Fall has started. I know it is hard to notice in Southern California, but even if the days are still warm, you might have to put a blanket on your bed because the nights are much colder. It’s time to get back in the habit of refilling your bird feeders with seeds. In the summertime, the food supply...

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...

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...

This is the time of the year when you hear a lot of drumming in the trees. It’s mating time for the acorn woodpecker, and he uses this sound to attract a mate. It is a common sound in springtime, but the drumming is also a display to mark territory. It consists of two to 20 evenly spaced taps,...

The cedar waxwing is the only bird I know that gets drunk. How does this happen? About 85 to 90 percent of their diet consists of fruits and berries. They descend on the tree or bush and really gorge themselves until they are all round-bellied and satisfied. They eat voraciously, sometimes feeding on...

A house finch. Photo: NPS [L.A. County Arts Commission] – As of June 11, 2012, all construction at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, a Los Angeles County park, has been put on hold because two active House Finch nests have been found inside of the construction site. The artmaking workshop scheduled for...