Quick guide to common birds that visit your feeder
A freshly-filled bird feeder can bring life to a backyard, deck or window. First one bird finds the feeder then entire flocks. Soon the feeder…
Tag: Outdoor Column
Females benefit by delaying pregnancy
Rodents breed rapidly. Packrats only require a gestation of 30 to 38 days. However, the demands of nursing and being pregnant at the same time…
Why do some animals delay pregnancy?
Spring is birthing time for many animals in order for the young to have adequate time to grow and develop before the onset of winter.…
Animals move atop and beneath snow
Winter can bring a range of snow conditions from minimal snow to deep snow with an icy crust. Whether the snow condition is favorable or…
Animals take advantage of trails in winter
When the snow becomes deep enough, we bring out our skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles to travel around. Even with snowshoes, slogging through knee-deep powdery snow…
Boundary County provides plenty of reasons to be thankful
From the huckleberry pie to the mashed potatoes and sometimes even the turkey, Thanksgiving can be a time to be thankful for the food collected…
Owl pellets provide clues to owl’s diet
Even though most owls are nocturnal hunters and we can’t see what they hunt, we know a surprising amount of information about their diet. An…
Tiny salamander delivers big surprise to predators
What has large bulbous eyes, a blunt snout, a long fourth toe on its hind foot and is three to four inches long? A long-toed…
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…
Puffballs not your typical mushrooms
Poof. With the gentle nudge of a shoe, a small plume of “smoke” rises from the dry puffball. Adults and kids often get a kick…
Pheasant populations dependent on weather and habitat
Every time I drive through the valley on Copeland Road I look for pheasants near Farm to Market Road, especially in autumn and winter. Most…
Antlions lurk at bottom of mini sand pits
Have you seen the small pits that resemble craters on the moon at the base of large trees? Or maybe in the sandy soil under…
Females benefit by delaying pregnancy
Rodents breed rapidly. Packrats only require a gestation of 30 to 38 days. However, the demands of nursing and being pregnant at the same time…
Why do some animals delay pregnancy?
Spring is birthing time for many animals in order for the young to have adequate time to grow and develop before the onset of winter.…
Animals move atop and beneath snow
Winter can bring a range of snow conditions from minimal snow to deep snow with an icy crust. Whether the snow condition is favorable or…
Animals take advantage of trails in winter
When the snow becomes deep enough, we bring out our skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles to travel around. Even with snowshoes, slogging through knee-deep powdery snow…
Boundary County provides plenty of reasons to be thankful
From the huckleberry pie to the mashed potatoes and sometimes even the turkey, Thanksgiving can be a time to be thankful for the food collected…
Owl pellets provide clues to owl’s diet
Even though most owls are nocturnal hunters and we can’t see what they hunt, we know a surprising amount of information about their diet. An…
Tiny salamander delivers big surprise to predators
What has large bulbous eyes, a blunt snout, a long fourth toe on its hind foot and is three to four inches long? A long-toed…
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…
Puffballs not your typical mushrooms
Poof. With the gentle nudge of a shoe, a small plume of “smoke” rises from the dry puffball. Adults and kids often get a kick…
Pheasant populations dependent on weather and habitat
Every time I drive through the valley on Copeland Road I look for pheasants near Farm to Market Road, especially in autumn and winter. Most…
Antlions lurk at bottom of mini sand pits
Have you seen the small pits that resemble craters on the moon at the base of large trees? Or maybe in the sandy soil under…