Summer arrives, and the welcome late rains will yield to it. The oaks will dry and their denizens go quiet, whispering to their hatchlings, panting in the shade, living at the ends of the days. Uphill the temperatures rise less. … Continue Reading
Santa Claus isn’t the only one in a pointy red cap who flies around in winter handing out presents. Pileated woodpeckers do, too. As a matter of fact, they fly year round, delivering gifts through large swaths of North American… Continue Reading
Some birds just won’t do without a little pizzazz in their doing. Phainopeplas are among them, tip to tail. They are slight birds, the length of a pencil, and nearly as much tail as anything else. But their eyes are… Continue Reading
For some people, there is a hole in the sky, a blank spot. The condor is missing. When humans first crossed the Bering Strait into North America condors soared widely across the continent. Their fossils have been found along all… Continue Reading
Quick! They’re passing through just now, so this is the time: check your feeders, walk your woodlands! The cutest little sparrows of North America are dressed up and on the move! They’ve been in their winter browns, south of us… Continue Reading
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
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