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Come back to this page each day to read another entry from Frederick R. Gehlbach's almanac of suburban natural and unnatural history, "Messages from the Wild," which chronicles the world of a forested ravine in central Texas.
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Ah-hah! Blue jays have started imitating red-tailed hawks, announcing the return of our usual wintering individual. Often it is relatively small-bodied, so I suspect it's a local nester, not one of the big guys that comes south from northern prairies. This is a bit early, since migrant broad-winged hawks are still passing through. Does the new arrival forecast a cold winter? Our woolly bear caterpillars are no predictors, for they're always all-black. Buffered by culture, I don't need to make special preparations but look for messages of seasonal significance in training for those of long-term consequence. |
Frederick R. Gehlbach is Professor Emeritus of Biology and Environmental Studies at Baylor University. His ecological studies have taken him from New Zealand to Slovakia and, in the Americas, from Alaska and Newfoundland to Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. His research interests include the life-history strategies of small owls, small burrowing snakes and urban wildlife ecology.
From MESSAGES FROM THE WILD: AN ALMANAC OF SUBURBAN NATURAL AND UNNATURAL HISTORY by Frederick R. Gehlbach, Copyright © 2002. Courtesy of the University of Texas Press.
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