Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
Zero to Eighteen in Two Weeks Two years ago, a pair of Cassin’s vireos nested above a light under the eave of our garage in North Idaho. After the chicks fledged, Rob removed the nest. Our research suggested that songbirds prefer not to use the … Continue readingA Cassin’s Vireo Nest
How have I lived this long without knowing about needle ice!? Late last fall, I was on a hike when I first saw it. When it’s intact, it camouflages with the surrounding soil. Footfalls crunch over the top of it like ordinary frozen ground. Yet, … Continue readingNeedle Ice
Let Nature Heal You I awoke to word from home about yet another hiccup in one more seemingly straightforward home improvement project. I’ve been in Anchorage, Alaska, for a week. I arrived on a record-setting cold April day at the end of a record snowfall … Continue readingBlack Bears in Anchorage
When we moved into our house, the previous owners had left a metal water trough. Our five acres border over 100 acres of public forest land in a place where even private land is pretty wild. I’m excited to see the “backyard” wildlife we have. … Continue readingThe Water Drip
I stopped in my tracks. I’ve never seen so much beaver sign! Trampled, packed down snow, chewed limbs, and huge shavings from felling trees.. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I knew that the beavers were back. I’d seen signs of activity at their … Continue readingThe Beavers Next Door
I’ve been cooped up for too long, whiling away the days on social media, too tired to focus on even sedentary tasks. For the last week, I’m mentally brighter consistently but still short of breath. Over the last few weeks sick with COVID, I’ve had … Continue readingWhat Heals You
There are beavers in our pond again. I’d put some crabapple cuttings in the fire pit and on the habitat behind the woodpile for my voles. The next day there was this well-worn muddy path from the pond, and most of the cuttings were … Continue readingLiving with Beavers
One person’s problem is another’s pleasure. We are in the midst of the all-time wettest May on record in the Chicago area. And it’s only May 19th. The previous May precipitation record of 8.25″ set just last year. This is a symptom of our warming … Continue readingRecord Spring Rainfall
Fred and Ethel* are back for their twelfth season. They are a pair of Canada geese who have been raising their families on my pond year after year. In the spring, when the flocks of geese begin to stopover on their trip north, Fred and … Continue readingBackyard Geese
Several years ago I got a camera trap (motion-activated outdoor camera) to learn more about who is around when I’m not. Over the years I’ve watched raccoons, opossums, skunks, coyotes, birds, a woodchuck, mice, deer, a nesting duck, the neighbor’s cat and my dogs in … Continue readingSquirrel Rock