Natural History Journal

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....

On the dry, desolate, rocky slopes of remote desert regions across the western U.S. there lives a bird known to some as... the "devil bird."   To others, it is more properly known as the Chukar.  And aren't they cheeky little critters! If a Chukar could give cheek...  The Chukar's name derives from its unique call, a sort of clucking sound that suggests its near kinship to other game birds, including grouse, partridge, pheasant, turkey, and - you guessed it - Red Junglefowl, the original wild ancestor of the domestic chicken.   Peeky cheeky Chukar (the children's book that you didn't know needed to be written) While Chukars tend to be quite vocal, they can be difficult to find in the vastness of their arid, sandy habitats.  Their soft gray and tan coloration blends in beautifully with the surrounding desert, and these birds are surprisingly agile on their feet, quickly scrambling up rocky hillsides to evade predators - including those of the two-legged...

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...

In a state known for its incredible biodiversity , one county stands above the rest in terms of sheer number of species: San Diego County.  Tucked in the southwestern corner of California and bordered by two extremes - the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Colorado Desert to the east - San Diego county encompasses a wide range of habitats.  And within those diverse habitats live more species of wildlife than any other single county in the country.   On an early spring visit to San Diego county, we tallied up nearly 150 species of birds over the course of a couple of days as we made our way from quintessentially Californian chaparral-covered hills and sandy beaches, to arid desert scrubland and even out onto the open ocean. Yellow-crowned Night Heron As we wandered through salt marsh habitat at the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, we were surprised by the abundance and prominence of Yellow-crowned Night Herons at this location.  These close relatives of o...