If you have ever watched a cat preparing to pounce on its favorite toy, you may have seen it wiggle its back legs from side to side just before it leaps. Why do they do that? It would seem that the movement would alert their prey, so there has to be a good reason for the behavior. To understand that, we need to learn a bit about muscles and tendons.

Because I post so many science photos, I get quite a few questions about photography. Some want to know what camera I use (Nikon D7000) or what editing software I use (Photoshop and Lightroom), but probably the most common questions is, "How do you manage to find so many things to photograph?"

Because of our rural location, a trip to town for groceries is also a delightful opportunity for photography. Today was no exception. I managed to capture a few shots of the Bald Eagles that are winter visitors to the canyon. It would have been nice if they had come closer, but it was still a treat. No matter how often I see them, I still love watching them.

A fun part of studying birds is learning about their behavior. If you understand what they do and why, you can use that knowledge to get a better look at them.

Now that we live in Johnson Canyon, Utah, we have all sorts of wildlife wandering through our yard, but we saw plenty of wildlife even when we lived in the city. All it takes is a walk to the neighborhood park.