SoCal hawks, titmouses, thrushes, warblers, woodpeckers are the rock stars at the first ever Bird Fest held Oct. 18 at the Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor’s Center at King Gillette Ranch, in Calabasas abourt 5 minutes off the 101 freeway. Bird-related workshops, live bird presentations (including a local rare albino raven), bird feeding crafts and […]
Watch out SoCal…you may be hearing more about wildlife corridor in the coming weeks, months and maybe years ahead. To raise awareness of the plight of land-locked critters, the National Wildlife Federation California has partnered with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund to advocate for such corridors, especially one that has been eyeballed at across the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Putting a face on the scope of species threatened with extinction, the latest exhibit from Venice’s G2 Galley is an exhaustive exhibit that features images of more than 300 individual critters and plant life that could go the way of the dodo and the passenger pigeon if we don’t watch out. Showcasing the work of […]
We like how the Pacific pocket mouse thinks: if the winter just keeps blowing cold and rainy, the small 4 1/2-inch sized mouse will often return underground to hibernate until the weather takes a turn for the better. Why bother when you can sleep? Once thought to be extinct for 20 years, the hand-sized rodent […]
They are so close…but seldom seen. And when a mountain lion makes an appearance here in SoCal, it becomes (for better or worse) a media event. Looking past the hype and hoopla about our urban felines, Coral O’Riley of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area is presenting a one-day only walk and talk about “Big […]
Do they only come out at night? We don’t know, but we do know there are more of the scurrying reptiles on three of California’s Channel Islands. About 21 million…and counting. Yesterday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the island night lizard – protected since 1977 – has successfully recovered and has taken the four-inch lizard off the […]