tales from the wild metropolis
I've never been much for following trends and this week was no exception. I'm writing from an altitude of 10,000+ feet and, as I fly west-to-east across North America on my way home from a conference in Fort Collins, Colorado, millions of birds are winging from south-to-north along time-honored sky routes. Spending time west of... Continue Reading →
Whenever I see a Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) at this time of year I'm reminded of my days as Executive Director of the Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, back in the late 1990s. For a few weeks every winter, the waxwings would appear by the cardboard box-full and the clinic would turn into… well, a different... Continue Reading →
How can one small voice cut through the cacophony of modern metropolitan life? A recently published study, combined with some earlier work, suggests that contrary to what you might assume, the secret to city communication isn’t shouting. Urban background noise is heavily weighted toward the lower sound frequencies of 20 to 200 Hz—think diesel engines... Continue Reading →
World War II had barely ended when researchers began to notice a major migration under way in North America, from undeveloped and agricultural areas to cities and suburbs. Now, in the early 21st Century, the urban population is over 20 times that of the early-1940s—in some places, more than 50% higher than the surrounding rural... Continue Reading →
Boy meets girl. It’s such a familiar story I probably don’t need to spell out the rest. Ah, but folks like stories to have a beginning, a middle, and an ending, don’t we? Ok, ok… so a male and a female find one another. They “meet-cute” (the classic contrivance of romantic comedies), or through the... Continue Reading →
Sometimes you just need a change of scenery. Most years, snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus*) are homebodies, satisfied to stay put in the sweeping, flat, treeless tundra, even as calendar pages flip past the holidays and into a new tax season. Most of their snowbird neighbors take off each winter to visit second homes in warmer... Continue Reading →
Which season comes to mind when you read these words? parched desiccated shriveled arid sere If you’re a wild thing, the answer may well be winter. Sure, the heat of summer can make any body feel dry as dust. But wild animals, especially those species who can tolerate living near people, usually have an easier... Continue Reading →
Hard landings. Anyone who’s a frequent flyer has experienced a few. Always disconcerting, occasionally dangerous. My most memorable touchdown was a trip from College Station, Texas, into Albuquerque on an Embraer ERJ-XXX. I forget which number, but it was one of those 3-seats-across models. One by one, passengers ducked through the doorway and tried to... Continue Reading →
Next-Door Nature 