wildlife Archives

Fillmore Glen State Park in upstate NY

September 10, 2026September 2, 2026Posted in blogging, environment, history, Travel, wildlife, writingTagged environment, history, Nature, travel, wildlife3 Comments

Fillmore Glen became a state park thanks to the efforts of Charles Atwood. He recognized the beauty and importance of maintaining a place like this for years to come. His efforts began in 1919; finally in June 1925 the 941 acres was recognized as a state park. It is named Fillmore Glen State Park in honor of US President Fillmore.

I appreciate his interest in protecting this land!

Visitors can hike the north, south or gorge trail and easily make a 3 mile loop as we did. On the south rim trail we observed many mushrooms … so different from my home desert environment… and completed our loop on the gorge trail.

Wow! Gorge trail is spectacular with waterfalls. Plenty of water was running and falling! We walked in a narrow, steep-walled gorge under trees and protected from the summer heat. It was wonderful and not muddy or buggy.

People can hike, camp, swim in the designated area and fish at the Owasco Lake inlet. Nature Conservancy is also involved in protecting this watershed.

If you are near Moravia, New York, this is definitely a park to visit!

Next blog post I photographed different types of fungi!!! Will share.

Finger Lakes Land Trust in NYS

August 30, 2026August 10, 2026Posted in Birds, blogging, environment, wildflowers, wildlife, writingTagged birds, environment, hiking, Nature, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

New York State has a new trail thanks to the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Near Lansing New York is a 224 acre protected conservation area named Sims-Jennings Preserve at Cayuga Cliffs. The out and back 3.4 mile trail can be located on AllTrails app.

Ample parking is available at start, then a leisurely meadow walk and pollinator garden. Great hike for anyone wanting shade. Since it rained recently, we saw numerous examples of fungi. Plenty of black raspberries ready to pick! Further along there are vista points; cliffs over-looking Cayuga Lake; bench available to sit and relax. Four thousand feet of shoreline so better views could be from a boat if you happen to be on the lake!

A trail worth checking out if you are in the area! Bird-wise it was quiet, so I distracted myself looking at mushrooms. Next blog post I’ll share some photos of fungi!

“BirdBuddy” is Cool!

August 23, 2026August 7, 2026Posted in Birds, blogging, environment, Travel, wildlife, writingTagged birding, birds, environment, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

While visiting a friend who loves birds too, I noticed a bird feeder in the backyard. This one though is quite different from others I’ve seen. These bird feeders are solar-powered and with a camera. The camera captures a video of the bird(s) while they feed at the feeder. Cool!

Ruby-throated hummingbird was seen head-on as it slurped the sugary mixture. Wow, few times do we see them from that angle! That feeder is designed especially for hummers. Another feeder had seeds where sparrows and other birds frequented.

If interested in seeing more about these smart bird feeders, check out: https://www.mybirdbuddy.com (I have no affiliation with this company. Do your research to find best deal if you go the purchasing route.) It was fun seeing birds at the feeders and watching the videos on my friend’s phone app. One gets to see a bird close-up and in action! Cool!

White-winged Dove With A Dilemma

August 6, 2026July 19, 2026Posted in Animals, Birds, blogging, environment, wildlife, writingTagged Arizona, birds, food, wildlifeLeave a comment

White-winged doves fly around our homes this time of year. Often they’ll sit on a railing and watch other birds visiting our bird feeder.

And with a closer look … is this do-able?

Recently I saw a dove attempt to latch onto the feeder I set out to attract woodpeckers and small birds. It was a puzzle for the dove as it sat on the feeder. Then looked below from the cap of the feeder to the food cylinder in the feeder. Finally the bird made some flying starts at the feeder to catch on …

… all unsuccessful attempts. This feeder is not designed for this large a bird. I have seen black-headed grosbeaks, pyrrhuloxia and woodpeckers, but white-winged doves don’t have a chance! No worries though as I know the doves are getting enough food from the wild and looking healthy!

Splooting … Who Does It?

August 2, 2026July 16, 2026Posted in Animals, blogging, environment, wildlifeTagged cats, dogs, environment, squirrels, wildlifeLeave a comment

Splooting is a behavior sometimes exhibited by furry, 4-legged animals. They’ll spread out on their stomach with legs and feet extended to stretch and/or cool their body. So on a warm day the animal does this behavior to regulate its body temperature. You may have observed it with your own cat or dog. I observed a Harris’ antelope squirrel splooting on our back patio.

The squirrel was cute to watch! I also realized the squirrel’s fur was thinner on its stomach so body heat could be released onto the cool patio floor. The squirrel took its time to stretch and rest, obviously a safe place for it to hang out. But usually an animal will not sploot for long since that body position makes them more vulnerable to predators. Fortunately this Harris’ antelope squirrel soon took off and was on his way to probably one of the holes dug in our backyard.

Meet Friends at Black Canyon in CO

July 19, 2026July 5, 2026Posted in Animals, blogging, environment, history, Travel, wildlife, writingTagged environment, NAtional PArk, Nature, travel, wildlife3 Comments

Black Canyon at Gunnison National Park is a place I never visited. So when east coast friends mentioned visiting this Colorado national park, I thought well why not meet them there! Wow, that was a good decision!

We drove the south rim road at this national park after a stop at the visitor center which survived a 2025 wildfire here. From the rim’s vista points, it is easy to understand why this park is called the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Looking down the sheer, black canyon walls at nearly 2 billion year old rock, you will eventually see a river 1800 feet below! The walls are massive and it is amazing to realize the river had cut through the uplift’s core of rock a couple of million years ago.

While still on the south rim road, we saw three big horn sheep walk from the rim, across the road to another location.

We also drove the east portal road. There we read signage about the Gunnison Tunnel and diversion dam built between 1905 and 1909. Want to know about a major engineering project, I encourage you to read its history! We walked the road paralleling the Gunnison River which dead ends at Crystal Dam. Looking up on the massive rock walls was truly a different perspective!

Also notice the hazy sky from wildfire smoke coming from Utah, many miles away.

Plenty of birds were happy in this area.

Protect Native Wildlife

July 16, 2026July 5, 2026Posted in Animals, blogging, environment, wildlifeTagged Arizona, environment, Nature, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

When we visit a park our expectation is to see native plants and animals there. Yet sometimes a non-native seed flies in, successfully grows to a point where park officials notice and yank those plants out by their roots! Non-native animals are more difficult to control. The animal may walk through one day or another and not be noticed. It may take having larger numbers at the park to ever be noticed. But then where should traps be set for these non-native animals to be relocated outside of the park? Or if it is breeding season, can park officials capture them all and truly relocate all the non-native animals? It would be a huge challenge and this is why we need to be sure to do our part in not creating a problem.

Have you noticed this park sign at a park near you? Or maybe a different sign with other wildlife listed.

A non-native plant or animal is invasive capable of causing issues for native species. The native species could be out-competed, presented with diseases and/or preyed upon. Therefore, we must do our part and not bring other wildlife into a park. An ecological balance exists within the park needing no disruption from an outside influence, thus the park’s signage. It is an important message.

Please understand the importance of a park’s message with their sign. There are agencies to help you relocate any wildlife you may not want near your home. Do not dump them at your local park; help the native wildlife at the park!

AZ’s Picture Canyon & Memories

July 12, 2026July 5, 2026Posted in blogging, environment, history, wildlife, writingTagged Arizona, environment, history, Nature, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve in Flagstaff is a favorite hiking place. It is an urban park where the Northern Sinagua people had settled centuries ago and we still see hundreds of their rock carvings throughout the park.

While hiking the Tom Moody Trail, we passed a waterfall, rock carvings and a connector path to the Arizona Trail. On a recent hike, I noticed a plaque on a rock. I learned of the death of a guy I knew from bicycling in this area of Arizona: Jack Welch.

For me, Jack was the organizer for local mountain bike rides. We loved those rides! He knew the trails and the geology. I remember another time stopping at lava tubes in the area. Now I discover while reading the plaque, he was an advocate protecting this natural area and the 1,000 year old petroglyphs.

I am thankful for individuals who love nature and help to protect it. This preserve’s wildlife benefits as we do too. Here we can hike, cycle, bird watch, see history, enjoy this protected natural area and remember a fellow cyclist.

Hike when you are in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Love Bird Behavior…Don’t Mess With My Food!

July 5, 2026July 4, 2026Posted in Animals, Birds, blogging, environment, wildlifeTagged birding, birds, blogging, environment, Nature, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

When I was a 7th grade science teacher, an activity for my students was to create a beak for a bird to dig, grab and eat the bird’s food. Dependent on the student’s research of what food the bird eats would determine the shape of the bird’s beak. Then their challenge of creating the beak and only allowed to use two of their fingers to move their created beak. Really interesting creations were made and some truly worked in picking up “food”.

Often I think of this science activity as I observe birds working to find food in the natural environment. Every so often I also see other birds try to “steal” another bird’s food. While walking along the “north trail” at Imperial Beach, CA, I did see one gull try to get another gull’s food. I suspect this happens often, yet here was my opportunity to observe the action.

Here is a western gull with food in its beak and then another gull moving closer to the gull with food.

Gull moved a bit too close to the Western gull.

I watched this activity between the birds for a couple of minutes and the gull with the food was having none of this annoyance from the other gull! Do not mess with my food!

For the Birds in the Balkans

May 28, 2026May 8, 2026Posted in Artwork, Birds, blogging, environment, Travel, wildlife, writingTagged birding, birds, environment, Nature, travel, wildlife2 Comments

Before my trip, I used colored markers and tried to be aware of some birds I may hear and/or see on my trip. Above is one possible bird.

My travel through the Balkan countries: Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia was not a “birding trip”. However, I cannot help but notice when birds are or are not around. Then if I have some time I like to read about the bird and sketch it. I only used pencil to keep my backpack light in weight on this trip.

Of course, if it is a new bird for my life list, that is very exciting. But what I also noticed, is if I think I know the bird and work to identify it, the bird may be a totally different name and a new bird for me, such as the shag you’ll see in a sketch below. Surprisingly I knew house sparrows are all over the world. In Albania though, it got listed as a new bird in my life list. Had I never listed that bird before? Wow, I guess not!

Eight new birds in Albania, seven in Croatia and three in Bosnia-Herzegovina. No new birds in Montenegro and Slovenia since the birds there were already seen in a previous country.

Here are some quick sketches. Nothing is to scale!

Will I see new birds in Italy and Greece? Time will tell!