If you’ve been bird-watching in the Eastern Shore area, you very well may have seen a peregrine falcon. The peregrine is known for its distinctive, elegant wingspan and amazing migrations, which can exceed 15,000 miles in one year. In its signature high dive, this falcon is also one of the fastest birds out there, with reported speeds up to 200 mph.

Peregrine falcons are now one of the most widespread birds in the world, found on six of the seven continents. This level of thriving is remarkable when you consider that the species was place on the Endangered Species List in the 1950s and not officially removed until 1999. The peregrine’s recovery started in 1970, when the toxic pesticide DDT was finally banned from the US market. During the recovery effort, scientists and naturalists worked to nourish the depleted population, sometimes relying on the expertise of falconers who had been training peregrines, and keeping them in captivity, for centuries. Birds were nursed in captivity and eventually released into the wild, where the removal of DDT meant that they could finally breed successfully.

In reading and writing about environmental causes, it’s easy to get depressed by how much damage has been done and how little of the news is positive. But the majestic peregrine falcon shows us that it is possible for change to happen if we work on it, if we care and convince others to care. When Rachel Carson wrote The Silent Spring, she used her words to make an impact that eventually led to the banning of DDT, and helped to save the peregrine falcon, a remarkable bird that is a vibrant part of our shoreline ecosystem.

I hope that these posts inspire you to keep your mind open to good news about the environment. Good things can happen when people really care about the world around them.

A ways back (like, maybe a year ago), I posted a request for recommendations of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Ocean City. After all this time, I’ve realized that I overlooked one of OC’s best spots for natural, local foods and vegetarian options.

The Iguana Cafe is not a vegetarian restaurant, but with trendy pita sandwiches, veggie burgers, and a variety of salads, they do a pretty good impression of one. Plus, tasty coffee drinks! Located at 12701 Coastal Highway, the cafe is a great all-day spot for those random post-swimming munchies or that late afternoon caffeine jones. Why go to a Starbucks when you can get a soy latte and a falafel wrap made with pure natural ingredients?

One thing that always helps me get through the soggy tail-end of winter is making plans for the spring. If I set aside a day or a weekend when I know it’s going to be more pleasant outside, and commit myself to doing something fun and spring-like on that day, I have something to look forward to on those days when it’s hard to believe that spring will ever come.

That’s why this spring, I’m going on an Assateague Birding Tour. On Assateague, spring is one of the best times to see the huge variety of river and wetlands birds, including Bald Eagles. The 90-minute boat tours are a great way to see birds with a group of fellow enthusiasts, without worrying about getting lost or interfering with animal habitats too much, and in this blogger’s opinion the $35 fee is a bargain for a tour that claims to sight America’s mascot daily.

From the website: “Our birding trips travel the protected inner coastal waters along Assateague Island, Chincoteague and Wallops Island in Virginia. You’ll experience the best scenery that Assateague and Chincoteague Island offer. Magnificent coves, creeks and salt marshes await you. We search for osprey, black skimmers, oyster catchers, peregrine falcons, terns, pelicans, godwits, curlews, plovers, dunlins and more.” Definitely sounds like a good way to add a few more species to your list. Just be sure to bring your pocket field guide and a pair of binocs!

You know by now that I love finding great blogs out there that cover different facets of the Eastern Shore outdoor experience. So I was pretty stoked to find this Chincoteague Blog, which doesn’t seem to have a lot of posts yet, but already has a lot of useful information for visitors to Chincoteague Island. I particularly love the Google map of the island labeled with popular spots.

If you’re headed to OC this spring or summer, you should definitely consider a mini-vacation to Chincoteague, especially if you have kids. Growing up in Maryland, I always found Chincoteague to be one of the only truly memorable outdoor adventures available to me — and of course, the hope of meeting Misty in the flesh made me forget all about the mosquito bites.