Blog archives
Wildlife stories in our blog
'Raccoon Mayhem' commercial (Allstate insurance)
August 28, 2011
The Allstate insurance Mayhem commercials starring Dean Winters have burrowed deep into my mental attic.
Weird chipmunk noise
August 12, 2011
Every now and then, a chipmunk will take a position and make a weird noise like this all day long. As in morning to night.
Japanese beetle control: Grubs in lawn
August 3, 2011
Japanese beetles are destroying plants all over Racine, Wisconsin. The other 10 months of the year, they are white grubs in the lawn.
Hummingbird moth: Hummingbird Clearwing sphinx moth
July 24, 2011
Too big and long to be a bumble bee, too small to be a hummingbird, this hawk moth is Hemaris thysbe, and it’s astonishing to see.
Butterfly Weed good, Milkweed Bugs bad
May 3, 2011
Butterfly Weed was a beautiful host to Monarch Butterflies in our flower bed — until it was destroyed by Milkweed Bugs.
Robitussin commercial: Orangutan with Droid X smartphone
October 18, 2010
About that Robitussin commercial starring an orangutan: It’s Suryia, of Suryia and Rosco fame. And please avoid palm oil.
Hair soaks up oil spills: MatterOfTrust.org
May 3, 2010
Hair soaks up oil from oil spills, and MatterOfTrust.org invites donations of hair, fur, and nylons from hair salons, pet groomers — anyone and everyone.
Bird watching: Cedar Waxwing circus at Kenosha's Kemper Center
July 13, 2009
Check out this great little spot for watching these striking birds as they perform summer aerobatics.
Chimpanzee attacks woman in Stamford, Connecticut
February 17, 2009
A 200-pound pet chimp named Travis has been shot and killed by police after a violent attack that has left a woman in critical condition with life threatening and “life-changing” injuries.
Hummingbird babies webcam
February 6, 2009
Live Ustream webcam showing hummingbird babies in Sunnyvale, California.
NPR: 'Bread in the Water,' where ducks walk on fishes
December 30, 2008
I heard a truly original piece on NPR today, about an obscure Pennsylvania tourist attraction “Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish.”
Out with House Sparrows, in with American Goldfinches
May 9, 2008
We had way too many noisy sparrows, so we stopped feeding them and now focus on more desirable birds like the American Goldfinch.
Playing in the dirt
May 30, 2007
A roundup of our spring backyard gardening activities here in Racine, Wisconsin.
About earthworms and soil
December 3, 2006
Underneath my yard, I’m hoping to cultivate a healthy population of these amazing animals.
'Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill': Mark Bittner's feral parrots
October 15, 2006
A fascinating study of San Francisco’s conure parrots and a man who developed a close friendship with them.
Tomato hornworm caterpillar? No, tobacco hornworm
July 27, 2006
I was very honored to have this visitor devouring our tomato plants — until I discovered what it really was.
This is for the birds
April 28, 2006
Moving from apartment to house has made it possible for us to attract a much wider variety of birds to our backyard.
