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Articles by Caleb Clarkson
NATURE NOTES: The Conservation Conversation
One of the most satisfying things I’ve experienced during my few years in conservation is seeing a breeding season through from beginning to end. As the first Wilson’s plovers and least terns arrive for the season, the opening pages of a six-month saga begin to unfold. Staking out territory, finding a mate, building a nest, laying eggs and withstanding the outlandish whims of Texas weather on the Gulf Coast isn’t even the half of it. And sometimes, I immaturely think, “… and for what?” kAm%96?
Nature Notes: Turkey vultures are roadkill recyclers
On the rural county roads of coastal Texas, the carcasses of animals that met the ultimate wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time fate occasionally pepper the ditches and culverts along the unshouldered, two-lane roads. As I drive past roadkill, I try to save myself the grisly details by keeping my eyes on the road. Often, I fail. When I cross paths with roadkill, I can’t help but try to identify the creature and figure out how everything went wrong. Maybe someone ought to.
NATURE NOTES: C5's day a very human-like existence
The morning sun finally clears the dunes of Matagorda Peninsula, casting long shadows across the windswept sand. As humans yawn, stretch and amble off to work, the day has already started for a hard-working Wilson’s plover. She is known simply known as “C5” after the code etched onto a band placed on her leg by researchers.
Nature Notes: Spend a Day with C5
The morning sun finally clears the dunes of Matagorda Peninsula, casting long shadows across the windswept sand. As humans yawn, stretch and amble off to work, the day has already started for a hard-working Wilson’s plover. She is known simply known as “C5”, after the code etched onto a band placed on her leg by researchers.
NATURE NOTES: Intellect doesn't explain every animal behavior
Frequently, I find myself being surprised by the behaviors of animals while exploring the natural areas of the Gulf Coast. Whether it’s grackles waiting patiently at Buc-ee’s to feast on a buffet of car-crushed lovebugs or a reddish egret using its wings to shade the sun for better visibility in the water, I find myself wondering: How does it know how to do that? As humans, it’s easy to say, “that’s smart!” when we see these kinds of interesting and successful tactics.
NATURE NOTES: Spring migration about to take flight
Spring is an exciting time to be a bird nerd on the Texas Gulf Coast. As fresh buds begin to swell on the trees and Texas shakes off the grasp of frigid northern winds, birds that previously fled to warmer regions grow restless to return. For many species, spring migration isn’t just a cross-country voyage; it’s a race to secure the best habitat for foraging, breeding and raising young.
Nature Notes: Spring migration doesn’t always go according to plan
Spring is an exciting time to be a bird nerd on the Texas Gulf Coast. As fresh buds begin to swell on the trees and Texas shakes off the grasp of frigid northern winds, birds that previously fled to warmer regions grow restless to return. For many species, spring migration isn’t just a cross-country voyage; it’s a race to secure the best habitat for foraging, breeding and raising young.
NATURE NOTES: Nurtured by Nature
In my personal life, there are times when my brain feels like it is moving a million miles per minute. Whether it is personal struggles, friction with friends, goals and aspirations, or the mental list of random items I need to grab before leaving the house, it is always changing and evolving, and my brain is always thinking. Some days, it seems like the orbits of my thoughts align. These are the days I feel overwhelmed and the days I tend to be most critical of myself.
Nature Notes: Nurtured by Nature
NATURE NOTES In my personal life, there are times when my brain feels like it is moving a million miles per minute. Whether it is personal struggles, friction with friends, goals and aspirations, or the mental list of random items I need to grab before leaving the house, it is always changing and evolving, and my brain is always thinking. Some days, it seems like the orbits of my thoughts align. These are the days I feel overwhelmed, and the days I tend to be most critical of myself.
I Spy an Eyelid
When birds dip, dive, run or fly in the natural world, things are bound to get messy, especially when it comes to securing a potential future meal. For many bird species, their greatest hunting weapon is their beak, which they use to grab prey and consume it as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, as hunting usually goes, things can get chaotic. Catching prey often means getting their beak (and their very fragile face) right into the fray.
Starlings favorite perch down to the wire
Around this time of year, when high Texas temperatures finally break into pleasant breezes of somewhat autumnal air, large, ominous flocks of black birds descend on the parking lots of my local H-E-B in Waco, Texas. They line up along the power lines, almost perfectly equidistant from one another, and closely survey their newly claimed spot. They keep an eye out for any scraps of tortilla, kolache, or other foodstuffs that they might eat.
Nature Notes: Down to the wire
Around this time of year, when high Texas temperatures finally break into pleasant breezes of somewhat autumnal air, large, ominous flocks of black birds descend on the parking lots of my local H-E-B in Waco. They line up along the power lines, almost perfectly equidistant from one another, and closely survey their newly claimed spot. They keep an eye out for any scraps of tortilla, kolache or other foodstuffs that they might eat.
NATURE NOTES: The Ways of Waterways
Living on the Texas coast means being surrounded by water. In a single day, you might visit the Gulf, drive along a bay and cross a river before heading home. Or was it a creek? Or a bayou? These names aren’t just for show. They describe different kinds of water with unique sizes, depths, salinities and flows.
Understanding the ways of waterways
Living on the Texas coast means being surrounded by water. In a single day, you might visit the Gulf, drive along a bay, and cross a river before heading home. Or was it a creek? Or a bayou? These names aren’t just for show; they describe different kinds of water with unique sizes, depths, salinities, and flows.
The ways of waterways
Living on the Texas coast means being surrounded by water. In a single day, you might visit the Gulf, drive along a bay and cross a river before heading home. Or was it a creek? Or a bayou? These names aren’t just for show; they describe different kinds of water with unique sizes, depths, salinities and flows.
NATURE NOTES: Fowl call answers fair question
Come one, come all and gather ’round as we try to solve an age-old question: Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Two hundred years ago, this question was easily and confidently answered: “All species that exist now have always existed, and before the first egg emerged, the first chicken had to sit down and lay it. Therefore, the chicken came before the egg.” It wasn’t until 1859 that perceptions of species origination began to change.
Can you answer this age-old cracking question?
Come one, come all, and gather ‘round as we try to solve an age-old question ... What came first? The chicken or the egg? Some 200 years ago, this question was easily and confidently answered: “All species that exist now have always existed, and before the first egg emerged, the first chicken had to sit down and lay it. Therefore, the chicken came before the egg!” It wasn’t until 1859 that perceptions of species origination began to change.
A cracking question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Come one, come all and gather ‘round as we try to solve an age-old question … Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Two hundred years ago, this question was easily and confidently answered: “All species that exist now have always existed, and before the first egg emerged, the first chicken had to sit down and lay it. Therefore, the chicken came before the egg!” It wasn’t until 1859 that perceptions of species origination began to change.
Why land conservation in Texas is so crucial
One thing that Texas is known for is its immense size. It’s the largest state in the contiguous United States and covers 171.9 million acres. At twice the size of Germany, the state spans many regions of different geological, biological, and historical importance. However, roughly 95% of the land in Texas is privately owned, a ratio that places it at 6th in the nation.
NATURE NOTES: Conserving Land in Texas
One thing Texas is known for is its immense size. It’s the largest state in the contiguous United States and covers 171.9 million acres. At twice the size of Germany, the state spans many regions of different geological, biological and historical importance. However, roughly 95 percent of the land in Texas is privately owned, a ratio that places it at sixth in the nation.
Conserving land in Texas
One thing that Texas is known for is its immense size. It’s the largest state in the contiguous United States and covers 171.9 million acres. At twice the size of Germany, the state spans many regions of different geological, biological and historical importance. However, roughly 95% of the land in Texas is privately owned, a ratio that places it at 6th in the nation.
Observing nature: The birds in our words
Some of the most colorful parts of the English language are the many beloved sayings and popular adages that have emerged over time. Many seem to be burned into my brain, and I reflexively recall that “watched pots never boil” and that “even broken clocks are right twice a day” whenever applicable. Sayings like these are often well-known and well-used throughout the language and usually have deeper meanings past their literal interpretations.
NATURE NOTES: Creatures benefit from mimicry
Growing up, I can remember almost all of the tattered and worn posters that adorned the classrooms of my school. Many of them had historical timelines, periodic tables and the like. However, many said roughly the same thing in different fonts, colors and shapes: “Be Yourself.” For kids in school scared about fitting in, the often-repeated phrase can help ease anxieties. However, for creatures and critters out in the wild, it can be quite advantageous to “be” someone or something else.
NATURE NOTES: Mockingbirds are copy critters
Growing up, I can remember almost all of the tattered and worn posters that adorned the classrooms of my school. Many of them had historical timelines, periodic tables and the like. However, many said roughly the same thing in different fonts, colors, and shapes- “Be Yourself.” For kids in school scared about fitting in, the often-repeated phrase can help ease anxieties. However, for creatures and critters out in the wild, it can be quite advantageous to “be” someone or something else.
How animals survive through the art of mimicry
Growing up, I can remember almost all of the tattered and worn posters that adorned the classrooms of my school. Many of them had historical timelines, periodic tables, and the like. However, many said roughly the same thing in different fonts, colors, and shapes — “Be Yourself.” For kids in school scared about fitting in, the often-repeated phrase can help ease anxieties. However, for creatures and critters out in the wild, it can be quite advantageous to “be” someone or something else.
Copy Creatures often can find an advantage
Growing up, I can remember almost all of the tattered and worn posters that adorned the classrooms of my school. Many of them had historical timelines, periodic tables, and the like. However, many said roughly the same thing in different fonts, colors, and shapes- “Be Yourself.” For kids in school scared about fitting in, the often-repeated phrase can help ease anxieties.
The lessons we can learn by simply observing nature
Some of the most colorful parts of the English language are the many beloved sayings and popular adages that have emerged over time. Many seem to be burned into my brain, and I reflexively recall that “watched pots never boil” and that “even broken clocks are right twice a day” whenever applicable. Sayings like these are often well-known and well-used throughout the language and usually have deeper meanings past their literal interpretations.
NATURE NOTES: The Birds in Our Words
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NATURE NOTES: The birds in our words
Some of the most colorful parts of the English language are the many beloved sayings and popular adages that have emerged over time. Many seem to be burned into my brain, and I reflexively recall that “watched pots never boil” and that “even broken clocks are right twice a day” whenever applicable. Sayings like these are often well-known and well-used throughout the language and usually have deeper meanings past their literal interpretations.
Nature Notes: How sound shapes our world and the lives around us
The world is a big place filled with noise. Even the places we believe to be silent and peaceful have something to say if you listen closely. Deep in Antarctica, darkened by perpetual polar nights, glaciers settling and wind blowing can be heard across the ice. The so-called “barren” deserts of the American West are peppered with the sounds of critters stashed away in the shade.
NATURE NOTES: Sounds deepen understanding of nature
The world is a big place filled with noise. Even the places we believe to be silent and peaceful have something to say if we listen closely. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. For us busy humans, it’s not necessarily that we can’t hear those quiet noises, it’s that we just haven’t noticed them or taken the time to listen. You can try it yourself. Go to a quiet spot outdoors and listen closely. … Are there any sounds you can identify?
Appreciate the noisy, lively world shared with animals
The world is a big place filled with noise. Even the places we believe to be silent and peaceful have something to say if you listen closely. Deep in Antarctica, darkened by perpetual polar nights, glaciers settling and wind blowing can be heard across the ice. The so-called “barren” deserts of the American West are peppered with the sounds of critters stashed away in the shade.
NATURE NOTES: Texas a much different place during Ice Age
As the year progresses and temperatures drop, we occasionally get a cool, crisp break from what seems like the never-ending heat of summer. Even as Halloween decorations go up and pumpkins appear in stores, occasional hot days and the last throes of summer interrupt our slow transition to the holiday season and cooler days fondly called “sweater weather.” Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Warm thoughts of an icy age
As the year progresses and temperatures drop, we occasionally get a cool, crisp break from what seems like the never-ending heat of summer. Even as Halloween decorations go up and pumpkins appear in stores, occasional hot days and the last throes of summer interrupt our slow transition to the holiday season and cooler days fondly called “sweater weather.” However, Texas wasn’t always this hot. Many years ago, roughly 11,000-12,000 years ago, Texas was much bigger and considerably cooler.
NATURE NOTES: Warm Thoughts of an Icey Age
As the year p rogresses and temperatures drop, we occasionally get a cool, crisp break from what seems like the never-ending heat of summer. Even as Halloween decorations go up and pumpkins appear in stores, occasional hot days and the last throes of summer interrupt our slow transition to the holiday season and cooler days fondly called “sweater weather.” Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
NATURE NOTES: Columbian Mammoth roamed Texas before extinction
As the year progresses and temperatures drop, we occasionally get a cool, crisp break from what seems like the never-ending heat of summer. Even as Halloween decorations go up and pumpkins appear in stores, occasional hot days and the last throes of summer interrupt our slow transition to the holiday season and cooler days fondly called “sweater weather.” However, Texas wasn’t always this hot. Many years ago, roughly 11 to 12 thousand years ago, Texas was much bigger and considerably cooler.
NATURE NOTES: Warm thoughts of an icy age
As the year progresses and temperatures drop, we occasionally get a cool, crisp break from what seems like the never-ending heat of summer. Even as Halloween decorations go up and pumpkins appear in stores, occasional hot days and the last throes of summer interrupt our slow transition to the holiday season and cooler days fondly called “sweater weather”. However, Texas wasn’t always this hot. Many years ago, roughly 11-12 thousand years ago, Texas was much bigger and considerably cooler.
Don’t Brush Off Brush Piles!
When a large storm like Hurricane Beryl passes through an area, the trees and vegetation in its path are subject to strong gusts of wind that can shear off old branches and even uproot or break the trees in half completely. I often forget the tremendous power of wind, until I am inevitably reminded by the ridiculous amount of knocked-down branches and trees that need to be moved from one place to another, brush pile after brush pile.
NATURE NOTES: Don't brush off brush piles
When a large storm like Hurricane Beryl passes through an area, the trees and vegetation in its path are subject to strong gusts of wind that can shear off old branches and even uproot or break the trees in half completely. I often forget the tremendous power of wind, until I am inevitably reminded by the ridiculous volume of knocked-down branches and trees that need to be moved from one place to another, brush pile after brush pile.
Natures Notes: Don’t brush off brush piles
When a large storm like Hurricane Beryl passes through an area, the trees and vegetation in its path are subject to strong gusts of wind that can shear off old branches and even uproot or break the trees in half completely. I often forget the tremendous power of wind, until I am inevitably reminded by the ridiculous amount of knocked-down branches and trees that need to be moved from one place to another, brush pile after brush pile.
Pining for old growth forests
I fondly remember the trees that filled the yards and turfed alleys of my central Texas childhood neighborhood where I grew up. At the start of summer, when school finally got out, fragrant southern catalpas ceremoniously started the new season by drizzling cool dew and delicate white flowers across our yards, porches, and walkways.
NATURE NOTES: Pining for old-growth forests
I fondly remember the trees that filled the yards and turfed alleys of the Central Texas childhood neighborhood where I grew up. At the start of summer, when school finally got out, fragrant southern catalpas ceremoniously started the new season by drizzling cool dew and delicate white flowers across our yards, porches and walkways.
Pining for old growth forests - Nature Notes
I fondly remember the trees that filled the yards and turfed alleys of my central Texas childhood neighborhood where I grew up. At the start of summer, when school finally got out, fragrant southern catalpas ceremoniously started the new season by drizzling cool dew and delicate white flowers across our yards, porches, and walkways.
A sky brimming with stars is a treasure to protect
The stars have always been important for both humans and animals. For humans, we are able to see shapes in the millions of stars, and pick out complex constellations. For each of these constellations, there are many different stories across cultures concerning what it might mean, or what we might learn from it. For example, citizens of ancient Greece believed that each constellation was placed there by the gods to serve as moral guides.
NATURE NOTES: Darker skies mean brighter futures
The stars have always been important for both humans and animals. For humans, we are able to see shapes in the millions of stars and pick out complex constellations. For each of these constellations, there are many different stories across cultures concerning what it might mean or what we might learn from it. For example, citizens of ancient Greece believed each constellation was placed there by the gods to serve as moral guides.
Nature Notes: For brighter futures, we need darker skies
The stars have always been important for both humans and animals. For humans, we are able to see shapes in the millions of stars, and pick out complex constellations. For each of these constellations, there are many different stories across cultures concerning what it might mean, or what we might learn from it. For example, citizens of ancient Greece believed that each constellation was placed there by the gods to serve as moral guides.
Nature Notes: Darker skies for brighter futures
The stars have always been important for both humans and animals. For humans, we are able to see shapes in the millions of stars, and pick out complex constellations. For each of these constellations, there are many different stories across cultures concerning what it might mean, or what we might learn from it. For example, citizens of ancient Greece believed that each constellation was placed there by the gods to serve as moral guides.
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