Inside the fight to save the Bali starling: new feature in Mongabay News
I have been reporting on this story since December, and I am so pleased to share it has been published by international conservation magazine, Mongabay. It is a conservation success story with so many valuable lessons and reasons to hope. It features my reporting, writing and photography. Thank you for reading. Read the full story...
Eastern Collared Lizard – My Wildlife Wonders No. 3
Species: Eastern Collared Lizard Also Known As: Common collared lizard, Mountain Boomer The Eastern Collared Lizard, colloquially called the "mountain boomer," is named for its distinctive black "collar" markings around the neck and shoulders. Males are particularly colorful, displaying blue-green bodies, yellow stripes, and orange or yellow throats, while females have more subdued coloration. These...
Heather Physioc Wins Six Honors in OWAA’s 2025 Excellence in Craft Contest
Kansas City–based conservation photojournalist and writer Heather Physioc has earned six awards in the Outdoor Writers Association of America’s (OWAA) 2025 Excellence in Craft Contest, which celebrates outstanding outdoor media across writing, photography, and other creative disciplines. The contest, sponsored by Friesens, ASA, and Pew, drew entries from across the country. Winners were announced during...
Bighorn Sheep – My Wildlife Wonders No. 2
Once pushed to the brink by overhunting, habitat loss and disease, bighorn sheep have made a strong comeback, thanks to decades of conservation work across the western U.S. and Canada. However, population growth has plateaued and constant vigilance is necessary to maintain stability, and several subspecies remain at-risk. Species: Bighorn Sheep Also Known As: Rocky...
Bali Starling – My Wildlife Wonders No. 1
A hush falls over the misty forest of Nusa Penida. Light rain weaves silver threads through the canopy. From the hush of the foliage, a flash of white breaks the green—a bird glides in, landing with effortless precision on a spiny trunk. It's a striking bird with brilliant white feathers, a deep blue leathery patch...
Artificial intelligence threatens real creativity everywhere.
The explosion of readily accessible artificial intelligence tools has made it possible for anyone with an internet connection to generate art, photography, and even entire worlds with a single prompt. But AI promises to unlock unprecedented creativity in the same breath that it threatens to wipe out entire workforces built on human skill and storytelling....
Living peoples, not dying languages: Inside the fight to preserve and revitalize Quechua and other Indigenous languages in the Andes
By Heather Physioc In a rustic adobe building in the Andean mountainside, cool light filters in through small windows that look out over a misty valley below. The hut is constructed from bricks of mud mixed with straw and highland grasses. The roof is corrugated sheet steel and thatch. The clay walls are brushed white...
My top 24 photographs of 2024.
Being outdoors and capturing wildlife is my happiest place with a camera in hand. The worst weather conditions and most painful injuries can fade into the background when I’m locked in on an animal with my zoom lens. Shooting in the Chihuahua desert Then I return home with the camera, and go through the sometimes...
Portorož, Piran & Lipica: Experiencing the Istrian Peninsula & Karst Region of Slovenia
Strolling along the boardwalk from the elegant Grand Hotel Bernardin in Portorož, the Adriatic coast seemed calm with clear water and gently lapping waves. Minutes later, turning a corner at the charming marina town of Piran, the wind instead felt gusty, and the choppy Gulf of Trieste whipped and smashed over the breakwater. Shopkeepers hurried...
Spring Scenes & Hidden Gems in Lower Town Zagreb, Croatia
The air smells rich with the aromas of homemade cheeses, fresh pastas and pastries. Red-striped umbrellas shelter row upon row of wooden stalls and tables stocked with fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers. The open-air Dolac Market is lively and colorful in the heart of the city of Zagreb in Croatia, sitting in the shadows of...
Experience Wonders of Wildlife and the Ancient Maya in Yucatán, Mexico
Home » Witnessing Chichén Itzá, Wonder of the World The iconic El Castillo, also known as the Temple of Kukulcan, at Chichén Itzá, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in Yucatan, Mexico. The massive step pyramid towers before a cloudy sky, illuminating the grandeur and texture ancient Mayan architecture. A series of ancient...
Capturing Conservation: Animal portraits to inspire the next generation
The year my dad made us “Friends of the Zoo” at our local Kansas City Zoo was one of the most memorable of my childhood. I recall frequent visits to see nature programs on the giant IMAX screen. Eleven-year-old me was delighted to meet the Kratt brothers, of “Kratts’ Creatures” fame, against the backdrop of one of their children’s educational...
Photography from O’ahu, Hawaii in September
Family and work travel can be unproductive for many photographers. Fast-paced itineraries and going with the flow of a group make it tougher to spend time crafting the ideal image with perfect light and composition. So we take on a different kind of challenge - making something beautiful with a speedy snap. Managed expectations and...
Animal Portraits from GloWild at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
When the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium announced their GloWild event would return, I jumped at the chance to get tickets for this year's "Around the World" theme. I took it as a fun assignment to shoot animal "portraits" of my favorite illuminated silk lanterns. The lantern sculptures for the event were hand-crafted by 151...
San Diego Up Close
I had already written an extensive post about recommendations for visiting San Diego, but since then, I have frequently returned to visit family and speak at conferences. I will periodically share new images and tiny details from the trips with fresh recommendations. Soak in the succulents & cacti. (Sep. 2023) San Diego's Mediterranean climate is...
Morning views in Gulf Shores, Alabama
Admittedly, I underestimated coastal Alabama as an outdoor travel destination. But when the Outdoor Writers Association of America hosted our annual conference at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama, I experienced a small taste of its natural beauty first-hand. Allow me to humble myself and say I stand corrected. The images below were my...
Mountain goats on the McCullough Gulch Trail hike in Colorado
Something always stands between me and the goats. I haul all my stupid, heavy photography gear on my back for miles into thinning air, hoping I'll spot their white fur against the rocky ridges. Then, every time I see them, something terrible happens that keeps me from them. I nearly crap my pants on Grays,...
River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park
Why would any sane, rational human being leave the comfort of their home with air conditioning and plumbing, strap 40 pounds of gear onto their back, and haul it 10 miles into the wilderness on foot to sleep on the ground, and eat dehydrated food for days? Under threat of bear activity and a “mountain...
Skåne, Sweden is for the birds.
Tap photos to view full-size. Photos best viewed full-size on desktop computers. I recently traveled to Sweden for a speaking engagement in Stockholm, and added 5 days in Skåne County, about a half-hour outside the major city of Malmö. Home base was a guest home in Höllviken in the backyard of a local family, perfect...
Spring Comes to the Netherlands: Exploring Scenic Landscapes Outside Amsterdam
My trip to the Netherlands began and ended in its busy capital, Amsterdam. I spent days walking the assortment of brick, cobblestone and asphalt along the canals and bridges. I devoured lunch at Gartine, witnessed the Anne Frank House experience for the first time, and spoke at a Dutch search conference. But having visited the famous city before, this...
Barbados: A Tale of Two Coasts
A fan pushes warm, humid air around the room. The first hint of hazy morning light seeps through slatted wooden blinds, the bright blue curtains puffing in and out in the morning breeze. I hear palms rustling and waves crashing and rolling onto a beach. I get out of bed and shuffle to the window....
Peru Creek: Crapping in a Bag & Other Stories
This is a story about defeat, joy, and grief. It is full of adventure and misadventure, with a touch of prescience. Twists and turns. Bathroom humor. Summit season 2022 was unsuccessful, but mountain season was a hit. Buckle up; it's a ride. This year has been a lesson in coping with the unexpected. Every trip...
Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota
It appears that 2022 is the year I visit national parks experiencing extraordinary flooding events. In the spring, massive flooding washed out vast parts of Yellowstone National Park just after I visited during record snow. And recently, I visited Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota just after historic flooding caused by heavy rains and snowmelt in...
Paradise Valley, Montana: A Cabin at the Foot of Emigrant Peak
This story is continued from Western Kitsch: The Black Hills of South Dakota. After our gripping adventure rerouting several hours out of our way from the Black Hills, we pushed on to Billings and then Livingston. Just 30 miles from our final destination, the snow began to fall. In my tiny Prius, we slowed to...
1% of 1% of Yellowstone National Park
June 15, 2022 - Yellowstone National Park Update: I published this story just two weeks before record-breaking floods occurred at Yellowstone National Park, causing widespread destruction, with mudslides and rock slides washing out major roadways. At a time when the country's first national park was to celebrate their 150-year anniversary, this astonishing flooding created extremely...