Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
You Find What You Need Last fall, I went to commune with bears and lose myself in the wilderness. I enjoy the wild locations as much as the wildlife. This trip brought something unexpected but just as valuable. We’re watching bears from a jet boat … Continue readingBear Viewing by Boat
For over twenty years, I’ve been watching and photographing bears in the wild as a benign part of the landscape, largely ignored by these impressive animals going about their lives. The two following videos illustrate that. These two bears couldn’t be concerned less about the … Continue readingA Dangerous Bear
Nunitsiny: Tsilhqot’in for “grizzly bear” One of the greatest benefits of quietly observing wildlife is seeing their unique personalities shine through their actions and expressions. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cubs. Like a pre-adolescent child not yet shaped by societal norms and … Continue readingBritish Columbia Grizzly Bears
Forest. For. Rest. Fall in North Idaho isn’t known for its color. Our forests are dominated by pine and fir with accents of larches that turn gold before casting their needles each fall. I did not expect Gold Hill to be so gold with fallen … Continue readingGold Hill Trail – A Fall Hike
A short hike to a mountain lake? Count me in! When I talked with people in town, everyone recommended the Boulder Lake trail. “It can get kinda busy on the weekends, but it should be good on a Wednesday. With that, I set out to … Continue readingBoulder Lake Trail in McCall
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
Question what you think you know. Grebes I thought, “I don’t need binoculars to identify that bird.” Nobody’s got a bill like that but a Northern Shoveler. The drab, dull brown feathers mean she must be a female, and she’s kinda far away for a … Continue readingBirds! Birds! Birds! at Fernan Lake
There might be moose. North Idaho News posted these photos and cautioned hikers and climbers to be wary. “How is this not an invitation?” I thought. To me, it falls under the “don’t publicize wildlife sightings so as not to draw a crowd.” However, Q’emiln … Continue readingQ’emiln Park
What scares a moose? A bigger moose? A bear?A mountain lion? I’d heard that moose are ornery. Many experienced outdoors people say they’re more afraid of moose than anything else out there. When I spotted a young cow moose at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, I … Continue readingA Moose Encounter
Plunging into a cavernous ravine from atop the Columbia plateau, Palouse Falls descends 200 feet into the Palouse River in southeastern Washington. The canyon scoured by this water is almost 400 feet deep and has sheer basalt walls. Like most geology in the inland northwest, … Continue readingPalouse Falls