Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
This morning, as sunlight begins to stream over the horizon and hazy shadows take form, I’m watching the puma Petaka. She and her two 15-month-old kittens are taking turns feeding on a guanaco kill. When one cat moves off to groom and nap, another moves … Continue readingThe Puma Petaka
First Sighting The warm light of the rising sun casts everything – the grasses, the guanaco, the puma – in the same golden glow. I know there’s a lion on the hillside 50 yards away. A guide with two guests are watching her as I … Continue readingPumas of Patagonia
Chilean Patagonia is made of mountains, glaciers, and sea-level fjords. It has the world’s largest flying bird and odd flightless birds. There are flamingoes and grey zorro foxes that aren’t actually foxes. It’s tectonic plates and salty lakes. It’s guanacos and sheep grazing the grasslands. … Continue readingChilean Patagonia
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
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
Serendipity: an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. accidental discovery Planned In October, I went to Estes Park, Colorado, the hotbed of elk activity, to photograph the rut. There weren’t many elk around, and Moraine Park was empty. Unplanned Later, I was in Northern … Continue readingTule Elk Rut
The Search Begins In December, I came to northern California to commune with bobcats and bask in blue skies and warm sunshine. Rain was forecast for parts of the first two days (the trailing end of an atmospheric river bringing snow to my mountain home). … Continue readingDate with a Bobcat
The stark black and white stands out like a beacon in the amber fall landscape. For a fraction of a second, I thought I’d found a badger. That’s the only striped animal I expect on this landscape. But the color, body shape, and floof of … Continue readingSkunks During the Daytime
It’s my fourth trip to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), though it’s been nine years since my last visit. Usually, the town of Estes Park is overrun by elk in the fall. They’re on the golf course, at the school, downtown, and, of course, in … Continue readingA Lake of Rocky Mountain Elk
A Perfect Week with Bears in Katmai National Park, Alaska I spent most of the morning watching a brown bear lazily grazing through willows and alders on the far side of a lake in Katmai National Park. I was comfortable in my camp chair under … Continue readingA Bear’s Life (Katmai National Park)