Ravens Complain on the Power Pole

Common ravens Corvus corax have become more common in Southern California.

One very hot afternoon we heard incessant throaty calling outside the window.
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These three were sitting on the power pole across the street.

106 degrees Fahrenheit
41 degrees Celsius

Check out the "Hot Dog" in the video.... 
 For more ravens and birds check out TheEarthMinute.com

The Earth Minute: Ruffled Feathers - What's That Bird?

Visit Homes High Above Palm Springs (woodpecker nests)
Walking the L.A. River - Glendale Narrows (black-necked stilt, American wigeon)
Band-tailed Pigeons Take over FeederWatch
 Experience Mamukala Wetlands at Dusk (magpie geese, pied heron, royal spoonbill, great egret, whistling kite, plumed whistling duck, bush hen) 

Swim along with the Canada Geese - Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Swim with us and the Canada Geese - in Canada!

We took a stroll bird watching through Stanley Park which is on the edge of downtown Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.

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We had joggers, walkers and these swimmers for quiet company.

This flotilla of Canada geese! (Branta canadensis)
See more adventures with birds....
... at TheEarthMinute.com 

Sea Birds on Great Barrier Reef, Michaelmas Cay, Queensland, Australia 

Band-tailed Pigeons Take over FeederWatch
Discover L.A. River at Sepulveda Basin (red-tailed hawk, Canada geese, American wigeon)

Australia (azure, little, & forest kingfishers, brolga, white-bellied sea eagle, & saltwater crocodile)

California Towhee Guarding a Chick

The California towhee (Melozone crissalis) may not be a colorful bird, but it's full of personality. 

A large member of the sparrow family, CA towhees are found throughout western California, a small area of Oregon, and down into Baja Mexico. They are truly residents of the California floristic zone. 

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A pair of CA towhees lives in our yard and raises their chicks here every year. This monogamous species doesn't waste a lot of energy on fancy feathering. Their relationship is based on displayful dancing and successful co-parenting.

The CA towhee's call sounds like the piercing "beep" of a smoke-detector alarm when it needs a battery replaced. The towhee uses that call to keep in contact with a distant mate or, in this case, to communicate to a chick: "Stay hidden!" The closer I got to the chick, the closer together the alarm calls.

CA towhees nest in chaparral and they urge their chicks out of the nest as soon as possible. Frequently, chicks are just barely feathered. The youngster will stay hidden or sit motionless on a small branch until a parent comes to feed it or move it. A fledgling bird may not have fallen out of a nest, its parent may have moved it out for its own safety. A nest can attract predators. 

This chick was so well hidden we didn't see it, but the action of the parents told us it was there. Take a moment to watch the birds around you. If you pay attention their behavior may surprise you. They are intelligent creatures with purposeful actions.

More Earth Minutes with birds:

Ruffled Feathers - What's That Bird
Bewick's Wrens Build a Nest 
LA River through Atwater
Walk the Beach at Malibu, CA
Birding Descanso Gardens
Bird on a Frozen Big Bear Lake 
Birds and Marine Mammals of CA Channel Islands 
Mamukala Wetland, Kakadu National Park Northern Australia
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos on the Defense 

Earth Minutes with Birds and other Wildlife 

Visit Each Week for a New Earth Minute 

Walking to Ft. Tryon and the Cloisters in the fall New York City

The Earth Minute takes an autumn walk in New York City.

On a drizzly day we walked up the hill to Fort Tryon and the Cloisters Museum.

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Red and green foliage is in starkly beautiful contrast 

to the grey weathered Manhattan Schist and biotite cliffs.

The Met Cloisters

99 Margaret Corbin Drive 

Fort Tryon Park

New York, NY 10040

Phone: 212-923-3700

 

Here is some early history and geology of the park -and on Fort Tryon. 

For another walk in New York, visit us on TheEarthMinute.com
Autumn Walk in New York's Central Park  - (New York City, New York)

 

Winter Birding Descanso Gardens, California

Walking through Descanso Gardens on a late December morning we saw nearly 2 dozen different species of birds.
It's a beautiful walk through classic gardens and native plants.
Here are a few of birds we got on camera!


 

Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus 

Allen's Hummingbird  Selasphorus sasin

White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys

Great Egret Ardea alba

 

Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Dr, 

La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA

 For more videos of gardens near Los Angeles, visit us at TheEarthMinute.com

Hidden Gardens of Los Angeles

#1 - Visit Orcutt Ranch Park
#2 - Visit Malibu Legacy Park
#3 - Visit Pierce College Botanical Garden
#4 - Visit Conejo Valley Botanical Garden 
#5 - Visit a Kelp Forest at CA Science Center  

 Happy New Year, 2016!

Santana Winds Come to Los Angeles October 29, 2015

The Santana Winds have come to Los Angeles.

 October 29, 2015

The term "Santana winds" is said to have originated in Spanish California when the hot, dry winds were called "devil winds."

Maybe you've heard of them as "SANTA ANA WINDS"? 

At the turn of the last century, an Associated Press correspondent mistakenly identified Santana winds as "Santa Ana" winds in a 1901 dispatch.

Raymond Chandler wrote a 1938 short story about them called 

 "Red Wind"

"There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks.
Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge."

View a video from our yard as the winds parch the drought stressed plants early the  morning....

 And view more in Southern California : at TheEarthMinute.com

View more videos!

 Leaves on CA Native Plants Fight Drought

This Morning in a Habitat Yard 

 (CA towhee, band-tailed pigeons, ruby-crowned kinglet, Bewick's wren, CA desert tortoise) 

Visit Pierce College Botanical Garden 

Dawn on the Illinois Prairie - Jarrett Prairie Center

big bluestem grass and St. Catherine's lace

When you think of prairie do you think of giant grass taller than a human? 

Flowers reaching up above your head?

You should.

Take a dawn stroll through the Illinois tallgrass prairie.

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even the pollen on big bluestem grass (Andropogon gerardi) is huge

Tallgrass prairie once stretched across North America's northern, central plains. But this land of the bison also offered prime agricultural soil. Most of our tallgrass prairie disappeared under a plow over the last 200 years.

Fortunately, a number of farm families are preserving areas of tallgrass prairie, sections that were never plowed or only slightly used for agriculture. Some individuals are passing on this heritage by willing parcels of land to conservation groups. 

The Jarrett Prairie Reserve and Center in Byron, Illinois, is a shining example of preservation, restoration, and conservation. Here you can experience a taste of tall grass. Listen to it whisper in the breeze and watch it come to life with the animal species that have returned to this oasis of habitat.

red-headed woodpecker in dawn light

On my morning bird-watching hike, I saw:
Canada geese
turkey vulture
Cooper's hawks
bald eagle (on the Rock River)
ruby-throated hummingbird
northern flicker
olive-sided flycatcher
eastern phoebe
warbling vireo
American crow
barn swallow
house wren
blue-gray gnatcatcher
American robin
gray catbird
European starling
cedar waxwing
chipping sparrow
field sparrow
northern cardinal
indigo bunting
red-winged blackbird
house fince
American goldfinch

Hear sounds of Illinois
More locations to see wildlife
Wildflowers of southern CA; Santa Cruz Island, CA;  Redwoods National Park, CA; Wyoming.

Where will you find your Earth Minute 

this week?

Arroyo Seco - Angeles National Forest - a little water for a thirsty world

Switzer Picnic Area in Angeles National Forest has a beautiful hiking path (Gabrieleno trail) along the tree lined stream bed of the Arroyo Seco. 

The Arroyo Seco or "dry stream" is an important watershed in southern California.

Although this stream can be seasonal, the plant and animal community it supports needs the moisture under the rocky bed all through the year.

Listen to the stream on the last week of spring.

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A good place to bird, too!

Fee: Adventure Pass required for vehicles.

Elevation: 3,300 feet

From the 210 Freeway exit at Angeles Crest Highway (Hwy 2) and head north about 9.5 miles to the picnic area on the right.

"While on a trail or in and around campgrounds and picnic areas, dogs must be kept on a leash. In addition, your dog must wear a collar with current tags at all times, as state and county laws apply on National Forest System lands."

 

For more wild spots near Los Angeles, visit us here  at 

TheEarthMinute.com

 

Malibu Creek - Feel the Cool in Malibu Creek State Park

Malibu Creek is a small stream in a big city.

Take a walk in Malibu Creek State Park along the streambed. 

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Without this bit of water flowing down to the ocean, many native plants and animal species would find it very hard to make it during a California drought season.

 

The park is located four miles south of Highway 101 on 

Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road. 

Or 6.5 miles north up Malibu Canyon Road from Malibu and Pacific Coast Highway {California Highway 1}.

 

 

Native Oak Trees

From the Malibu Creek State Park website...

Campsites

Hiking Trails
Horseback Riding

Some Accessible trails

Dogs on a leash are allowed in the Park's day use areas and campground. 

Dogs are not allowed on the backcountry trails or dirt roads. 

DAY-USE ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Historical/Cultural Site
Picnic Areas
Environmental Learning/Visitor Center
Exhibits and Programs
Interpretive Exhibits
Excellent Nature & Wildlife Viewing

OTHER FACILITIES & VISITOR INFORMATION
Pay Parking
Restrooms / Showers
Drinking Water Available

 For more California hiking activities, visit us at   
TheEarthMinute.com

Walk the Beach in Malibu, CA

Ruffled Feathers - What's That Bird?

Sometimes an Earth Minute is a chance encounter with a youngster waiting for its parents by the side of a road.

If that road is through Yellowstone National Park's Hayden Valley, the creature could be any number of species.

Can you identify this youngster when you have a close-up view?

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Did you know it was a common raven (Corvus corax)?

The nasal bristle feathers on the very thick beak, tell you this is a raven and not an American crow. The pink lining of its mouth and the downy chest feathers tell you it is still a youngster. It could fly, but seemed to be choosing to stay out of the stiff wind. Eventually it flew off, but we're not sure who enjoyed watching whom most.  

See other Earth Minutes of Yellowstone National Park

See more Earth Minutes with birds and wildlife

Visit TheEarthMinute.com each week 

for a new natural world encounter

Come Whale Watching off the Coast of California

We set out on a sunny February afternoon for a cruise out of Ventura, California.

Come whale watching with us! 

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Two California Gray Whales swimming together

Each whale's tail has different markings, so individual can be identified with a good pair of binoculars, or a good camera.

It was a beautiful time on the water with Island Packers Cruises!

For more travels in California or around the World, 
join us at TheEarthMinute.com

Hike Limekiln Canyon Park, CA

Take a hike into a California riparian habitat: Limekiln Canyon on the north edge of the San Fernando Valley.

My friend Kerry introduced me to this oak glen and creek-side trail. In moments you leave the traffic behind and enter a peaceful edge of wildness.

native sunflower species

Especially in spring there are wildflowers–lupine, sage, and native sunflowers–and a variety of wildlife.

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Preserved between housing tracts, Limekiln Canyon has a scattering of introduced plant species, but still there are stately sycamores and coast live oaks helping to provide homes for resident species and migratory visitors. 

western fence lizard

We spotted four species of native lizards–including scads of western fence lizards, nineteen bird species–including Bewick's wrens and a varied thrush. We watched a cottontail cross the old-road pathway and saw ten species of native butterflies.

Perhaps most exciting was the small Pacific tree frog or Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) that we caught on video. Listen for their loud call that seems much too big for a frog about the size of the end of your thumb. Keep an eye open for the European honey bees that have taken up residence in an old oak tree. Most of all enjoy a walk through habitat shared by wildlife and humans.

• Open Dawn to Dusk.
• No drinking water or restrooms, but picnic tables available.
• Trails unimproved, but old roads provide wide walking areas.
• Dogs welcome on leash. Rattlesnakes can be present. Respect the safety of wildlife, keep dogs leashed.

Other hiking locations in the L.A. area:
Los Virgenes Open Space
Malibu Beach
Walk to The Getty
L.A. Hidden Gardens

Visit The Earth Minute.com

each week for a new one minute adventure.

Sequoia National Park - More Than Big Trees!

California's Sequoia National Park - is more than just big trees!

Approaching from the south, on HWY 138, you'll find the Foothills Visitor Center and park headquarters.

In the picnic area look for local Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) and their larder of acorns in the bark of the large oak tree. This branch was just above the table.

Look what you might miss if you forget to take the trail to Hospital Rock!

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Native American Acorn Grinding Mortars

Hospital Rock Pictographs - Sequoia National Park, California

Don't forget to drive in to see the trees, also!

 See and hear more of California 
by visiting us at
TheEarthMinute.com

Baby Moose Loose in Alaska!

Just outside of Anchorage, Alaska is a wetlands area called 

Potter Marsh.

It's an easy walk with wildlife viewing and a beautiful panorama of the marshlands.  

We noticed a group of folks peering quietly over the boardwalk's railing and saw...

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a female moose  ... and two babies! !

 

Nothing's much cuter than a baby moose!

See more wildlife at TheEarthMinute.com

California Misses the Rain -Take an Autumn Walk in New York's Central Park

In Southern California we are in the middle of a record drought.

This October we visited New York City's iconic

Central Park and took a walk on a wet and beautiful fall day.

Join us on our rainy day stroll through the park! 

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