Sit back, close your eyes and picture a butterfly. What did you see? Here’s an image… It’s a warm June day, the songbirds are singing, grass blades are blowing in a light breeze, and you see a beautiful butterfly land on a vibrant flower. Nice, right? When asked to picture a butterfly in their head most people […]
CSERC puts on an annual wildlife photo contest to encourage people to observe and enjoy the natural world around them and to raise awareness about the great diversity of wildlife we are so fortunate to have in this region. Bird photos are among the most popular submissions, and while many of the photos are remarkable […]
There is a pond in my neighbor’s backyard that Canyon (my 15-month old son) and I have been enjoying walking around for a few months, and as spring time kicks in the bird activity around this riparian refuge has really picked up. Just yesterday we saw several wood ducks, a nesting pair of geese, your […]
In the Sierra Nevada especially, and throughout California, there has been a lot of talk lately about trees – between fire, drought, and bark beetle mortality, people are concerned about the health of Sierra Nevada forests. And they are right to be. Sierra Nevada forest health The forests of the Sierra look much different than […]
Merganser Mysteries Imagine you’re hiking up the river, and swimming against impossible currents, a bird resembling a duck with a mohawk heads upstream with a line of more ducklings than you can count! You’ve been lucky enough to come across a member of a group of waterfowl referred to as the mergansers. Mergansers are known […]
The Sierra Nevada is well known for being unique in its topography (think Yosemite), but it is also special in the large number of plants and animal species that are found here. According to the Forest Service’s Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment there are at least 1,300 plant species in the Sierra Nevada, and at […]
Four bear cubs!! While black bear are one of the most frequent visitors to our cameras, this is the first time we have documented FOUR bear cubs! CSERC has been using wildlife cameras that are triggered by motion to survey for rare wildlife in Yosemite park and the Stanislaus forest for decades. On a few […]
Check out the latest CSERC Blog before you start your spring yard work! You just may find something that will make your gardening woes a little easier to tackle this year!
The Sierra Nevada and foothills are getting another round of moisture, and El nino is making for a great wildflower season already this spring! Even the birds are taking advantage of the bloom! If you get the chance to get out when the sun emerges from the clouds, visit one of these three wildflower hotspots: […]
Just because the thermometer has dropped doesn’t mean that you can’t get out and enjoy wildlife. In fact, visiting locations in the foothills is one way to see wildlife and winter can be a great time to do it. Winter can be a time when outdoor activities give way to snuggling by the fire with […]