The color white represents catharsis in alchemy. It’s the point at which a blackened substance, through heat and reactivity, develops a white crust and then puffs into a cloud inside the alchemist’s flask. It’s the stage at which future possibilities become apparent as a material is transformed from one to the other. And it’s symbolized…
The Turkeys I’ve [Almost] Known
This post is a tribute to the wild turkeys who walk among us. Every year, Hugh and I Adopt a Turkey from Farm Sanctuary. And every year, I try to somehow commemorate the awesomeness of the wild turkeys I’ve been privileged to be among and photograph. The timing of this new episode from Nature on…
Don’t Trust the Photographer
Hugh is an exceptional mimic, so when we heard wild turkeys in the scrub ahead of us, I asked him if he thought he could mimic that call. He’s an ace at Donald Duck. How tough can a wild turkey be by comparison?
No Room at the Inn: A Quail’s Tale
Japanese Quail are known for shooting upward like missiles, and they can even kill themselves by hitting their noggins on hard surfaces. A Japanese Quail can shoot up and out through a space in the bag that’s narrower than my arm . . .
Thanksgiving Tribute to Berkeley’s Turkeys
Photo collage of wild turkeys in Berkeley. The photos were taken in the Berkeley hills and in Tilden Park.
Visiting Hours Over
A male Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) roots around just before dusk at the Nature Center in Tilden Park.
Things to Know (and Love) About a Japanese Quail
He was misidentified but not forgotten — this lone Japanese Quail who fluttered his way into a wildlife hospital and then, into our hands and hearts. We gave him an appropriately Japanese name: “Mikiko” which, loosely translated, means “child of the tree.” A fellow volunteer pointed out that he is not, in fact, a child…
The Case of the Misidentified Quail
He handed over the box: “A rescued quail.” We volunteer at a wildlife hospital, so a safe assumption might be California Quail. But assumptions are silly in a world where us newer volunteers sometimes mess up species identification. This bird clearly wasn’t a California Quail. Their markings are distinct and easy once you know them. “It’s…
