Welcome to Wild Things: From Shore to Sea!

This blog’s origins lie in a wildlife column I write for the Easy Reader, the local weekly newspaper serving the beach cities just south of Los Angeles including El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. During a conversation with Mark McDermott, a reporter and editor for the Easy Reader, he mentioned they had been looking for a wildlife columnist for months and asked if I would be interested. I thought it sounded awesome and jumped at the chance.

As a naturalist for the whale watch program sponsored by Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and ACS/LA, I was looking forward to writing about my favorite whales and dolphins. But once I started researching for the column I found a bounty of endlessly interesting  information on every creature. And with each new column I had a new favorite wild critter with an even crazier or more fascinating trait than the last. In the case of wildlife, fact is stranger than fiction.

This blog allows me to post the columns in one handy place and also add some of the great information I find that I just don’t have room for in the column. My goal is to convey information about wildlife along California’s coast using science and humor.

There is so much great scientific information available, but not all of it’s accessible or easy to digest. It’s my job as the writer to take that information and make it fun and understandable. If you learn something new and chuckle while reading this blog, then I will be content.

Eventually I will be expanding the concept of Wild Things to cover topics beyond wildlife and include other wild things such as coastal plants, rogue waves, ocean currents and much more. In the meantime, thanks for reading and check back for updates on more Wild Things!