Urban Wildlife

Although I live in the city, I’m often reminded that the wild outdoors isn’t too far away.  Over the weekend, a man was bitten by a rattlesnake while hiking in a neighboring county.  Bear sightings aren’t unusual in the suburbs, and even occasionally within the city limits.  We currently have not one, but two sets of peregrine falcons nesting on skyscrapers.  And last Friday, a juvenile bald eagle was spotted passing through Oakland.

If you’re trying to develop an eye for the nature documentary playing out in your city, here are a few things that may interest you –




Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife by Marie Winn

You may have heard of Pale Male and Lola, a pair of red-tailed hawks who nest on an apartment building outside of Central Park in New York City.  Winn explores the whole ecosystem into which they fit, from dragonflies to dogwalkers.




Coyote At the Kitchen Door: Living With Wildlife in Suburbia by Stephen DeStefano

In what is perhaps a clever way of presenting the intersection of wild coyotes and suburban humans, this book is half natural history and half memoir.







Urban Nature: Poems About Wildlife in the City, edited by Laure-Anne Bosselaar

This anthology brings together more than 13o poems that celebrate the overlap of city and nature.










Wildlife of Pennsylvania and the Northeast by Charles Fergus

Get to know the critters in your back yard.  This book describes more than 300 species in fascinating depth.










Animal Tracks of New York and Pennsylvania by Tamara Eder

Say you’ve never actually seen the animal you want to identify.  The detailed drawings in this book can help you determine what’s been prowling around your yard at night.







Deer-Resistant Landscaping: Proven Advice and Strategies for Outwitting Deer and 20 Other Pesky Mammals by Neil Soderstrom

And for those of you who have had about enough of your local wildlife, try deterring it from your yard with these low-impact ideas.




-Denise