Natural World
Carrion beetles perform a much-needed service in the natural world
Did ya' ever think
When the hearse goes by
That some sweet day you're gonna die? They'll put you in a neat pine box
And cover you over with soil and rocks
Well, all goes well for about a week
And then the pine box begins to creak
The bugs crawl in, the bugs crawl out
Into your stomach and out of your mouth
And the worms play pinochle on your chin...
By Jim Anderson
Nov 25, 2020
Natural World
Birds of prey flock to Central Oregon to dine "al Rodentia" in winter
Driving through Central Oregon in winter, past agricultural fields or open sagebrush flats dotted with juniper, one is bound to notice hawks or eagles perched on powerline poles, fence posts, irrigation wheel lines—or perhaps soaring overhead. Birds of prey concentrate in the region due to an abundance of prey, including waterfowl, songbirds, rodents, carrion and small mammals.
By Damian Fagan
Nov 18, 2020
bend wildlife bend birds oregon raptors high desert museum
Natural World
Reflections on the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history
Several years ago, I heard a tragic story of a young child from Simnasho living on the Warm Springs Reservation who died from bubonic plague; it got a lot of people's attention. The story I heard was that her pet house cat killed and carried a Belding's Ground Squirrel into her home.
By Jim Anderson
Oct 28, 2020
black death oregon plague past pandemics
Natural World
A new Eurasian eagle-owl is turning heads at the Sunriver Nature Center
There is no larger owl on the European continent than the Eurasian Eagle-owl, Bubo bubo. You have to travel several thousand miles to see one in the wild.
By Jim Anderson
Aug 19, 2020
Natural World
Bend Forest School now open for kids' exploration
Start 'em out young and not only will your life be blessed, but that adorable child of yours will go on into life knowing what the joy of learning is about — and especially with Nature. That's the goal of Rae Alberg and her team of instructors operating the Bend Forest School at — and all around — the Sunriver Nature Center, through a cooperative agreement with the Children's Forest of Central Oregon.
By Jim Anderson
Aug 5, 2020
Natural World
Observing the cycle of life among butterflies and wasps and birds
Just about everyone who reads, watches or listens to nature stories is familiar with the plight of monarch butterflies in the western U.S. Their numbers have dropped from millions to thousands in the last 20 years for a variety of reasons—mostly wrapped around habitat and their food plant, milkweed.
By Jim Anderson
Jul 29, 2020
Natural World
Like it or not, everyone who uses water is unknowingly depending on the dam-building talents of our North American Beaver
No matter how you look at the history of the Pacific Northwest, one native animal stands out in making Oregon what it is today: the North American Beaver. Yes, the same one we see on our state flag.
By Jim Anderson
Jul 15, 2020
Natural World
Invading "murder wasp" spells trouble
The Xerces Society, one of the leading worldwide insect conservation organizations, put on a four-hour Bumble Bee Atlas webinar a couple of weeks back. Right in the middle of it, the presenter, Professor Rich Hatfield, paused in his recitation on bumblebees and placed the illustration at right of the Asian giant wasp on the screen, saying:
By Jim Anderson
Jul 8, 2020
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