Natural History Journal

While it's always fun to come across any indication of a beaver's presence in the landscape , without a doubt seeing one of these amazing creatures in the wild is much more exciting!  Here in California's Central Valley, I've found those sightings to be rather rare - and therefore all the more special when they do occur.  While I regularly come across signs of beaver activity , such as felled trees, gnawed branches, dams, lodges and tracks, it's less frequent that I get to spend time watching these critters go about their daily business.  So, when I came across this beaver on a small reservoir in the foothills, I savored the experience.  Any moment with a beaver is an excellent opportunity to sit quietly beside the pond, watch and learn! American Beaver in a small reservoir in the foothills of the Sierra Beavers are best known for their sturdy dams, which they construct of logs, sticks and mud.  These dams are placed across streams and other areas of flowing wa...

Instantly recognizable by its prickly appearance and known for its [mistaken] reputation of throwing dangerous barbed quills toward would-be attackers, porcupines are perhaps simultaneously one of North America's most and least well-known mammals.   How well do you actually know this large rodent of the forest?  Read on to find out, and to learn the official term for baby porcupines (which is probably my favorite fun fact about this amazing creature)!  Members of the order Rodentia, North American Porcupines ( Erethizon dorsatum ) are North America's second-largest rodent, after the American Beaver.  Measuring between 2 and 3 feet in length and weighing 20 pounds or more, they are fairly sizable mammals!  As rodents, they are characterized by a set of strong, continually-growing incisors that must be worn down by daily gnawing on the plant material that makes up the entirety of their diet.  Like beavers, these front teeth are orange in color, thanks t...

Among all the wild critters likely to be encountered on any outdoor adventure in various habitats across North America, chipmunks and tree squirrels are surely among the most conspicuous.  These small, precocious, fluffy-tailed members of the rodent family are largely diurnal and often quite bold, making themselves at home in picnic areas, campgrounds and backyards everywhere that suitable habitat exists.  In most cases, their acrobatic antics and nut-collecting behavior are charming and delightful, and in my opinion these iconic creatures of the woodland are also unquestionably cute!   This fall, let's get to know a few of the most common species of tree squirrels and chipmunks likely to be encountered in North America.  (Not included in this list are the many species of ground squirrels and nocturnal flying squirrels in North America.) American Red Squirrel American Red Squirrels, distinguished by their white eye-rings and reddish fur, range across much of Ala...

Summer is upon us, and with any luck, that means vacation.  For those of us who love nature and the great outdoors, that usually means traveling to visit North America's beautiful National and State Parks.  And for the binocular-toting crowd in particular, an experience in the outdoors is not complete without a few memorable encounters with the wonderful wild animals that call these places home.  Visit any National Park in North America and a traffic jam is sure to mean one thing: Wildlife.  (Or, possibly, lack of parking spots.  But hopefully it's wildlife.)  A critter pauses along the roadside anywhere from Acadia to Joshua Tree, and all the break lights flash on. We can't help ourselves.  Wildlife enthralls us. I roll my eyes at tourists who stop their cars in Yosemite Valley to gawk at Mule Deer, a common, ho-hum species here in the West.  Yet when we visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park last year, I did the exact same thing when I sp...

Tucked away in the southeastern corner of California is an ecosystem like no other: the vast Mojave Desert. While it may not look like much to passing motorists, the arid Mojave Desert is brimming with wildlife.  Birds, mammals, reptiles, insects: It's all here, thriving against the odds in an undeniably harsh environment.  Cold winters bring snow flurries to high elevations as temperatures drop well below freezing, and summer highs can soar to more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit, baking the desert pavement.  The wind is fierce and rainfall is minimal all year, a scant three to nine inches annually.   Clearly, living conditions are tough. Yet despite the odds, here in these wide open spaces lives a very special suite of characters, all perfectly designed to make the most of life in this inhospitable place.   This is the wildlife of the Mojave Desert. Last week, we spent a couple of days exploring Mojave National Preserve, enjoying lovely desert scenery an...