Natural History Journal

I am continually overawed by the beauty of California's grasslands.   Golden through the heat of summer and autumn, winter rains bring transformation to the hills, cloaking them in verdant splendor to rival any other landscape for beauty.  Though fleeting, the glories of spring on wildflower-spangled grasslands are a delight to behold. Just have a look for yourself! Grasslands in eastern Stanislaus county at sunrise. Sunrise is without question my favorite time on the grasslands.  Check out this article to experience an autumn sunrise at this same location! More than just aesthetically pleasing, California's grasslands provide critical habitat for a number of species that are in decline as their habitat shrinks, like Horned Larks and Grasshopper Sparrows . Learn more about the value of California's grasslands , along with how and why to protect them, in this article. Tiny treasures in the grass, wildflowers are undoubtedly the stars of the spring grasslands. ...

Happy Christmas, fellow naturalists and lovers of all things wild and beautiful!   This Christmas season, may you enjoy and savor the dazzling natural beauty that abounds just outside our doors, even through the depths of winter: frosty mornings, sparkling snow on evergreens, winter birds at the feeders, late sunrises and early sunsets. May you connect deeply with loved ones, creation, and most importantly its Creator, who came to be Immanuel, God with us, Jesus Christ, our Light who shines even in the darkest days of the year! Northern Mockingbird with Toyon (otherwise known as California Christmas berry!) And, as a special gift from me to you, please enjoy this little bit of Christmas corniness and cheer:  A California Birder's 12 Days of Christmas "On the first day of Christmas, my birder gave to me, A Pine Siskin eating thistle seeds. "On the second day of Christmas, my birder gave to me, Two Mourning Doves, And a Pine Siskin eating thistle seeds. "On the third d...

Another winter storm, another head cold, and another week's packed schedule means... more time spent window birding!  It's been a weird winter for me bird-wise, with rain and subsequent floods preventing access to a couple of my favorite local birding spots, and a bevy of other obligations to keep me from venturing afield very often.  But, the birds in the yard have been particularly good this winter, as Oak Titmice , Lincoln's Sparrows , Bushtits and Purple Finches have been more common and numerous than in past years.   In other parts of the country, particularly the Northeast, the Winter Finch Forecast  is a big deal for birders, who eagerly await annual predictions regarding a handful of nomadic species whose movements depend on the success of cone and berry crops.  (Will this year be a good year for redpolls?  What about crossbills?  Or Pine Grosbeaks?  Check the Winter Finch Forecast to find out!) Here in Central California, we can onl...

When less-than-favorable weather conditions and the general routine tasks of daily life prevent me from getting out into the field as often as I would like, the birds that hang around our garden are an absolute delight: a literal God-send, in my opinion!  To be able to glance out the window and see the beautiful abundance of life on display in an array of winged creatures is a wonderful blessing.   In addition to the Oak Titmice that have been hanging around outside the windows lately, here are a few more of my feathered friends, whose presence never fails to cheer and entertain. Anna's Hummingbird Several Anna's Hummingbirds can be counted on to liven up the garden with their feisty presence year-round.  They visit hummingbird feeders, strategically placed outside the windows, as well as swaths of flowering plants offering enticing nectar-rich blooms these little gems can't resist!  Here, this male Anna's Hummingbird perches on a cluster of dogwood buds... his...

While renowned for its birds and wildlife, Point Reyes National Seashore is also a treasure trove of botanical wonders, a real playground for California botanists - and spring is the best time to visit, by far, for a wide variety of blooming wildflowers.  Eric and I recently spent an extremely windy day birding botanizing at Point Reyes and, between wiping the wind-induced tears out of my eyes and making sure I didn't blow away, I managed to snap a few photos of some of my favorite wildflowers. If you venture out in search of the best blooms, I recommend the Chimney Rock and Elephant Seal Overlook trails, the trail to Abbott's Lagoon, and, of course, the jaunt out to the iconic Point Reyes Lighthouse. Yellow bush lupine, intertwined with wild cucumber and fiddleneck (along the aforementioned jaunt out to the lighthouse). And without further ado, I give to you: a selection of the wildflowers of Point Reyes! Yellow bush lupine ( Lupinus arboreus ) Pussy ears ( Calochortus tolm...

Picture this:  In a garden of native plants, along the edge of a streamside grove of oaks and cottonwoods, tanagers and grosbeaks fly from branch to branch, flashes of brilliant color against a tapestry of muted greens and browns.  Woodpeckers and nuthatches hitch up the trunks of oaks, gleaning insects from crevices, while doves, quail and juncos pick up seeds from the ground.  A jay calls raucously, and another answers.  Finches and titmice visit swaying seed feeders, and flycatchers perch on conspicuous branches, sallying out to nab passing insects.  A hawk rides the thermals above, while a screech-owl peers sleepily from a cavity in an old cottonwood.  A dazzling array of bejeweled hummingbirds buzz from flowers to nectar feeders to flowers and back again.    From the trees along the creek echoes the peculiarly unique bark-like call of an Elegant Trogon. This, of course, is not my backyard! This, however, is my backyard!  (American Gold...

In California's Great Central Valley, wildfires are not generally an imminent threat, surrounded as we are by acres and acres of irrigated farmland.  But that is not the case over much of California's grasslands, woodlands, forests, and chaparral ecosystems, all of which have evolved and adapted over the millennia to thrive with regular renewal by fire. Fire is an essential part of what makes California so very uniquely California . I, however, dislike wildfires.  My gut reaction in the face of what we perceive as "devastating" wildfires is one of grief: grief over the loss of life and the good green things of this world.  Much as I prefer to skip Tolkien's penultimate chapter in  The Return of the King , titled "The Scouring of the Shire," I would rather not dwell too much on wildfires and their ravaging forces.  (Aside: I totally get why Peter Jackson left out the scouring of the Shire when he made his trilogy of films!  But we can talk about that ...

California is exemplified by many different landscapes: its sunny beaches, rolling vineyards, granite mountain cathedrals, and vibrant cities, to name a few.  But it is also home to a wide array of forests, which contain a few of the world's most amazing types of plants.  To me, it wouldn't be California without the trees! While California's Coast Redwoods  ( Sequoia sempervirens ) have earned the title of the world's tallest trees, and Giant Sequoias ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) of the Sierra Nevada are the world's most massive, hands down the winner for the world's oldest trees - and indeed the world's oldest living single organism - goes to the White Mountains' ancient Great Basin Bristlecone Pines ( Pinus longaeva ). While bristlecone pines are found across the Great Basin in parts of Nevada and Utah, the oldest specimens, many of which exceed 3,000 years, grow in the harsh conditions of eastern California's White Mountains.  The Methusel...