21SOWT

The Circus Is In Town

The Circus Is In Town

I am witness to some especially exciting hawk activity in the backyard this morning, along with a circus of dark-eyed juncos, mockingbirds, Black Phoebes, California Towhee’s, house finches, and squirrels. The hawk startles an adult squirrel, who has been camping out on the squirrel-proof feeder, sphinxlike, for nearly half an hour, into a sudden and urgent leap to safety in the neighbor’s magnolia grandiflora. The feeder swings madly back and forth from the shock.

The Los Angeles Cardinal

The Los Angeles Cardinal

From the time I was a teenager, the Northern cardinal has held a special place in my heart. When my family was forced to move from Los Angeles to the mid-west when I was 15, I was heartbroken to leave my home. However, the first time I saw a bright red male Cardinal on a black iron fence against the stark white snow, I felt a sense of hope, renewal and peace. I cannot explain why. It was just a natural, emotional and spiritual response to this unique and beautiful bird in such a desolate, barren setting.

Birds of the Season — August 2021

Birds of the Season — August 2021

While heat baked the Los Angeles County deserts, summer on the coastal slope was more mild than intense. Fire season- at least in Los Angeles County- has been subdued this summer. Experience tells us that neither of those conditions are likely to persist, but good fortune may smile upon us.

Grand Appreciation for all Things Natural

Grand Appreciation for all Things Natural

I’ve always loved flowers, possibly because of my name….but also because of the many hours as a child that I spent exploring my grandmother’s lush and varied gardens---expanses that covered both her entire front and back yards.

What If We Had a Field Trip & Nobody Could Attend?

What If We Had a Field Trip & Nobody Could Attend?

As we know all too well, the pandemic events of the last year and a half have caused myriad activities to be curtailed or cancelled altogether. Our formerly robust field trip programs actually saw mass cancellations even before the schools closed in March, 2020.

Island Hopping: Birding the U.S. Virgin Islands, Part 1: St. Croix

Island Hopping: Birding the U.S. Virgin Islands, Part 1: St. Croix

T he U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and dozens of minor islands – serve as a fuel and rest stop for hundreds of thousands of birds traveling north and south over the Caribbean Sea during spring and winter migration. In all, more than 140 species of birds have been recorded in the coastal wetlands, mangrove forests and salt ponds, dry and moist forests, and along the rocky cliffs and coves, making the USVI worthy of a birding adventure. I headed there recently to learn about the challenges facing birds on these remote islands and to discover exciting new birds for my life list.