Ep. 237 : Turtles of North America With Kyle Horner (and salamander migration mini report back)

Did you know that birds are more closely related to turtles, than turtles are to snakes? I just learned that. Do you know what cloacal breathing is? I bet you do… but how does it work? That’s some of the interesting stuff I got to ask naturalist, author and educator Kyle Horner recently when we spoke about his new book Turtles of North America.
And this week’s show isn’t just about turtles! It is a bit of reptilian and amphibian mashup, because for the second part I give a short report back from a recent field trip down to Sudden Tract to check on Spring salamander migration. Tis the season!

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Ep. 226 : Lichens with Troy McMullin

Lichens been a draw for me for the last few years. When it comes to a diversity of lifeforms coming together in a fungal structure to draw down nutrients from the atmosphere, to beautify a landscape, to feed some of the largest land mammals down to sheltering some of the smallest arthropods, I’m hooked.
For many of us, the problem has been where to start, how to get into the lichens, how to identify them and how and where do we learn what roles and functions these forms of life have on the land?
In comes Dr. Troy McMullin, lichenologist, author of dozens of papers on lichens, describer of 10 species new to science, and author of the new book Lichens : The Macrolichens of Ontario and the Great Lakes Region of the United States out on Firefly Books.

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Ep. 191 : Scat Finder with Dorcas Miller

Finding and identifying scat is definitely part of a trackers repertoire as scat is a gateway into the natural history of the animal who left it. It highlights which species the animal is in relationship with, can help identify where the animal has been, and more generally can teach us more about our land base, which really is the point of this show.

Dorcas and I share stories while I ask questions about her awesome new book. It was an honour to get to talk with Dorcas.

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Ep. 176 : Chasing Bats and Tracking Rats with Dr. Cylita Guy

When I began reading it I realized Dr. Cylita Guy’s new book Chasing Bats and Tracking Rats I realized that it is more than what it seems. Cylita has written about how eight different researchers go about conducting their research along with how they themselves, as individuals, some as BIPOC scientists, interact with and encounter their work.
There are stories of late night encounters with the police, and of a scientist observing birds in park being asked to leave because other park goers were “uncomfortable” likely because the scientist was a Black woman. There are stories of urban ecology researchers that reflect the urban human population dynamics which, in some ways, are comparable to the wilds they work to understand. Life blooms everywhere, and within these pages I read the stories of the broad ecologies which I am not only witness to, but also apart of.

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Ep. 173 : Cartoonist and Author Rosemary Mosco

I really appreciate when I can meet someone who can take something despised and vilified and transform it into a beautiful focal point, braiding together natural history, human history, and urban ecology. Rosemary Mosco is someone who does this on the regular.
I got to talk with Rosemary about her own connections with nature, her award winning comic birdandmoon, really diving deep into Pigeons (Columba livia) and her new book A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching.

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Interview with Tom Wessels, Terrestrial Ecologist (from the archives)

Interview with author, educator, terrestrial ecologist and inspiration, Tom Wessels.
Tom has written extensively on “forest forensics” and what I call “landscape tracking”, learning to read the signs of the forest to identify the ecological history and disturbance events which have affected that landscape. We talk about his books, ways we can imagine the future based on models of organization seen in nature, his ecological knowledge. Well worth the listen.

This interview was originally broadcast November 18, 2019.

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Ep. 142 : Raptor Prey Remains with Ed Drewitt

For Episode 142 I get to talk to Ed Drewitt, naturalist, Peregrine Falcon researcher, and author of Raptor Prey Remains : A guide to identifying what’s been eaten by a bird of prey. We talk about raptor ecology on the broad sense and also get focus on Peregrines.
It was a nice and relaxed interview, with Ed sharing so much of what he has learned through his years of observation and study, and how his book can help those who are getting started in the world of tracking birds of prey by learning to correctly identify that which they prey upon.

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Ep. 137 : Dr. Mark Elbroch and The Cougar Conundrum

Wonderful interview with Mountain Lion biologist and author Dr. Mark Elbroch, talking about his new book "The Cougar Conundrum : Sharing the World with a Successful Predator".

Mark Elbroch shares some Cougar natural history and we hear his thoughts on the role media can play in Cougar conservation and his work with Panthera, a large Cat conservation organization protecting Cats around the world.