When I was first learning the basic skills of birding, I read a line in Roger Tory Peterson’s famous field guide that almost made me want to give up any aspirations of becoming a good birder. He said something about skilled birders sometimes doing 95 percent of their birding by ear. I was horrified. Here I was, looking through a field guide, imagining all of the pretty birds I would see some day, and Peterson was telling me I’d learn to do 95 percent of it by sound. That’s no fun at all!

El Morro National Monument is one of the little gems in the crown jewels of our national parks, and even though it may not be as noticeable as its bigger cousins, it is precious just the same.

What role do oceans play in our daily lives? How will we rely on them in years to come? These are just some of the questions that are prompted by World Oceans Day, which was first recognized in 2008 and which will be marked this coming Saturday. At Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina, rangers will be exploring some of those questions.

Roadwork will slow your travels through Yellowstone National Park this summer, with various bridge and pavement widening projects on tap in the park.