Chock, chock, chock, chock …. A metronomelike chirp resounded through the forest in Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains. The sound was so similar to a bird call that it puzzled us at first. What is it, we wondered. Doesn’t it ever shut up? For several minutes we peered into the gloom, watching and shifting position until we […]
Nature lovers can’t easily watch beaver behavior, because the animals are, for the most part, creatures of the night. Yet we needn’t crouch on a stream bank swatting mosquitoes to know beavers are around. A dam reveals their presence. No matter how large this dam might be, a typical beaver pond supports just one family […]
While we stroll idly through the campground, swatting mosquitoes and trying to enjoy the last moments of daylight, we’re joined by reinforcements. A pair of fluttering wings begins zigging and zagging above our heads. Is it an owl? No; its flight pattern is too erratic. Even the most coordinated owl can’t manage such midair acrobatics. […]
When as kids we noisily chased each other around, our parents accused us of being “squirrely.” You needn’t look far for the origin of this expression. Take a camping trip in the next couple of months, and you’ll see campground squirrels chasing each other around tree trunks, across campsites, and up and over picnic tables. […]
We think we’ve finally trapped the right pack rat – the one who’s taken up residence atop our gray-water tank after building its granary in the engine compartment. Other than the fact that it has chewed through several spark plug cables, the problem is the critter’s nocturnal habits. The trouble starts when, along about 2:00 […]
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