Hang on, good people, we’re headed back to the days of Johnny Weissmuller, who was a magnificent Tarzan of the ’30s, keeping company with his beautiful film-version mate, Jane, portrayed by Maureen O’Hara as they met in “Tarzan the Ape Man,” filmed in 1932 with a pet chimpanzee named “Cheetah.” In 1932 I was only […]
Jim Anderson
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Adventures with Osprey
On banding birds in the sometimes-treacherous waters of Crane Prairie
Doug Beal’s spectacular Osprey photo in the Sept. 8 edition of the Sisters Nugget Newspaper brought back some wonderful—and at times frightening—memories. Back in the early ’70s I was placing federal wildlife bands on baby osprey as part of an effort to determine the winter destination of the birds when they left Crane Prairie Reservoir. […]
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A Spying Mission Gone Awry
A pair of night vision goggles inspired a mission to watch the happenings of a local barn owl… ending with a trip to the hospital
Recently, Mary Webster, a longtime pal and resident of Central Oregon—and whale of a fine photographer—sent me images of Sauvie Island, located on the Columbia River, north of Portland. It has a beautiful wildlife management area on it, operated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, nestled in amongst several hundred acres of private […]
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Bobcat Business
The tale of rehabbing a wild cat, and catching hares to do so
Way back in the mid-’50s I was living in the old George A. Jones house in Bend located on Dean and Lily Hollinshead’s place. My great pal and superb helper in punishing raptor killers, Oregon State Police Officer Avon Mayfield, called me and asked if I would go with him to collect a bobcat held […]
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Ya Just Never Know…
On Pygmy horned lizards and other surprise creatures in Central Oregon
Well, it’s happened again—another mystery: Why are there Pygmy horned lizards in Sun Mountain (where I used to live), between Bend and Sisters, and none in my pal Al St. John’s backyard just down the road (where he used to live)? Could it be he had different ants than I did, and the horned lizards […]
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Invasion of the Ants
A tiny brigade confounds a pair of naturalists committed to natural eradication
Well, our move to Eugene has opened up a new challenge for us: an invasion of tiny ants. And, oh boy, have they moved in! There are nearly 1,000 species of ants in North America. They range in size from tiny specks to as big as a AAA battery. And they’re ubiquitous—they’re everywhere! My wife […]
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Hot Birds Are Not Happy Birds
A heat wave is tough for those without the option of going indoors
Well, good people, the heat is upon us. We’ve been warned it was coming, and here it is. The impact(s) of Climate Change we can feel and touch. When we go out driving in our infernal internal combustion engine-powered vehicles, we are a big part of the situation that’s bringing the heat. Like the coal-burning […]
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Insects: They’re not all 'bad'
Enjoy learning what’s going on as insects do things for, and to, us
Not too long ago I went on a rampage about birds being one of the best helpers in our “battle with insects.” I fear I’ve left people with the impression that all insects are “bad” and that we’re in constant peril from ravenous arthropods. If I left you with that image then I did our […]
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Hail the Hardy Harlequins
Named after the performing clowns of the 17th Century, these ducks make a splash
Ya’ just have to admit, those Harlequin drakes are a showpiece. They look like they were posing for Roy Low when he found them all ganged up on the rocks on the Southern Oregon Coast, enjoying the crashing surf. Harlequin ducks can be found all winter hanging out along the Oregon Coast, on the western […]
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Blindsided by a Mole
An Oregonian’s book about moles inspires a look at what these creatures are all about
Even though I’m nearing the end of my sojourn here on this beautiful earth—our home away from home—I still appreciate fresh new experiences to keep me young. Such was the case when I entered Tsunami Books on Willamette Street in Eugene. I was so taken by the way the books were laid out, and the […]