Ok, so maybe 100 million years ago, the Sahara Desert was a little more wet than it is now, and so we shouldn’t be too surprised to see that there were giant crocodiles that lived there when it was known as Gondwana. Nowadays we get excited when we see a crocodile that is over 20 […]
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Tiny Bird With a Big Story
Hummingbirds have many challenges – they are tiny and yet need to be some of the toughest birds out there. They live in conditions where eeking out a living can be a challenge – especially when you have to feed at frequent intervals just to keep going. In the cloud forests of Peru, there is […]
When Once Just Isn’t Enough
Songbirds who migrate at night have long been thought to migrate north to breed then south again to molt and overwinter. That makes sense, right? But, the times they are a changing. Now researchers from the University of Washington have discovered that there are some birds who make a stop in Mexico on the way […]
OK in the UK
According to a recent survey from the RSPB published on the BBC website, some of the more rare species of birds in the UK are seeing increases in their populations while some of the more common birds are seeing declines. The increased numbers of rarer species (including the Osprey and Avocet that are seen in […]
Angel in New Jersey
You may not be happy about your neighbor feeding cats that roam through your yard and attack the resident bird population. Often this starts out as just someone feeling sorry for a kitten they see that needs a meal. The next thing you know, there is a colony of a dozen or more cats hanging […]
Best Friends
One of the few things remaining that some people are convinced make humans different than other animals is the ability to have preferences or feelings. But, this is becoming more and more difficult to defend as there are numerous first-hand stories that refute this claim. This video from CBS News about an elephant in an […]
Sounds of Nature
Nature configures itself in interesting ways that have meaning and speak to us where we are. So it was for Jarbas Agnelli, a Brazilian musician, who saw music in the pattern of birds on wires. Letting the visual pattern the birds made on the wires be the notes, the outcome of this one photo frame […]
Backyard Migration
The storms this week that brought rain and cooler weather also brought a lot of migratory birds into our city garden. Today was a busy day in the early afternoon for about an hour when one bird after another came to grab some food and a drink from our fountain. At one point the fountain […]
The Anxious Garden
There’s a lot of stress in my garden. This is not a good sign for a garden, but it’s the birds who are causing it. It took me awhile to figure out what was happening, but after listening to a day’s worth of anxious chirping by a female cardinal, I looked to see if there […]
What Happened to the Caribou?
To most people, Caribou may not be the sexiest of animals, and in fact, there are probably not many people who think much about Caribou at all. But since they live in fairly undisturbed areas, it came as a bit of a surprise to hear that their numbers have declined 60% in 30 years. The […]
More Hope for New Species – New Songbird Species Found in Laos
As the old axiom goes “You learn something new every day.” Well, in parts of Asia, there may be the new axiom, “You discover something new every day.” Just a few days ago, researchers Woxvold and Duckworth discovered this unusual new songbird – the Bare-faced Bulbul – in a specific area of Laos. What’s particularly […]
Walking the Dog
Are you one of those sensitive conservation-minded individuals who goes crazy when they see dogs off lead running through the woods? Feel self-righteous about keeping your dog on her lead and think you are a good conservationist for it? Well, think again. Just when you thought it was safe to walk your dog on a […]
Just Getting Going at 90
It is true that some species have a different life time frame than humans. Most are much shorter – some, like macaws and elephants – pretty much mirror ours at around 80 years. But many tortoise and turtles along with horseshoe crabs and a variety of other animals make us look like mortal pikers. George, […]
That Horse-drawn Carriage Ride in the Park — Isn’t it Romantic?
Well, in a word…No. It really isn’t. I live in New York City and regularly see tourists loading into carriages along Central Park for a ride, horses trotting through theater traffic on Broadway’s Times Square. Most tourists never think about these horses working long hours in extreme temperatures, often having collisions with faster, motorized vehicles; […]
A Grrrreat way to Remember Michael Jackson
Many years ago I made a film at the the Shambala Preserve run by actress Tippi Hedren. This is a great place that takes in unwanted big cats – really big ones – like lions, tigers and leopards. She and the terrific staff provide an exceptional environment in which big cats – many of whom […]
Raptors on the Roof
I was having breakfast on our roofdeck this morning with my husband and we were enjoying a gorgeous summer day. Directly across from us on the next building there was a lot of commotion. A mockingbird was doing aerobatics flying at another bird on the roof. We got our binoculars to see what it was […]
Peregrine Falcon Fledges in Boise
The first baby Peregrine falcon in the nest closely watched by the nestcam sponsored by The Peregrine Fund has fledged! Watch lift off and the rocky moments of his first flight here: Baby Peregrine Fledges Wildtones supports The Peregrine Fund
He Otter Make Some Music
I logged into my Facebook account tonight to discover that there was a post from my friend, Shirley McGreal who runs the International Primate Protection League in South Carolina. During the days when Shirley lived in Thailand (which is where she started helping primates over 30 years ago), she developed a love for Asian short-clawed […]
Life With Exotic Birds
If there ever was a moment to pause before making a decision about which path to take when it comes to the animals in your home, getting a bird is one of those moments. They are so beautiful and it seems so simple – just put them in a cage and feed each day, right? […]
Time out in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula Rainforest
No matter what the season is, there is something special about the southwest peninsula of Costa Rica near Corcovado National Park. It’s a wonderful forested area by the water that has a rich diversity of bird and animal life. Lapa Rios (meaning River of Macaws), founded by American Karen Lewis before the term “green” […]