Caltech Wildlife: A Welcome Guide
A red-eared slider (left) and a mysterious snapping turtle (right).
A proud yellow-rumped warbler.
A curious fox squirrel. All photos courtesy of Jieyu Zheng.
To the new students at Caltech: welcome! And to returning readers of the Tech: you may have seen my occasional obscure (and sometimes nerdy) coverage of animal lives on campus. I realize I never made a proper introduction, so as the new academic year begins, here’s a quick overview of what to expect if you decide to pay attention to the other living residents of Caltech.
Disclaimer: plants are foundational to life here, but I’m no botanist—so this column will stick to the animals.
Observing nature is a full-body, multimodal experience. It’s not just about what you see; it’s also about what you hear, and sometimes even what you smell in the air. Let the campus engage your senses as you move between classes—nature is always there, buzzy in the background just like angry hummingbirds in a territorial chase.
Dawn Chorus
The animals around us are far better at keeping circadian rhythms than students. Their daily choir starts at dawn, when birds greet each other in Buenos Dias. Two especially prominent (and loud) contributors are the northern mockingbird and the red-crowned Amazon parrot.
Mockingbirds are master local artists. They’ll collect and remix community sounds into their repertoire, including the melodic siren from the fire station on Holliston Ave. The parrots, meanwhile, carry a legendary immigrant story that you can look up in our previous columns. As legit Pasadena locals, they are loud and unforgettable. Listen for their raucous calls at dawn and dusk and remember to look up: you’ll see their short and powerful wingbeats against the pink sky and palm silhouettes.
Palms and Woodpeckers
Speaking of palms: Los Angeles thrives on unusual ecological mashups. The tall palms along campus paths are imports from Asia, while the acorn woodpecker is a true California native. Named for their acorn obsession, these woodpeckers discovered that our imported palms have softer bark than local oaks—perfect for drilling storage holes. If you’re brave enough (and not prone to trypophobia), pause along South Michigan Avenue and admire the woodpeckers’ carefully organized granaries. Soon, they’ll be stocked with acorns for the fall.
Seasonal Visitors
As fall rolls in, the relentless heat eases up, and migration season kicks in. Caltech sits along the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory corridor, so the aviary orchestra changes its lineup accordingly. One of the first to arrive is the yellow-rumped warbler. They will soon start hopping around trees and lawns like they own the place. Keep your eyes open; more migrants will pass through as the season deepens. I already spotted my first Pasadena yellow-rumped warbler in September.
Year-Round Neighbors
And of course, we have a permanent presence of campus representatives. Our resident fox squirrels strut across campus without the slightest fear of humans—at one point, they sparked an infamous and fiery debate among grad students. The red-eared sliders in the turtle pond, often visited by meditative students, are less zen than they look. Coyotes, sometimes mistaken for off-leash dogs, patrol the campus like shepherds and occasionally make surprise appearances outside your office windows.
These consistent residents are important characters in our campus ecosystem, and you’ll find past and future columns dedicated to them. Stay tuned for more stories in future issues!
Curious to learn more about Caltech’s wildlife? Check out this page (QR code below) featuring my photos. Write to us and share your interests. I may organize campus nature walks and invite local naturalists to lead us.
