Halloween Treat
When I was a kid on Halloween, my main concern was harvesting as much candy as I could. My brother and I canvassed our neighborhood as far as time permitted to fill our bags to the brim. Then we’d head home and begin to gorge….
Mapping Invasive Grasses
How difficult could it be? Eric, the biologist at the National Elk Refuge, asked if we would map invasive spotted knapweed grass in a remote area on the north end of the Refuge. Last year we mapped cheatgrass on Miller Butte on the south end…
More on Mylars
People who fear snakes (or spiders, or dogs, or clowns, or needles, or whatever) might add Mylar balloons to their anxieties. In the past, we have written a couple articles about the effects of Mylar balloons on wildlife and their habitats. Not only do these…
Unusual Encounters
Recently, we encountered some wildlife interactions we’d never before observed, although they likely happen daily. Raven on Redtail We’ve often witnessed blackbirds diving at and attacking ravens and hawks in flight to remove them from their territories or nest. In these instances, the larger birds…
Lovable Badgers?
I’ve always thought of badgers as crabby, ill-tempered little creatures willing to consume anything in sight, including snakes. They are pugnacious little beasts, I assumed after observing a few of them in the wild. They have their place in nature, of course, but are devoid…
Invasive Species
“A bunny just hopped by outside my window,” I told my friend during our periodic phone conversation. Since I was in Phoenix and she was in Miami, phone conversations had to suffice until we could visit in person. “Lucky you,” she said. “The pythons have…
R.I.P. Spike
“He’s never been on the ground before, has he?” I asked Chuck as he lay our 26-year-old California Kingsnake, Spike, on the floor of our patio. “No, he hasn’t,” said Chuck. “I thought he might like a little vitamin D.” For an animal that might…