Tag Archives: wildlife watching

Tracking Zimbabwe’s rhinos – adrenaline, awe in the African bush

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blackrhino_donna_brown

BY DAVID CONNER
A twig snaps nearby. We freeze, holding our breath and straining to hear. I’m on a guided solo expedition tracking black rhinos through the thick bush in Zimbabwe’s Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve.  It’s in our best interest to take snapping twigs seriously.
Black rhinos are critically endangered.  If we come across one, and if it charges, “your only defense is to look for a really big tree or anthill to hide behind –shooting one is not an option,” said my guide, Bernard.  Not exactly comforting.
Sensing no immediate peril, Bernard beckons forward with a wave of one hand – the other rests on his rifle.  A master tracker and native Zimbabwean of the Shona Tribe, Bernard has been… Continue Reading

Joshua Tree National Park – Visitors experience desert wildlife, geologic wonders

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Sunset in Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by Kristin Ciofalo.

BY KRISTIN CIOFALO
The Adventure… Continue Reading
Two and a half hours east of Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park is a surreal high-desert landscape sculpted by erosion, weather and numerous fault lines that crisscross the park. Gnarled, spiky Joshua trees stretch out in sparse miniature forests, and jumbles of giant boulders rise up from the desert floor—rounded blocks of sand-colored granite that change shade with the movement of the sun.
During the day, one might catch a glimpse of coyotes, lizards, squirrels, a rare desert tortoise or one of more than 200 visiting or resident bird species. As the sun sets, new animals appear, taking advantage of the failing light to eat—or prey upon the eaters. Black-tailed jackrabbits dart out of the

Boston Harbor Islands a ‘micro-wilderness’ awaiting discovery

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Just a few miles from downtown Boston, Lovells Islands is a refuge for wildlife and a chance to humans to enjoy seeing the sunset behind Boston. Photo by Stephanie Schorow

By STEPHANIE SCHOROW
Rabbits are everywhere. They skitter across the path, rustle in the bushes, and peer at me out of the tall grass. At dusk I clamber up the crumbled steps of an abandoned military fort and suddenly came nose to nose with a bunny – I’m not sure which of us was more startled.
It was my first night camping on Lovell’s Island, one of the 34 islands in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area and it was a revelation. Indeed, many Bostonians don’t even realize that there are islands “out there,” just a few miles from the hustle of downtown. Designated in 1996, the park is managed by the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Department… Continue Reading

Powell Butte Nature Park – a great birding adventure minutes from Portland

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A view of Mount Hood from Powell Butte. Photo by Chelsea Schuyler.

BY CHELSEA SCHUYLER
“Hummer!” our guide shouts and all eyes turn skyward just in time to witness an Anna’s Hummingbird hover for an instant in midair, then dive-bomb a male Lazuli Bunting from twelve feet up. Incredibly, a vibration of the male’s hummingbird’s tail feathers creates a single piercing “chirp!” just as he pulls up from the dive. The volume is remarkable for such a small creature.
The bunting doesn’t bat an eye; apparently he is used to this.
With his brilliant blue head, orange chest and white wing bars, the Lazuli Bunting is the “target” bird of today’s hike, and a large group of us are gathered here on Portland Oregon’s Powell Butte to see it. But before we… Continue Reading