Natural History Journal

This past summer, Eric and I spent the month of June traveling in England and Scotland.  And while the primary focus of the trip wasn't necessarily birds, I did manage to fit quite a bit of birding into the trip, seeing a grand total of 111 species, 71 of which were lifers!  European Robin While England and Scotland boast a wealth of beautiful natural habitats to explore, all of which are simply brimming with wonderful wildlife, its towns and cities are probably the best places to start when birding in the UK for the first time.  Here, lush landscapes dotted with expansive parks and idyllic gardens are home to a long list of European bird species that are exciting for any visiting American birder!  And so it was that my first European Robin hopped down right in front of me on a picnic bench in Bath, my lifer Eurasian Blue Tit appeared on a branch in London's Hyde Park, and the one and only Eurasian Jay I saw on the whole trip peeped down at me from a tree in Kensingt...

One of my favorite groups of birds, and certainly one of the most entertaining to watch, is the woodpecker family.  The Picidae family is represented in North America by twenty-two extant species, and as of last year, I have managed to see them all!  (Although, I have not successfully photographed them all yet!) Acorn Woodpeckers on a granary tree, Pinnacles National Park Sixteen of these twenty-two species are found in California, though some are fairly rare or have a limited range within the state.  Really, twelve species can be expected with a reasonable degree of confidence in the right habitat within California.   ( *California's twelve most common species of woodpeckers are marked with an asterisk below .) *Lewis's Woodpecker (California and the western U.S.) One of our most unique-looking woodpeckers, the rosy pink and dark, oily green Lewis's Woodpecker is regularly spotted in California's blue oak woodlands around the edges of the Central Valley....

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...