Congratulations to those receiving certifications and milestones for March, April, and May 2022.

Rio Grande ground squirrels populate the southern and western areas of Texas. They are less than 11 inches in length, their moderately bushy tail is about four and one-half inches long; they usually have nine rows of squarish white spots on the back of their coat and whitish buff underparts. Males weigh less than three-quarters…

For me, this year’s City Nature Challenge (CNC) was the best. I began to feel the thrill that I suspect real birders feel when they add a rare species to a Life List, because I was dazzled by some out-of-the-ordinary birds. At least they were out-of-the-ordinary for me—this is also a story about my naïve…

The Tiger of the Treetops glides silently through the dark forest, its bright yellow eyes searching for a meal. Perhaps a mouse, bird, rabbit or even a skunk will fall prey to this feathered predator during the many hours of darkness.

An aura of grey-olive drab fur on the moth sheet caught my eye in the early dawn light. The lone moth was on the sheet long after the other night flyers had scarpered off to their daytime venues. I took advantage of the opportunity to capture photos from several angles. I rely on www.iNaturalist.org to…

Observers in the 15 participating Texas regions identified 7,500+ species over the two phases of the challenge. Phase 1 was four days to photograph and make observations. Then we had the next week to finish uploading and get things identified on iNaturalist. This year, 2022, was our best year by far in observations and species…