WESTERN LIVING JOURNAL: COMMITTED TO PROMOTING AND PRESERVING THE AMERICAN WESTERN LIFESTYLE.
The latest from WLJ!
There’s a place between heaven and hell that is said to be filled with the spirits and haunts of those who have gone before. Who are they and what tales they must have to tell. Perhaps, in a fleeting instant at that time when day passes to night you might catch a glimpse of the spirits unknown. Beware, it just might be you who joins them.
Richard Field Levine, WLJ Photographer
Grizzly Bears Get Set For Winter Sleep
Grizzly bears live in the northernmost parts of the United States and Canada. They live in some of the coldest places in North America. To avoid starvation and the ill effects of the frigid cold, grizzly bears spend the winter months in a state of torpor that resembles sleep. To prepare for their long “hibernation,” grizzly bears go on a food spree, eating and drinking almost constantly in the weeks before the cold weather arrives. These bears either find or dig dens that provide shelter from the elements. Once in the state of torpor, metabolic and heart rates are greatly reduced with the heart rate dropping to 8 to 12 beats per minute. Digestive functions cease to preserve the nutrition stored in the fall feeding frenzy. In some of the colder regions, grizzly bears may remain in the den for 5 to 7 months. When they emerge, these bears will start off with a slow pace and gradually begin to eat, giving their bodies a chance to adjust to their summer lifestyle.
A highly intelligent bird, the Chihuahuan Raven is known to manipulate available objects such as sticks into tools. Its playful habits include aerial acrobatics and games with other ravens. A large bird with an average wing span of 40 plus inches, its life span in the wild is 8 to 15 years which may be extended in captivity to as much as 40 years.
Pony Express Linked the East and West
Mail could travel by Pony Express from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California in about 10 days. It was a nearly 2,000-mile route across 8 states through hostile western territory that required rest stops and relay stations where riders could change mounts and pass off the mail to another rider.
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The lesser prairie chicken, a cousin of the sage grouse, has performed its iconic mating dance on the great American prairie for thousands of years. Its population has dwindled from a million to around 30,000 but its popularity and importance as a symbol of the American prairie has gained in stature. These birds are known for the ritualistic dance performed in groups called leks in the early morning hours. Their animated dancing and the thunderous sounds created by the little birds are a coveted sight with folks who are fortunate enough to catch the performances of these shy birds.
The Lesser Prairie Chicken - An Icon of the American West
Western Living Journal Photographer, Richard Field Levine
Meet Western Living Journal Photographer Richard Field Levine. Richard Field Levine is a professional photographer well-known for his rodeo, ranch and western lifestyle photograhy. He is a native of sunny California. Levine holds the distinctions of being an official photographer for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the historical Hearst Ranch in San Simeon, California.
