This departure from the regular column is in response to the recent record-setting cold the National Weather Service described as “life threatening.” Our resident expert,…
Animals in Extreme Cold
Tree Cavities
You have a cavity.” For many of us, delivery of this statement evokes feelings of disappointment and maybe even gloom. Our dental hygiene regimen–all that…
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Every family has one. You know what I’m talking about – that one relative who is gifted beyond belief with agility and coordination. In our…
Hop to It! Become a Frog Monitor
I guess you could say I have a history with frogs. For as far back as I can remember, I’ve chased after these guys, stalking…
Northern Shrike
Citizens of Kane, beware: The butcher birds are back! That’s right folks-Lanius excubitor has returned to our fair land. But instead of running for cover,…
Circle of Life – Mystery Skull
The day began pretty much like any other. We opened the building, we began some ecological restoration tasks, we found a skull. It sounds a…
Nature’s Leftovers
If you’ve ever hosted a holiday feast, you know that leftovers are part of the deal. Some go gracefully, packed up in containers and sent…
The Joys of a Heated Birdbath
It seemed like such a good idea at the time. For years I’ve touted the benefits of winter water sources for wildlife. And while we’ve…
Fox vs. Coyote
The snow swirled down in big, heavy flakes-like the kind you see in a snow globe, only real. As I walked through the Hickory Knolls…
Hairy Woodpeckers
Although the word “hairy” isn’t itself inherently bad, it’s often used to describe something that is less than ideal. A hairy situation typically is one…