We’re approaching mid-January, the time of year when the Following Deer Creek (FDC) Project first came into being (2017). Like the Earth circling around the Sun and the planetary water cycle, we’ve completed a journey. I set out to tell the story of the Deer Creek watershed from its tectonic and cultural origins to the people and animals who live … Read More
River Otters – Holt Hiding, Wiggly Weasel Cousin
River Otters are apex predators like mountain lions, coyotes, sharks, and killer whales. In healthy ecosystems, they maintain balance. Habitat & History Before North America’s European colonization and the fur trade (that continued until 1961), River Otters inhabited every fresh waterway on the continent. For a species greatly impacted by human behavior, they have become a beacon of hope for … Read More
Happy Cavity Nesting Families – Western Bluebird
Bird of Good Cheer and a Hopeful Spring Throughout history, and within many cultures, bluebirds symbolize happiness, protection, and hope. People may have first taken notice of the birds because of their unusual coloring, or for their behavior; swooping through meadows and open spaces, cheerful song, or large family units raising young each spring. When the bluebirds start building nests … Read More
Hummingbird – High-Speed Nectar Sipper
The hummingbird is one of the world’s smallest, oldest, and most adapted living bird species. Part of the Trochilidae family, hummingbirds are in the Apodiforme subfamily, which means ‘unfooted’. Because their wings move them around so well, they don’t need feet for much more than perching. Between North and South America, over 800 plant species have evolved to rely on … Read More
Columbia Black-tailed Deer – Crepuscular Cud Chewer
The word ‘deer’ is an irregular noun. It is used for both single and multiple animals. Deer are also crepuscular, active during twilight hours. Of the six subspecies of mule deer living in California, Nevada County is home to two; the California mule deer (west side of Sierra Nevadas to the southern coast) and the Columbia black-tailed deer (Northern California … Read More
