Bats are getting bad press lately because seven (to date in 2013) have been found in the Santa Clarita Valley that tested positive for rabies. Rabies is around, independent of the bats, and we have more bats that you can imagine. But it’s a good reminder for you to have your pets vaccinated for rabies....

When European settlers discovered our valley, they wrote that they found a “green paradise.” I can easily imagine them standing on our mountains after their long journey and viewing what must have looked like a lush, green valley. That was in the late 1700s. All of this green vegetation was mostly...

It seems we have always had an American kestrel at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, because Wee Bit was with us for so many years. He had broken a wing and could not be released back into the wild, but his life was pleasant enough at Placerita. He did not have to hunt for his food, so that particular...

I grew up in Paris, and while it is a beautiful city with gorgeous monuments and the best croissants ever, there is something seriously missing: hummingbirds. You do not know how lucky you were, growing up, to be able to see hummingbirds year-around in Southern California. They are what is called a “New...

There are many advantages to owning a pet, but I’ll bet you didn’t think it involves lots of research and becoming an expert on multiple topics. I have found it necessary to do so, as part of many of my “adoption” projects.  For example, I wanted a natural-looking pond, using goldfish to...

Part 1 of the story A friend of mine wrote this: “I ran into an old friend doing gardening this morning and stopped to chat. She had a pile of plants she was weeding out, and I was trying to identify them. There was one I did not know, so I took a piece of it to identify later. “I wanted to make...

“County health officials are advising everyone to stay away from California ground squirrels after three were found to be infected with the plague.” What is a ground squirrel? Do you have ground squirrels in your backyard? If you live in a typical Santa Clarita backyard with a sprinkler in action...

A little while ago, I received this phone call: “Evelyne, I need help. A coworker found a baby barn owl in the parking lot, put it in a box and brought it to the office. What should I do?” It is the time of the year when those calls come on a regular basis, and you are dealing with somebody with...

Sorry, everybody, I missed our little weekly talk because I was on vacation. One place I went was an island far away: Lanzarote, which is part of the Canary Islands. It has the same Mediterranean climate as our Santa Clarita Valley. That might seem strange as you’re standing in Newhall, because that...

I have a personal history with turkey vultures, and it is worth taking a few moments to explain. I used to live in Valencia, in the big house with the pool. But being a docent in Placerita, I got a tip that if I were to look carefully in a certain quiet neighborhood in Newhall, I would be able to observe...