Wildlife attracted to dead trees
I often notice snags because of the woodpecker holes or woodpeckers drumming on the tree. However, woodpeckers aren’t the only ones utilizing snags. What animals…
Tag: Animal Architecture
Ant hills only a portion of the nest
When wandering through the woods I’ll occasionally stumble across an ant hill. Sometimes the ant hills are only a few inches high, sometimes a few…
Bushy-tailed woodrats more commonly known as packrats
After crossing one of the bridges on the Copper Creek Falls trail this spring, I came across a small dead animal that I didn’t recognize.…
Polyphemus moth: One of our largest moths
Fluttering at the base of a bush caught my attention. I thought it was a butterfly but the antennae indicated it was a moth–a moth…
Nuthatches: The upside-down bird
While woodpeckers search for insects by spiraling up a tree, the nuthatch zig-zags down the trunk head-first. Foraging upside-down may seem unnatural to us but…
Waxwings flock to fruit year-round
By mid-summer most birds have finished nesting and the young have fledged, but one bird is a late nester compared to the rest–the waxwing. The…
Bird nest diversity unparalleled in animal kingdom
Many birds are busy building their nests to capitalize on the insects and other food that will be abundant when the eggs hatch in a…
Bird nests range from simple to elaborate
Just when I think the robin can’t hold any more grass in its beak, it leans over and picks up one more piece before flying…
Great blue herons more than excellent fishers
Standing motionless in stagnant water, a great blue heron’s head suddenly reels forward into the water and emerges with a small fish. Great blue herons…
Look for shorter tails on voles and lemmings
Scurrying around underground, in meadows and through leaf litter are several small, furry mammals. Last week, I wrote about the mice found in North Idaho…
Sweet cottonwood fragrance will announce spring
One day in early spring, the sweet fragrance of cottonwood buds will fill the air. The large pointed buds of black cottonwoods are filled with…
American Dippers: swimming songbirds
Standing on an almost-submerged rock in the mountain stream, the chunky gray bird waded into the fast-flowing water and stuck its head underwater. Snorkeling, the…
Ant hills only a portion of the nest
When wandering through the woods I’ll occasionally stumble across an ant hill. Sometimes the ant hills are only a few inches high, sometimes a few…
Bushy-tailed woodrats more commonly known as packrats
After crossing one of the bridges on the Copper Creek Falls trail this spring, I came across a small dead animal that I didn’t recognize.…
Polyphemus moth: One of our largest moths
Fluttering at the base of a bush caught my attention. I thought it was a butterfly but the antennae indicated it was a moth–a moth…
Nuthatches: The upside-down bird
While woodpeckers search for insects by spiraling up a tree, the nuthatch zig-zags down the trunk head-first. Foraging upside-down may seem unnatural to us but…
Waxwings flock to fruit year-round
By mid-summer most birds have finished nesting and the young have fledged, but one bird is a late nester compared to the rest–the waxwing. The…
Bird nest diversity unparalleled in animal kingdom
Many birds are busy building their nests to capitalize on the insects and other food that will be abundant when the eggs hatch in a…
Bird nests range from simple to elaborate
Just when I think the robin can’t hold any more grass in its beak, it leans over and picks up one more piece before flying…
Great blue herons more than excellent fishers
Standing motionless in stagnant water, a great blue heron’s head suddenly reels forward into the water and emerges with a small fish. Great blue herons…
Look for shorter tails on voles and lemmings
Scurrying around underground, in meadows and through leaf litter are several small, furry mammals. Last week, I wrote about the mice found in North Idaho…
Sweet cottonwood fragrance will announce spring
One day in early spring, the sweet fragrance of cottonwood buds will fill the air. The large pointed buds of black cottonwoods are filled with…
American Dippers: swimming songbirds
Standing on an almost-submerged rock in the mountain stream, the chunky gray bird waded into the fast-flowing water and stuck its head underwater. Snorkeling, the…