"We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals . .They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth." Henry Beston

For World Wildlife Day

The Yosemite Conservancy webcams views are glorious right now with this storm.

Your Daily Pika: An ode to pika poop! These little peppercorn poops are as adorable as the pika. Pika also eat their feces and the second poop is denser and lasts a long time-years, even decades. Scientists even do carbon dating on it to learn about historic pika trends. The more you know!

Happy Lunar New Year! Here’s a beautiful California mountain king snake to celebrate Year of the Snake.

Your Daily Pika: A youngster saying hello at Gaylor Lakes in Yosemite in 2022.

We might get some snow and rain this weekend, and we need it. The @yoseconservancy.bsky.social ‘s webcam photo of the Yosemite high country on today’s date this year as compared to last year.

That’s no moon. It’s Venus! I can’t believe how bright she is shining tonight.

Second photo you can see both Mars and Jupiter.

Get outside, the stargazing is amazing tonight!

I just love the Douglas squirrels or chickarees as they are nicknamed-their loud chatter and playful antics are always fun to encounter in the Yosemite high country.

#SquirrelAppreciationDay

A chickaree I encountered at Gaylor Lakes in Yosemite.

To celebrate #squirrelappreciationday, going to share our Sierra squirrels.

First up: Meet "A Dapper Chunk of Spunkiness” or the Belding ground squirrel.

Photo of a Belding ground squirrel I met near Mt Dana.

Your Daily Pika: Meet Sophie. She's a cute little pika that lived in Yosemite for three years. This was my first encounter with Sophie as a youngster in the summer of 2018.

“…So few grains of happiness
measured against all the dark
and still the scales balance.

The world asks of us
only the strength we have and we give it.
Then it asks more, and we give it.”

Jane Hirshfield

I will keep walking forward. I will continue to give.

Love Yosemite from above! My friend Jennifer Fearing flew over the Sierra yesterday and and shared some photos with me. I added some labels to help with orientation. So cool! Would like to see more snow.

Badge of honor! Leader on @inaturalist.bsky.social for western gray squirrel observations. My backyard squirrels do like their picture taken :D

Your Daily Pika: "...how can you not fall in love with this round little critter who trumpets a boisterous call… dashes and bounds over the rocks..after flashing you their itsy-bitsy furry pajama-bottom feet ..?"

From my book Yosemite Wildlife, w/ @yoseconservancy.bsky.social , coming this fall!