Alan Muchlinski looked out his window in the 1990s and knew something was wrong. There was a squirrel in his West Covina backyard that wasn’t supposed to live in Southern California. An Eastern fox squirrel – not the native Western gray – was eating from his apricot tree. The grays don’t like the taste of […]
Pictures are worth a 1,000 words – and for the creators and users of iNaturalist, that saying speaks volumes. Volumes of data, that is. With more than 3 million observations from more than 250,000 users logged into the online platform since its initial launch in 2008, iNaturalist has become the go-to source for scientists, biologists, […]
SoCal’s most celebrated mountain lion, P-22, will be even more celebrated on Sunday, Oct. 22 with a festival taking place in the big cat’s hood, Griffith Park. Will the big cat be watching from a far-off perch? One can only hope. P-22 Day is the culmination of a Urban Wildlife Week in Los Angeles and […]
Now is the time to show monarchs how much you love ’em. Sponsored by the Monarch Joint Venture, the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz (IMMB) invites community scientists to report observations during July 29 – August 5 to help scientists understand the range and population size of late summer breeding monarchs across North America. Blitz data […]
A documentary movie, an active social media presence, adoring fans and worldwide recognition –is there anything left for Griffith’s Park mountain lion known as P-22 to conquer? How about a museum exhibit that features the life and times of L.A.’s urban nature icon? Opening this weekend at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County […]
Birders are asked to keep an eye out for the pin-tailed whydah, a pretty songbird native to sub-Saharan Africa, which could be making its way to Southern California – which could spell trouble for native songbirds. Prized as pets, especially when the males grow their long tail feathers during the breeding season, the birds have […]
Will P-22 be the cat that changed America? Filmmaker Tony Lee thinks so. “The ball is starting to roll,” says Lee about his latest flick “The Cat That Changed America,” a documentary about Griffith Park’s beloved lone bachelor mountain lion. Kicking off with a world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier this […]
Time to get to know your feathered-neighbors, SoCal. After all, they have been flapping, flying, swooping and singing all around you as you drive the freeways, shop the malls and grab a Starbucks. Isn’t it time you slowed down for a bird meet-and-greet? More than 50 nature and bird-themed events will take place May 6, […]
A large number of beached sick and emaciated seabirds are being rescued along Santa Barbara’s coastline. More than 40 birds – especially red-throated and Pacific loons – have arrived at the International Bird Rescue facility in San Pedro through the help of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. It’s unclear what is causing such bird […]
It’s on Dallas/Fort Worth. Watch out Boston. You’re going down New York! City Nature Challenge 2017 pits 16 U.S. cities in a heated race to see which metropolitan area is tops when it comes to urban wildlife. From now until Tuesday April 22, citizens can accumulate sightings of bugs, birds, lizards, mushrooms and more using […]
For three years, Southern California rescue and treatment centers for marine mammals were overwhelmed with young stranded California sea lions. Day after day, emaciated and weak pups arrived with saggy skin and sad eyes. Staff at the five SoCal rescue facilities went into emergency mode, working round the clock to treat malnourished youngsters, many after […]
Gary Bucciarelli often has staring contests with Los Angeles’ only species of newt, Taricha torosa better known as the California newt. “They are very quizzical and can stare right back at you for 5-10 minutes without moving a muscle,” says the evolutionary biologist who’s also the Stunt Ranch Director of Research at UCLA La Kretz […]