Natural History Journal

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...

Last summer, Eric and I spent a couple of weeks exploring the Rocky Mountains, from Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, north into Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.  While we dealt with quite a bit of rain and cold weather during our mid-June visit, the birds were abundant and beautiful!   Be sure to check out these posts about Colorado's Pawnee National Grassland and Montana's prairies as well! Below are a few of my favorite bird photos from the trip. Mountain Bluebird, male, looking his best in the morning sunlight. (West Thumb, Yellowstone NP) The same Mountain Bluebird, fending off a Tree Swallow who was competing with him for a nest cavity! The offending Tree Swallow, looking rather sure of himself, don't you think? Lincoln's Sparrow, singing away.  One of my favorite sparrows!  (Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountain NP)  American Robin, carrying food to its young.  Check out the prettily-patterned undertail coverts on this bird! (Cub Lake...

Okay, so technically it's not quite summer yet.  But that detail aside, the weather was beautifully warm, the meadows were green, the waterfalls were roaring, and the birds were singing their hearts out on a recent trip to Yosemite National Park.   Following John Muir's historic route from the Central Valley up through Coulterville and Greeley Hill, and finally into Yosemite, we made our way up into the cool green cathedral that is the Sierra Nevada.  For the nth time, I thanked God for his glorious creation, and for situating me so near to these mountains, that I might marvel at his divine power on display at such a massive scale on a regular basis.  And, not least of all, I thanked God for giving us time to get out and enjoy it! During four days of hiking and birding, and three nights of camping, we encountered abundant breath-taking mountain scenery at every turn, and a total of 60 species of birds.  Here are just a few of my favorite photos from the tri...

Next stop on our summer roadtrip through the Pacific Northwest: Mount Rainier National Park! Catch up on our summer travels here: Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part II:  Birding the Pacific Northwest Coast Part III:  Inland Valley and Lowland Forests Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park Way back in June, we spent a couple of nights camping in Mount Rainier National Park.  The perks of visiting the park early in the season were very light crowds, quiet trails, and the opportunity to catch birds early in their breeding season.  The pitfalls of visiting at this time, however, were significant: deep snow made hiking the iconic high-elevation trails around the mountain impossible, the wildflowers were not yet blooming, and... it rained.  A lot.   But we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, as we hiked in the atmosphe...

For even more staggering mountain beauty, we made our way northeast from Olympic National Park , to North Cascades National Park, via idyllic Whidbey Island and the Skagit River Valley.   Catch up on our entire trip here! Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part II:  Birding the Pacific Northwest Coast Part III:  Inland Valley and Lowland Forests Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park Way back in June, we spent 3 nights camping (and birding) in the North Cascades: here is just a small peek at what we found along the way! The most common birds we encountered were American Robins, Western Tanagers, Pacific Wrens, Hammond's Flycatchers, White-crowned Sparrows, Hairy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Violet-green Swallows, and Swainson's, Varied and Hermit Thrushes.   Probably the best bird photo from the entire trip: an or...