I am speaking of the salamander, not the politician once seeking the Republican nomination. In the valley and on the coasts of California the California Newt is pretty common in the moist springtime. Growing up to eight inches long and colored orange-yellow-brown, it is easy to find. Like a number of animals, its bright …
Winter is a tough time for birds. Most insect-eating birds have made their way to the tropics of Central or South America, others have migrated down from higher latitudes or altitudes to winter in the valley, and some birds just stay put. The non-migratory species around northern California such as the Western Scrub Jay, Spotted Towhee, …
An ancient myth refers to the Phoenix, a bird which was supposed to live for 500 years, go up in flames and arise anew from ashes. It has come to represent rebirth, renewal, hope, etc. Ever since there have been terrestrial plants and animals, there has been fire. Ecosystems have evolved and the burning of …
This is the time of year when birds begin their reproductive cycle in the northern hemisphere. People find eggs, nests, and baby birds and try to help them. Generally, that is not a good idea. Only 10-20% of songbird eggs ever result in an adult bird. The eggs might be infertile, die during incubation due …
As you walk around the city or countryside, you might occasionally spot a dead mouse, rat, or squirrel. Driving down the highway, you regularly see road-killed raccoons, opossums, or some other mammal. But how many dead birds have you seen? Maybe an occasional road kill, but that’s all. Why is that? Birds are light in …
Oology is the study of eggs, mostly their shells. In the 19th and early 20th century it was a hobby, like stamp and coin collecting. Eggs were collected from wild birds’ nests, holes made in both ends, and the material inside blown out. They were displayed, sold, and traded, like many collectors’ items today. I’ve …
Albino birds are not particularly unusual. I’ve seen white robins, jays, crows, peacocks, and others. And of course there are white domestic chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys. The whole explanation of feather color is fairly complex, but let’s just discuss pigments for the time being. These pigments fall into three main groups –yellow, red, and …
Each year over 500,000 birds die worldwide due to oil spills. The recent BP oil rig disaster or the coast of Louisiana is a major ecological disaster, and the effects have been devastating. Louisiana is the southernmost point on the Mississippi River Flyway. The coastal areas provide a critical link between North American nesting grounds …
Woodpeckers are successful creatures, well known to everyone. Perhaps the most famous woodpecker besides Woody, the cartoon woodpecker, is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, very likely extinct since 1948, the last verified sighting of it. There are many kinds of woodpeckers in the world. Propped against the side of a tree trunk, they rapidly hammer against the bark. Why …
A well known blackbird is the Brewer’s Blackbird. This common blackbird gets its name from a prominent 19th Century Boston naturalist who started his professional career as an M.D. with a degree from Harvard and later developed a passion for birds. As a teenager he began sharing his field observations with J.J. Audubon. Audubon …
