wildlife
Sitting Pretty Kitty
It was getting late in the day and I was finishing up a 12 mile hike in Southern California’s lovely and wild Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve. The coyotes, ubiquitous to this landscape of oak woodlands, grasslands and chaparral were now out in full force. I counted four of them as I worked my way…
Read MoreHerman the Vancouver Island Marmot wishes you all a Happy Groundhog day!
Yes, they celebrate Groundhog Day in Canada too! And groundhogs, also known as woodchucks in Eastern North America are marmots. So that makes Vancouver Island marmots woodchucks, too! Sadly Herman passed away last year in the Toronto Zoo but he wanted to thank the US Postal Service for featuring him among 19 other Endangered species…
Read MoreFive Things You Didn’t Know About Marmots
Happy Groundhog Day! Today marks the 135th Anniversary of this Holiday being celebrated in the United States. The tradition of Groundhog Day in America started with Pennsylvania Germans. The custom of the groundhog predicting weather goes back to ancient Europe where a badger was actually used for the prediction. There are very few badgers in…
Read MoreDon’t Feed The Ticks!
Put all your cougar, bear, wolf, and Sasquatch fears aside. The biggest nuisances on the trail you’re sure to encounter this spring—especially if you venture south and east are ticks. While they’re not too much of a concern in Western Washington, their range is expanding and areas that were once tick free are now crawling…
Read MoreGetting My Goat
Quick! Name non-native invasive species in the Olympic Mountains; species that have altered the natural environment. Man, obviously! How about Scotch Broom, purple loosestrife, Robert’s geranium and mountain goats? Mountains goats? Yes, mountain goats, those furry lovable alpinists and members of the cattle family (Bovidae). They don’t belong here. The mountain goat, indigenous to the…
Read MoreTicked off!
Romano’s Hiking Tips No. 1 Ticks Ticks! They make my blood crawl just thinking about them crawling on me looking for blood! Just last week while hiking through a coastal forest in North Carolina, one managed to sneak into my car and another followed me back to my hotel. I once had one hitch a…
Read MoreThe Moose is Loose in Washington State
I grew up hiking in New Hampshire, one of the moose-densest states in the union. Moose are everywhere in the Granite State. Highway signs warn of hitting them which is a real road hazard in the state. On return trips to my home state to hike and paddle, I almost always see these largest members…
Read MoreSix Things You Didn’t Know About Pikas
Spend enough time hiking across talus slopes in the Cascades or Northern Rockies and you are bound to hear the high pitched whistle of the pika. Stand still for a minute or two and you are bound to see one or more of these cute little fur-balls scurrying across and under the talus. You may…
Read MoreAttack of the Agitated Owl
If you hike and trail run frequently this time of year, you may feel the wrath (but hopefully not the talons) of an overly protective barred owl. Now most folks are worried about not-so-friendly encounters with bears, mountains lions, rattlesnakes and other assorted critters. Fair enough. But it’s those owls that worry me and you…
Read MoreCougars in Heat–a Chilling Encounter!
Okay, before I get started here. Absolutely no jokes about attractive older women in pursuit of younger men or randy Washington State University students here. This post is about mountain lions following nature’s orders to make more mountain lions. And it’s about how a few autumns ago I nearly walked in on a mating couple.…
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