Interests

Michele McDonald writes: “We’ve created this artificial world, although one could say it’s the real world now, with all this noise — traffic, leaf blowers, air conditioners,” David Luther says. “A lot of birds are living in these areas, and what, if anything, is this doing to their songs?” more »

As the weather cools down the crowd on the feeders heats up. Often the feeders are packed with finches and sparrows but Redbird Cardinals are regular visitors and the brilliant red of the male cardinal is like a beacon on the bare branches. more »

A new book from the University of California, Berkeley’s Bancroft Library gives fresh meaning to the term 'dog days' by celebrating the powerful connections between people and their canine companions. A cat version of "Everyday Dogs" already is in the works more »

I used to love watching hawks circle, riding the thermals high above the California hillside where I lived when I was a kid. I just tried to imagine how it would feel to be a hawk…rather, it seemed to me, akin to the feeling of diving into the lake, and gliding a long way before I had to give a kick and come up for air...only a whole lot better, because if you were a hawk, you could breathe and glide at the same time you were looking at the view. more »