Awake in the Winter: On November 22 an American Dipper was reported hanging out in Putah Creek near the Monticello Dam in Yolo county. No, that wasn't a skinny dipper person, but rather a bird!
I retrieved my prized, Peterson Field Guide of Western Birds to review the data. (Signed by Roger Tory Peterson after I had a lengthy conversation with the bird artist master in 1990). The aquatic bird is seldom seen in the valley, preferring mountain streams where it plies a living from the rapids, although I did see one in the Feather River at Oroville once in the swift current near the Fish Hatchery. Take note, Snow Goose Festival bird-watchers this month, January 25-29! More>>
The Poison Factor: During the warm November rains of 2016, an immense growth of fungi has been reported, especially along the coast that is always a prized retreat for choice edible species, such as “Boleteus edulis!” More>>
Natural Wonders - Meant to Move: To be a wild animal usually means having full mobility and being ready to run, or fly, from predators that watch for an easy mark. It's a rule for the survival of the fittest. Notice how the songbird and the rabbit are forever flicking their heads and watching for danger. More>>
Natural Wonders - There's No Place Like Home: “Never a Christmas morning, Never the old year ends, But someone thinks of someone, Old times, old birds, old friends.”
With the incoming and outgoing of migratory animals during the autumn and spring months, just who are those that decline to travel and retain a more permanent home? Unlike the appropriate Christmas symbol, the snow goose--a traveler though fully welcomed in California [and a bird that prefers swamps to snow], there are those resident birds that adapt to one location. More>>
A Time When Bushtits Gather Together: I found it so delightfully charming to see a flock of 30 bushtits searching the Toyon Christmas Berry bushes before Christmas recently. It was suggestive of the coming Christmas season to see the feisty birds near the Feather River Nature Center on the first day of December! More>>
The Way of Dead Wood: The way of dead wood is to decay or petrify after having been a living thing. The way of dead wood is also a source of fuel, or carved into a thing of beauty by a sculptor. Or made into a house by carpenters. More>>
Porcupine Predicaments: Did you ever see a middle-aged man out in his pajamas at 2:00 A.M. with a garbage can in one hand and a ping pong paddle in the other? "These crazy Americans are not only involved in elections, but there is a bunch devoted to the wild life," a witness might speculate! More>>
Standing Water: “Never a Christmas morning, Never the old year ends, But someone thinks of someone, Old times, old birds, old friends.”
With the incoming and outgoing of migratory animals during the autumn and spring months, just who are those that decline to travel and retain a more permanent home? Unlike the appropriate Christmas symbol, the snow goose--a traveler though fully welcomed in California [and a bird that prefers swamps to snow], there are those resident birds that adapt to one location.While much of the country is obsessed with political elections in early November 2016, there is another political upheaval in progress in North Dakota near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Indians versus oil pipeline. Since there are many standing rocks, in fact, nearly any mountain is a sort of standing rock, I was trying to find out what particular rock the Sioux had selected. Even Google didn't elaborate. There is a well-known isolated standing rock called Devil's Tower in Wyoming among rocky landmarks. More>>
The Coming of Conservation In reviewing a conservation article left at the Feather River Nature Center by member Susan Gilbert, it occurred to me that conserving America's natural resources was long in coming for the four centuries after Columbus's arrival in 1492. More>>
Rebounding Frogs While reading about Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs recovering from near extinction, it occurred to me how effective wildlife management can be when applied properly. Most imbalances in nature are caused by social tinkering with wildlife habitats, and that affects the wild inhabitants that live there. It seems the frog downfall started when trout were stocked in Sierra lakes where Rana muscosa lives, and they were devoured by the hungry fish. Stocking fish there was stopped and the frogs rebounded. Pleasing sportsmen by introducing game species, even though fishermen and hunters provide funds for wildlife provisions, doesn't always work unless biologists keep close watch on wildlife populations. More>>
The Long Journey The end of October indicates that most of the waterfowl migrants have arrived in California marshes after making the long journey through the airways from the Far North. A number of species tend to make long treks in quest of food or shelter. Many animals from lemmings to monarch butterflies to wildebeest to salmon make migratory journeys, but birds, especially ducks and geese, are the most obvious. How could you miss a hundred thousand snow geese drifting out of the sky to settle on the sanctuary waters of Gray Lodge or similar refuges in the Sacramento valley? To witness the wonder of flight and the arrival of waterfowl flocks is a sight to behold with amazement. More>>
What's In a Pill? When I see a cedar waxwing or a robin pluck a pyracantha berry and swallow it, I think of people swallowing some kind of pill. The difference is the bird knows what's in the berry, while human pill swallowers often don't know what's inside a manufactured pill. Or how it was made. It is a matter of trust in taking what the doctor prescribes, or believing the print on a bottle of vitamins or other kind of pills. The mark of mankind is living by trust and belief in products made in some unknown location by some unknown person. Often synthesized ingredients are compressed into pills without the worker knowing how chemists created a concoction that is generally believed to help relieve disease. More>>
Bathing in Nature: An article in the paper about the emerging practice of “Shinrin-yoku” or“forest bathing” got my attention when it discussed “immersing yourself in nature to improve your well-being.” More>>
Getting Into Ditches: While checking Guppy Creek in Oroville one day, it occurred to me that the roadside waterway was generally considered a drainage ditch. True, excess winter rains drain water to the river, and you won't find “Guppy Creek” on a map, since my son coined that moniker when catching some of the mosquito fish planted there by the Mosquito Control crew. Nevertheless, where there is water, there is some kind of riparian habitat, and usually a local name for it. More>>
The Hallelujah Oak: Down by the riverside, near the Feather River Nature Center, growing along the roadway and Richard Harvey's “aspiration bench,” is an interior live oak, hanging onto the edge of an embankment like a mountain climber clinging to a ledge. More>>
September the Stirring Month: After the doldrums of a hot summer has drained all the energy out of the season, along comes September that seems to stir and prod everything to prepare for a change. The transition extends well into October. More>>
The Coming of Autumn: “Sing a song of seasons; something bright in all...” said Stevenson. Some claim that autumn is the best season, and it is upon us in September 2016. Only the quality of the prelude to winter-unveiling will reveal if it is the “best.” “And sweetest the golden autumn day/ In silence and sunshine glides away...” More>>
When the Earth Quakes: Although one of the largest earthquakes to occur in America was in my home state of Missouri, California is more generally thought of as being quake country. More>>
The Quest for Acceptance: In this age of videos, we see countless examples of pictures depicting different species of animals forming friendships with each other in captivity. In the wild, most species are generally receptive only to members of their own group but stay apart from other animals, other than the predator stalking its prey. But when intermingled, as on a farm or in a zoo, and well cared for, well-fed, in peaceful surroundings, unusual alliances can be formed. Every day it seems there is an account of “a lion laying down beside a lamb,” or something of similar significance. More>>
Living With Dust: Soon after I vacuum the house, dust seems to spread again, coating everything with its pale ghostly film. “Over and over again,” like autumn leaves, dust is slowly pulled down by gravity. More>>
What Does a Park Mean To You? City parks are a valuable aspect of a community. What would Chico, CA be without Bidwell Park, or Oroville without River Bend Park and Bedrock Park? On the 100th anniversary of our National Parks, what does a park mean to you? More>>
Elements in Space and Earth: People on Earth, or at least part of them, are focused on NASA's Juno as the spacecraft orbits planet Jupiter after arriving there July 4, 2016. Imagine! Juno charged through space--merely in our solar system of our Milky Way galaxy--at 150,000 miles per hour for FIVE YEARS before slipping into its orbit ONE SECOND off of the projected arrival! Think of that and the sophisticated calculations involved! 1.8 billion miles and 1.1 billion dollars! More>>
Battle in Birdland: Some form of bird species is found in nearly every space on earth, and generally birds are thought of as beautiful feathered creatures prone to be peaceful. Conflict, however, seems to occur among all living things. Seldom, though, do those disputes end in bloodshed among wild animals, unless it is a predator killing its prey, but that is more survival than feuding. In nature, fussing and fighting is usually related to territorial defense. More>>
Fire and Ice: At a time in the last of July, 2016, when a 'heat dome' hovered over most of North America like a monstrous alien space ship, the thought of a land of ice is rather inviting. Longing for winter is always more pronounced in the hot summer, just as summer is appealing during winter when cold seems to hang on forever. In the midst of the heat, my daughter Rebecca and her daughter Maya, made a trip to the island country of Iceland--18th largest island in the world, with 40,000 square miles and a 3000 mile coast line! More>>
Headwaters: On July 13, 2016, I presented a slide show at the Lake Oroville Visitor Center entitled “Headwaters.” I primarily intended to feature locations of beginning sources of water for the Feather River that feeds Lake Oroville, although 'headwaters' can refer to the beginning of any stream, and indeed, to many aspects of tangible things in the sense that everything has a beginning. More>>
Natural Wonders: The Joy of Discovery - Although I understand that 'discovery' in court cases is evidence that must be shared with the opposition, discovery, as in a child finding a brand new bug to marvel over, or a shiny stone, is a joy able to steer a kid into a new pathway in life! More>>
The Artistry of Imperfection: Down by the riverside, in the Centennial Gardens on the levee, there was a defective guide-light built into the walkway. Moisture leaked in and condensed under the glass, making a very good set-up for photographic closeups of condensed droplets! The maintenance crew fixed it with a new seal, changing imperfection to perfection, and took away what I thought was beautiful! Thus it is that many things that some people value are seen as defective by others. More>>
Whose Woods These Are ... Behind the Oroville PGE building on Huntoon Street where I paid my bill, I noticed a nice redwood tree rising from the shadows of a thicket. I had passed by many times and never singled out the tree to shake hands with, but I plowed in through the thicket and grasped a welcoming limb just to recognize its place in life and muse about its root-home. It rather represented all redwoods even though I haven't seen all of them. More>>
For Love of a Horse: You see people riding horses on the many trails around Oroville, and they have a pleased look as if proud of their steed...and their ability to ride loosely in the saddle of life! More>>
Our Kind: ...Our kind are on one side of the wall and our kind are on the other side of the wall, all thinking they are right for whatever they stand for. What they stand for can be a multitude of things, not only gender issues, but on down the line to practically every club group and hobbyist organization, not to mention people's preference for political parties and issues--sometimes to heated extremes. More>>
The Greatest Necessity: Simply put, the greatest necessity for life on earth is food. Sunlight, water, soil, and air are important too, and some might say sex, but food stands out as a vital ingredient for every living thing. More>>
Why Go Camping? With the coming of summer, various people plan to depart on vacation trips and camping in the out-of-doors, some roughing it in backpack tents along some mountain trail, and others content to sit in a chair at the edge of a lake. What is the allurement that draws campers forth from the comforts of home to the hardships of living on the edge of civilization? More>>
The Calls of the Wild: Down in the town of Spivey's Corner, North Carolina, population 49, the National Hollerin' Contest will be held on the third Saturday of June.
The art of “hollering alive” in North Carolina State and raising funds for Spivey's Corner volunteer fire department, has been held annually since 1969, where visitor attendance now booms to 10,000 on that hollerin' day. It seems contestants really let it out, mimicking a time before cell phones--and even telephones--when communication was by yelling messages to farmers in the field or the neighbor down the hollow. More>>
A Moment of Leisure: “When breezes are soft and skies are fair,/I steal an hour from study and care,/And hie me away to the woodland scene,/Where wanders the stream with waters of green...” --Bryant
I had found a little leisure time to sit down on Richard Harvey's bench beside the river and mediate for a moment. The Feather River Nature Center park is conducive to relaxing and watching the outdoor world-wonders, or as Thomas Carlyle said, “Look round a little, and see what is passing under our very eyes!” More>>
Mixing It Up: It could be concluded that we live in a mixed-up world if you dwell on current events. The political state of affairs could add validity to that belief, just as the biological confusion resulting from the shuffling of species from one continent to another creates a mixture of life on earth. More>>
A Profusion of Twigs: Along highway 70 south of Oroville, a walnut grove had been bulldozed, leaving heaps of a trillion twigs for thought. “The brush will probably be burned,” I mused. Disposal of agricultural waste and vegetative debris is a problem in this air-quality age with cries to reduce smoke. “Air First” may not have dibs these days in view of the farm-quest for cleared land to raise crops! More>>
Natural Wonders: Is It Waste or Wealth? Look at the definition of the word 'waste' in the dictionary, and you will see that it occupies considerable space on the same page as 'watch' and 'water!' “Waste” also has many multiple meanings, including vacant land, scrap, garbage, excrement, wastewater, and sewage. More>>
Chase Time: Something darted across the road as I approached the Feather River Nature Center. At first, I thought it was a big house cat, but back in the brush a gray fox nervously watched me before running back across the road--with a scrub jay in hot pursuit! Spring chase time, I thought, when everything is actively engaged in building a bungalow and defending it like some kind of special supermarket sale was at stake. More>>
What is Conservation? Conservative politics aside, conservation, as in nature conservation, is the action of conserving, or saving something [save the whales], preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment. A certain amount of love is involved in seeking the proper use and protection of our natural resources including animal and plant life, especially those features that are non-renewable. More>>
The Best Little Roadway: Even though there are thousands of “best” little roadways in America, my present pick is the extension of Old Ferry Road that runs along the river for one mile from the Feather River Nature Center to the Diversion Dam in Oroville, CA. More>>
A Wildlife Attitude: Although politicians can put doubt on a person's birthplace and distort facts to achieve a political purpose, there is no doubt that John Muir lived and left a lasting legacy. You need but read the Muir writings to get an idea of his compassionate, joyful attitude toward nature. We are convinced by his truthful details in his writings that he roamed California and other parts of the world to gather a perspective of nature. He cared to learn and entice others to look at nature's loveliness with understanding. More>>
Horror is a Praying Mantis: A recent facebook flick stated, “If you're lonely, watch a horror show; you won't be alone anymore.” I might add, “If you want to witness horror, consider the Praying Mantis!” This voracious insect will eat anything it can catch--including mice and small lizards--and is not reluctant to eat a live katydid from the rear end up! More>>
Hovercraft in My House: The thing first appeared around my computer-light, hovering, slowly drifting through the air like some kind of minute flying saucer or drone. It was no larger than a fuzzy pinhead, and I tried to grab it but came up empty. For something so slow, the maneuverability was remarkable. More>>
How to be Sheltered From Storm: In late March I was driving from Oroville to Marysville in a rare rain, and I thought about my car roof being a shelter from the storm. The fuel-burning machine is indeed an ingenious invention, not only rolling you smoothly to your destination, but adding air-conditioning to your comfort—and windshield wipers! More>>
A Land with Trees Stands Taller: The forests of eastern America must have been an overwhelming sight when Pilgrims settled at Plymouth in 1620. More>>
Green is the Color of Growth: Even though most people go to Table Mountain in the springtime to see the color of flowers, green is the dominant feature of the living vegetation, especially revealed in the grasses and leaves.
It's that chlorophyll connection with sun, soil, and water that gives new life to an otherwise drab planet. The green and gold of California fields has largely been brown in our drought years, and even though Henry David Thoreau declared: “Brown is the color for me, the color of our coats and our daily lives, the color of the poor man's loaf,” he did say that “Green is essentially vivid, or the color of life, and it is therefore most brilliant when a plant is moist or most alive.” More>>
Captives on Earth: If you have ever seen a room full of caged canaries, you will know that caged birds sing, even though you might not know why they sing. You will also know that a bird in a cage is a captive. More>>
Snakes in Ireland? As many of you know, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, and also prominent to some people is the legend of the Saint driving snakes out of Ireland. Although there has apparently never been any snakes in the cool, damp country, some cities use the tale to add to the Irish celebration. More>>
Oroville - The City With a Heart of Gold: Oroville's lovely mayor, Linda Dahlmeier, often uses the popular “Heart of Gold” slogan in describing our city, as does Cliff Marler at the Chamber of Commerce.
There is undoubtedly some metallic golden minerals down there in the valves of the underground support system, down beneath the cluster of buildings, down under downtown, down under Bud Tracy's Oroville Inn, under the Pioneer Museum, under Lott Park...if you dig down to bedrock. Dredgers once offered to buy and move early Oroville to mine the gravels. But the golden hue also springs upward in February's flush of flowers! More>>
Why Does the Mockingbird Sing? Maya Angelou figured out why the caged bird sings, but the mockingbird doesn't have to sing “for the thought of freedom” because it is already free! More>>
Systems of Filing: As I sit in my computerized word-processing cove, I am surrounded by paper, as well as CD disks and reference books, in addition to the information stored on the internet. Notes are the end-result of research, and there is a pile of used data under my monitor awaiting transference to the “boxes of note scraps.” There is potential in those words on paper that might revive a whole new line of thought someday, just as there is potential in magazine articles and pictures. Everything starts with a thought. More>>
Where Did All the Lady Bugs Go? We know that when summer turns to winter, birds take the place of beetles around the Feather River. Where are the heat-loving insects hiding during the cold days after autumn? More>>
Water Conservation Begins with the Land: Conserving water was charged with tensions during the California drought of 2015. At the start of year 2016, there is also high uncertainty about the possible flooding from El Nino, or if it will even come, plus debates about water storage and the use of wells. Amid the fervor of the water issues, few people take the time to consider the grassroots of conservation in all of our natural resource usage. More>>
Who Owns the Land? The land-use issue continued at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon during most of January 2016. The problem was about the use of Federal Land and whether the ranchers have a right to graze cattle on the public domain without following government regulations. The conflict caused a lesser tragedy in keeping birdwatchers out of the refuge. More>>
Natural Wonders: The Overkill of Nature: Federal Environmental Species Act protection on the American eel is being proposed to list them as threatened. Although eels are found largely along the Atlantic coast, over-harvesting through the lack of adequate regulations and 80 percent habitat loss due largely to dam blockage of their migratory route, has driven the long, slick, fish to an all-time low, again rearing the ugly head of extinction. More>>
Out Of Sight; Out Of Mind: The remote control for the television came up missing, and as it is when something important can't be found, I was obsessed to find it, looking in the same places dozens of times! Finally, I found it, merely out of sight under a piece of paper! Thus it is when any number of important things are out of sight, which usually means out of mind, too, unless it is something important like the remote, or a set of keys, or a billfold. Semi-panic can rage until the matter is solved. More>>
Raising Rabbitat: Often I fancy seeing a cottontail rabbit dashing along the river, but it's usually a jack rabbit breaking cover. Just as fox squirrels are missing from the Feather River landscape, so are cottontails, whereas in my Missouri boyhood haunts, they were the two most abundant native mammals. More>>
A Time of Trickery: Life involves competition among various species of living things in the quest for survival, and trickery is high on the list for use in gaining an advantage. More>>
What's in a Bird's Brain? Halfway between Oroville and Marysville, I saw a massive osprey nest on a power pole, with the bird sitting on top last spring. The osprey is dependent on swooping down on surface fish, yet that nest was apparently far away from water in the drought-ridden farmland. Feeding hungry babes takes considerable fishing and fish, and the river was some miles away. I see osprey circling and swooping for fish in the river at Oroville, although mostly on solitary forays, and you always wonder where their home base is during the nesting season. I suspect each pair has a fishing location under their claim. More>>
There Are Hoods in the Woods: Down by the riverside in December, I saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers swimming near the Feather River Nature Center. I paused to watch the handsome birds diving in the shallows and popping to the surface like corks as they forged for food. More>>
Going to the Light: Even though I have written about light before, to write about light is the right thing, especially during the lighted Christmas season. Aside from the profusion of holiday lights, I was reminded again about the attraction of light, when, after an eye examination when things are fuzzy, one rather heads for a lighted room instead of the dark exit, like a fly trapped in a house and drawn to the window light. More>>
Why Do People Watch Birds? In December, people are flocking to the marshes in Central California to see the Snow Geese. Whether the migrants are drifting in from a long journey in the sky, or rising in a thunderous cloud of wing-beats, bird watchers find them fascinating. More>>
The Art of Making Adjustments: Artists know about making adjustments as they proceed in rendering a subject. The source of light may change, causing a shift in the composition to be made, sometimes aided by accidental run-offs, or a better idea may develop, resulting in a new start. More>>
The Oddities of water: Lake Merritt in the middle of Oakland, CA, is quite familiar to me, since I worked there as a Refuge Naturalist for 32 years. One section of the 150-acre basin is devoted to the birds--the first Wildlife Refuge in the United States, declared in 1870 to give sanctuary-protection to migratory waterfowl. More>>
Ice in Paradise? News reports show that Paradise, California, opened their outdoor ice rink on November 16, 2015! Ice in Paradise? Winter-ice in Paradise is almost as rare as ice in Oroville, 15 miles to the south, where it rarely freezes beyond a short skim! But for $12 in Paradise, you can slide around on an outdoor artificial pond and make believe you are back east where ponds and streams are usually frozen all winter...without an electrical refrigerated ice skate rink! More>>
Wired Together: On a morning walk recently, a passing crow led me to look upward at the sky, and I was surprised at the multitude of power lines strung along the streets, particularly at Hammon Avenue and High Street in Oroville, CA. More>>
Ghosts of Old Trains: Halfway between Chico and Oroville, California, sitting out in the open fields like an old married couple weathering the storms of life, are two old boxcars, retired from the railroad. More>>
Clean Water for America? The Environment Protection Agency has sought to protect U.S. water resources by establishing the Clean Water Act. Such a rule would seem commendable in lieu of the importance of clean water for life on earth, but the effort has caused intense objections from some land owners and users mainly because managing watersheds often encroaches onto private property. More>>
Natural Wonders: The Truth About Aliens and Insects: Earlier in the summer our kitchen was invaded by a long column of small black Argentine ants. That episode finally subsided, but lately a half dozen large red ants patrol the counter-tops. They are rather placid and freeze when I approach as if they are tame. More>>
Giving a Hand: One time “Pop” E.J. Cain and I rode along with nephew Pete to unload a trailer of trash. Strong Pete was a one-man show, but his Grandpa picked up a flattened glove from the dust, and said,”Let me give you a hand!” That useless, out-stretched “hand” was something I remember. Especially the laughs. More>>
Signs of the Seasons: There is no difficulty in finding signs of the season. Signs of nature activity is going on all the time wherever you are. More >>
Odors in the Air: When I stepped out the door in the morning darkness, it wasn't smoke from the multitude of forest fires surrounding Oroville that I smelled--but rather odor from Mephitis mephitis the skunk! More >>
Lights of the World: As I fumbled for the little flashlight Ben gave me several years ago, and flashed it on the microwave panel to heat my morning coffee rather than turn on the blinding overhead, I thought of the small flashlight Uncle Cecil Kincade gave me for highschool graduation 63-years-ago. More >>
More Outdoor Hazards: As the heated summer of 2015 winds down, less of the outdoor hazards of that season will be as evident, although it pays to be alert to environmental dangers whenever in the field. More>>
Fake Rocks and False Grass: In my Oroville neighborhood, there is a yard display along my morning walking route, and I have always paused there to admire the strawberry madrone tree and rock arrangement. For years there had been wood chips, rocks, and some clever concrete mushrooms, but the owners put in a new design during the 2015 drought crisis, and one morning the mushrooms were missing. More>>
Where Has All the Good Air Gone? Even though the air quality around Oroville, CA was “moderate” most of the summer even though smokey fires raged around the state in 2015, moderate is not as good as “good.” Moderate is better than “unhealthy,” but even so, there is enough particulate matter in the sky to produce a haze on the far horizon and some scratch in your eye. More>>
Staring at the Sky: I didn't go outside to spend an hour staring at the sky during the August 11-12 Perseid's meteor dust shower. Staring up is hard on the neck anymore, and lying on my back makes for a creaky exercise. I am glad, though, to be able to see the sky with some clarity. More>>
Mysteries in Grand Canyon: The story of the “Egyptian Cave” alleged to be found in Grand Canyon during 1909 and reported in a Phoenix newspaper, has been revived by the TV program, “Mysteries in Our National Parks.” More>>
Don't Fence Me In: Sierra Club hikers thrive on adequate, unfenced trails where the free spirit can be unleashed, but throughout most of the country barriers indicating private ownership exist, unless you're in parks and public places. Thank you, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and many other park advocates who helped obtain open spaces for outdoor people. More>>
Perils in the Parks: While “perils in the parks” may have previously been thought of as charging grizzly bears and belligerent moose in Yellowstone National Park, or falling from a cliff [artist Stephan Lyman in Yosemite 1996], or slipping into a boiling hot spring in Lassen, many of the present-day perils involve problematic people. More>>
Natural Wonders: Living Off the Land: If you've ever watched “Bizarre Food” on the Travel Channel, with Andrew Zimmern touring the world and sampling exotic foods, you will know that food styles are different in other countries. “If it looks good, eat it” may not appeal to those adverse to eating snakes, scorpions, larvae, and lizards, but thus it is in protein-scarce Far East communities. More>>
The Race For Space: With the human colonization of most earthly living spaces, there have been conflicts between natural conditions and the activities of mankind. More>>
The Call of the Coyote: Of all the animals that could symbolize the wild west and covered wagon times-- beaver, bear, eagles, rattlesnakes-- surely the coyote and its kin the wolf deserves to place high on the King of the Wild Frontier title. More>>
Standing On Two Feet: The first question the doctor asked a senior who fell was, “Why did you fall?” In fact, doctors ask that question when any senior falls, checking out a cause that might indicate a physical condition. In this case, the lady was picking up litter and slipped on a slope injuring her wrist. More>>
You Can Hike a Lot Just By Walking: I will admit I took that title from Yogi. [You can observe a lot by just watching]. But propulsion is what it's all about whether you're pushing to reach a destination on the John Muir trail, or strolling along the river, or even rolling in a wheel chair! Sierra Club members know all about foot locomotion. More>>
The Safe Distance: Down by the riverside, a mockingbird came flying up the bank, hotly pursued by a kingbird, a blackbird, and led by a tiny hummingbird! There was no mystery as to the chase–the mockingbird had flown too close to territorial claims of nesting birds that realized the mocker is sometimes an egg-stealer. More>>