Author Archives: David N. Lee, Publisher

It’s wildflower season in the Santa Monica Mountains

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California poppies and lupines bloom in March and April.
Photo by Don Vogt.                                     

by DAVID N. LEE, EcoTrips Unlimited Publisher.
March and April is the peak wildflower season in Southern California, and one of the best places to see them is in the Santa Monica Mountains. Located on the Western edge of the Los Angeles Basin, the natural area stretches from Oxnard to West Hollywood.
Malibu Creek State Park

Paintbrush (Castilleja sp.) and lupine
You see wildflowers in abundance in Malibu Creek State Park… Continue Reading. Located just 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, the 7,000 acre park features streamside trails through sycamore woodlands and chaparral slopes. Malibu Creek is 25 miles long and makes up the main watershed of

Santa Cruz Island Adventure – Discovering North America’s Galapagos

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Hundreds of common dolphins gather to feed in the Santa Barbara Channel.

BY DAVID N. LEE, ECOTRIPS UNLIMITED PUBLISHER.
Four miles off the coast of Ventura, California the ocean explodes as hundreds of common dolphins break the surface in graceful arches. As the pod approaches, we hear “poof, poof!” as each dolphin catches its breath.
 Aboard the Islander, Captain Dave Corey with Island Packers … Continue Readingslows the vessel for a better look. There are over 25,000 common dolphins in the area, he says, each one eats between 10 and 15 pounds of fish a day to maintain their body heat in the chilly waters.
It is wonderful to see so many of these marine mammals swimming free in the wild, miles

Yellowstone National Park – Bikes offer up-close wildlife adventures in the world’s first national park

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BY DAVID N. LEE, ECOTRIPS UNLIMITED… Continue Reading PUBLISHER.
“Hold up a second, and keep back!,” says Phil Knight, our good friend and Yellowstone wildlife guide. Just yards ahead of us, a herd of several
dozen shaggy beasts amble onto the road from West Yellowstone. Seeing bison in Yellowstone is always a thrill, even more so on bikes, with nothing but thin air between you and the huge creatures.

My wife, Pamela and I have joined Phil for a spring bike ride in the park. We chose to go in late April, since the snow has melted, yet the park isn’t open to cars. We have the road to ourselves – except for the bison.

The burly beasts eventually make their way

Santa Barbara Open Space a Hotspot for Birders

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BY DAVID N. LEE, ECOTRIPS UNLIMITED… Continue Reading PUBLISHER.
“Up there, in that sycamore,” our leader, Jack Sanford says in an excited voice. “Does everyone see it?”
A dozen binoculars point skyward. Way up in the tree is a bright orange and black bird, only visible to most when magnified. Closer inspection reveals his dramatic black markings – it’s a male hooded oriole for sure.
Thanks to Jack’s leadership and the Santa Barbara Audubon Society, a group of about 20 of us birders are in for a treat today as we roam the riparian edges of San José Creek at the University Circle Open Space in Goleta, just west of Santa Barbara, Ca. Although the open space is relatively small, the trails