Natural History Journal

Between two Central Valley rivers, the Tuolumne and the Stanislaus, lies a remnant of California's formerly great prairie, a green expanse of hills and hollows, vernal pools and rocky bluffs.  Eric and I recently spent a day exploring these two rivers and the prairie in between, stopping at a few of our favorite spots for wandering and birding along the way. Arching boughs of Valley Oak over the Tuolumne River Highway 132 loosely follows the river, heading east out of Modesto toward Waterford and La Grange.  Tucked away in the farming community of Waterford is a two mile-long pathway along a peaceful stretch of the Tuolumne River, a favorite destination among locals for walking, jogging, fishing and, of course, birding. If you follow the blog of another Central Valley birder,  Geotripper's California Birds  by Garry Hayes, you will be well acquainted with the avifauna of this area!  Over the last few years, a handful of local birders have recorded 136 s...

The rewards of maintaining a backyard bird feeding station are unending, compounded by the ever-present possibility of great surprises!  This winter, I have hosted the expected flock of White-crowned Sparrows, with a few Golden-crowned Sparrows thrown in for good measure, a handful of Dark-eyed Juncos, doe-eyed Mourning Doves, dozens of goldfinches and House Finches, and, much to my delight, a small flock of Pine Siskins!  In my town, which is not known for an abundance of natural habitat (frankly, there is none) or wildlife, this is exciting indeed!  A few days ago, I glanced out the window and was momentarily awe-struck by a new bird, a sparrow with a striking rusty red crown and distinct black eye stripe, feeding alongside my regular guests.   Quite the surprise: a dashingly handsome Chipping Sparrow at my feeder! Chipping Sparrows ( Spizella passerina ) are not common in the Central Valley during any season, and most sightings of this species o...

As you may already know, I adore California's deserts: high deserts redolent with sagebrush, low deserts of sunny cactus gardens and shaded palm oases, and mid-elevation deserts with Joshua Tree forests and pure stands of fragrant creosote bush. Vibrant colors after a spring rain at Mojave National Preserve California is home to three distinct desert ecosystems: the Great Basin, Mojave and Colorado deserts.  Beyond California's borders, the Colorado desert flows seamlessly into the Sonoran desert of Arizona; the fourth North American desert, the Chihuahuan desert, reaches the southeastern corner of Arizona and covers a portion of southern New Mexico and western Texas. Late winter and spring are the ideal times to visit California's deserts, and for the past several years, we've been fortunate enough to make annual pilgrimages to some of these special places.  This year, of course, travel is out of the question.  We will be staying home, admiring photos and vide...

In January, I wrote about the benefits of practicing birding skills from home by using eBird's handy quizzes ; in February, I shared how using alpha codes  while field birding has greatly improved my note-taking efficiency.  This month, as we eagerly await spring and warmer weather, I'd like to talk a little bit about optics. With the departure of our abundance of overwintering waterfowl goes some of our easiest birding.  We're no longer able to spend great lengths of time poring over a pond covered in reasonably sedentary, large-ish birds.  As spring migration and the nesting season kicks off, and leaves begin to unfurl, we find ourselves met with a puzzling assortment of mostly small, flighty songbirds, and birding reaches a new level. While winter is the ideal time to ease into birding as a beginner - anyone, even without binoculars, can enjoy large numbers of conspicuous Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese - spring requires moving up to the next level!  And y...

As I write this, Eurasian Collared-Doves call outside the window, Rock Pigeons flap overhead, and European Starlings lurk around a nest box I intended for screech-owls.  Not too far away, though thankfully not in my yard, noisy flocks of House Sparrows bully native birds, driving them out of potential nest sites.  And so the story goes across nearly every city and town in North America, a tale of competition and strife as ecosystems attempt to assimilate non-native birds introduced to these shores from distant lands. At the edge of town, Cattle Egrets roost together on top of houses situated along a grassy park. Some estimates put the number of non-native species of birds that have established self-sustaining populations in North America near one hundred.  These introduced species run the gamut from fairly benign species with localized populations, like the beautiful and beloved Rosy-faced Lovebirds of Phoenix, Arizona, to widespread, much-despised and downright de...

Despite the recent lack of rain, we are still entering into what is perhaps my favorite time of year to explore the grasslands and wetlands of California's Great Central Valley.  The weather is mild, and the end of winter is in sight.  Life rejoices!  Grasses are green, wildflowers are blooming, and new growth abounds in the tule beds.  And most importantly, bird activity is ramping up for the spring migration and breeding season. If you venture out into one of our precious preserved open spaces this spring ( use this tool  to locate a National Wildlife Refuge near you), you are likely to come across a bird, medium in size and brown or gray in color, flying low, coursing back and forth across wetlands and adjacent fields and grasslands.  This marsh hunter is one of our most beautiful and unique diurnal raptors, the Northern Harrier ( Circus hudsoniu s). A female Northern Harrier, perched in the tules at Merced NWR  Northern Harriers are amon...