Here’s to more Frogtowns in California, now that the state has declared an official state amphibian: the California red-legged frog, a species that could use a little help when it comes to habitat, health and environment. Gov. Brown signed signed the bill into law June 28; we appreciate that the proposal for a state amphibian […]
Living in your backyard: birds, bees, squirrels, raccoons and…bobcats? Yes, these big cats (well, more medium –sized than their mountain lion cousins) can call residential areas their territorial homes, especially since their range stretches in fragmented habitats around Griffith Park, the Hollywood Reservoir, the Santa Monica Mountains and other SoCal green spaces. Friends of Griffith […]
You think it’s just water, waves and sand at the beach? Think again. There are THINGS out there, SoCal. Living things!!!! (da da DUM!) It’s not a big newsflash, but sometimes we Southlanders need to be reminded about our wild neighbors (even those cold blooded and without lungs) that call the Pacific Ocean their home. […]
The folks at the International Bird Rescue (IBR) have seen their share of tackle and fishing line injuries at their San Pedro center – but this week, rescuers were stunned by the damage of a multi-hooked fishing lure that gruesomely impaled both elegant tern mother and chick together. The good news is that the IBR […]
Like something out of a Red Bull commercial, this tiny flying squirrel can guide through the air between trees at distances up to 300 feet, using wing-like flaps that extend between their wrists and ankles. Extreme flying, dude! But the San Bernardino flying squirrel prefers the forests in the San Bernardino mountains which is becoming […]
When he was a kid in the 1970s, Ed Pert used to head down to San Juan Creek in San Diego County and meet old timers there who would talk about a creek so full of fish, ‘you could walk across it on their backs.’ Pert would fish back then with his buddies alongside those […]
The students were breathless. “Mr. Rumble! We saw something in the bush! Come quickly!” Bradley Rumble, principal at Leo Politi School near downtown Los Angeles was intrigued and followed the fourth graders out of the outdoor shady area into their once concrete-and-Bermuda-grass-plot-now-turned-native-plant-and-wildlife-habitat. After all, there *could* be a critter out there. It’s not unusual in […]
They may not be warm and fuzzy, but turtles and tortoises represent one of nature’s finest adaptions that has lasted these carapace-covered critters for millions of years. Sure birds evolved from dinosaurs, but these creatures are the real deal! Celebrating shelled reptiles from here to Timbuktu is the 14th Annual World Turtle Day (May 23, […]
sssssSSSSS….Snakes. Are you scared? Don’t be. Southern California is home to ten species of snakes, but there’s only one you need to worry about – the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake – and that critter is shy recluse reptile that’s happy for seclusion, shade and a stash of fresh mice meat. Think of them as the Howard […]
Los Angeles may be poised to be the first major city in the country to ban rodenticides given the positive direction of a recent city council committee meeting which focused on the ecological devastation surrounding how rat poison is killing more than just rats. The City Council’s Arts, Parks, Health, Aging and River Committee heard […]
International Bird Rescue (IBR) and the Animal Legal Defense Fund have now posted a $10,000 reward to find those responsible for the recent, high-profile mutilation of a protected California Brown Pelican in Long Beach. On Sunday, the pelican, nicknamed “Pink” for the colored leg band the adult bird was assigned upon arrival at IBR’s Los Angeles […]
(Editor’s note: This guest blog is by Katrina Stenson, an undergraduate ecology student at San Diego State University working on her thesis involving the California ground squirrel, a very common critter in SoCal. Here, she outlines her upcoming research and will keep us posted on what she discovers!) When you’re doing your weekly grocery shopping […]