Wild Things

California brown pelicans seem to have gone mad, begging for food, tailing boats, landing in people’s backyards, hanging out on school rooftops in the Valley and washing up dead along the shore.

The notion of monogamy exists in other realms of the animal kingdom, including the raven. Yes, that large black, sleek, almost regal bird supposedly mates for life.

Imagine a road trip of 5,000 to 7,000 miles.
Now imagine making that trip 11 months pregnant.
Now imagine making the return trip just three months after arriving and giving birth.
Now imagine doing these two major road trips every year of your life until the day you die.
If you are able to come even remotely close to grasping what this would be like, then you are one step closer to understanding the life of the Pacific gray whale.

Western snowy plovers or Charadrius alexandrines nivosus are cute little birds that inhabit prime waterfront property along California’s coast and inland water bodies. Weighing just one to two ounces and reaching six and a half inches in length, snowy plovers are designed to blend in with their environment. Their back feathers are a sandy brown and the stomach feathers are fluffy white. This color scheme is accentuated by a stout black bill, dark grey legs, black eyes and a white ring around the neck.