There is, apparently, a lot to be said for having a time of rest: trees drop their leaves and go dormant; fungi retreat underground; insects wrap in cocoons, and chipmunks hibernate; lizards and turtles brumate–the reptilian version of hibernating; we… Continue Reading
This season last year we had a torrent of reports of lazuli buntings scouring through the Whiskeytown brush and in the chaparral all around the North State. These little birds attract attention because they are visually stunning. A superficial description… Continue Reading
The white-breasted nuthatch is one of a kind. Photo by Larry Jordan. Perhaps you have seen white-breasted nuthatches in your yard. They’re heart-warming little clowns, upside down more than right side up, with quizzical smiles in their dished-up bills, and… Continue Reading
If you stroll along the river much lately you likely see a brown bird the size of a handspan strolling, too. But you might notice that, unlike you, it is busy poking about the shoreline for insects and crustaceans, and… Continue Reading
This male western bluebird tends his family in a woodpecker-carved oak at Lema Ranch. Photograph by Larry Jordan There’s a little piece of sky fluttering through the neighborhoods and neighbor-woods of the North State. Actually, many little pieces. But they… Continue Reading
American kestrels are striking, with burnt-red backs and tails, steel-blue wings on the males, and bold falconid markings, black and white on the face. All this is packaged into a little hawk that could perch on your finger, and can… Continue Reading
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