and plants and I found a photographer… Read More









