By Rob
If you can’t handle the cuteness of little bear cubs – look out! The Pennsylvania Game Commission has a live-stream camera on a female black bear (called a sow) denning for the winter. This sow picked a spot under a house deck in Monroe County, PA as it’s cozy den to hibernate for the winter. We’ve been able to watch her and her new cub napping, nursing, and the mom just trying to keep the little one out of trouble. Continue reading
By Rob and Maria
We woke up to pouring rain outside. It was still dark. The sun wouldn’t rise for another 90 minutes or so, but we probably wouldn’t notice right away through the heavy clouds anyway. Ah well, the rain might dampen the ground, but not our spirits! Today was our Christmas Bird Count, and science stops for no rain! We just pulled on layers of leggings, wool socks, thermal shirts, and flannel, topped with rain jackets and rain pants. It was time to count some birds! Continue reading
By Maria
Ever catch yourself staring out the window, perhaps at 2:15 on a Tuesday, only to realize you’re not really looking at the trees and traffic outside? Perhaps you’re really looking at the ruins of an old Irish castle, hauntingly beautiful in its age and surrounded by rolling green hills. Or perhaps you’re exploring the streets of a small Hungarian village—not understanding a single word around, but overjoyed by the new experience of cobblestone under your feet and the inviting smells from bakeries and little restaurants. Or maybe you’re lounging in a chair under a palm tree, toes in the sand, and watching the brilliant turquoise of ocean water gently roll up the beach and back.
If any of this rings a proverbial bell, you, my friend, might have wanderlust. Especially if this desire to travel and explore is intense, and you’re willing to work with whatever budget you have, the tourism industry would define you as a wanderluster. Continue reading
By Rob
During the past few weeks I’ve gotten to go on a few outdoor adventures with my wife. She’s truly the perfect adventure partner, always up for getting dirty or sweaty, equally enjoying chasing some bird down a trail to snap a picture or making a coffee stop. And she knows quite a bit about what we’re looking at while outdoors (Maria: he’s being sweet).
Coffee…the most important part of going outdoors
I’ve always found many positive things in the outdoors, solace when getting over a heart-ache, adventure while orienteering, quiet conversations while fishing with my family, and the chance to push my physical limits when biking and running. A new aspect I’ve recently started adding is that of an aspiring naturalist.
cit·i·zen sci·ence
noun
noun: citizen science
- the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists.
When I was a kid, I had a burning desire to see how much electricity was in a bolt of lightning. I didn’t understand watts, volts, amps, or Ohms yet. All I wanted to know was if those bright streaks that crashed to the ground were strong enough to power a light bulb. Continue reading
I don’t think I can remember my first trip to a zoo. My family visited the Columbus Zoo often when I was little, and the numerous visits have blurred together over the years and decades. What never blurred, though, was my love for the animals I saw on each visit. I remember parking myself at the gorilla exhibit over and over, and the awe never diminished. I had read all about these animals in the library books I regularly hoarded, but to see them live, in front me…to realize how powerful and how intelligent they were…to see how the silverback Mumba interacted with his family, sometimes playing with the young ones or chastising them when they got a little too goofy for his breakfast time preference…to see how curious they could even be about us humans…what a beautiful thing. Even as a child, I wanted to show the whole world how precious these creatures were. As I grew older, that passion to inspire love increased especially as I learned more about their decline in the wild and its implications. Continue reading
Friends, family, and readers! I’m interested in getting a bit of background information on the folks who regularly or occasionally read my blog. (Or heck, even if you’ve never read it, but you were intrigued by my dazzling flowery banner at the top.) My goal is to learn a little bit more about all of you so that I can better meet your interests and reading needs.
Once you have taken the survey, either message my Facebook blog page or comment “Done!” on the Facebook share. On Wednesday, July 13th, I’ll randomly pick one person to win their choice of either $10 to Starbucks or two tickets to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. (And to ensure it’s random, I’ll use a spreadsheet.)
Thanks so much! Keep exploring!
Well, ladies and gentlemen, we did indeed find wildlife on my trail camera! It was mostly deer, but I still think it’s a great way to visualize the natural world around even a suburban area.
Nice young buck, velvet still on his antlers.
Just a little fawn, still adorable with her spots 🙂
Think she spotted the camera?
Gettin in that Saturday morning jog!
Bonus Footage: I think a train went by. Or did the neighbors leave their fire-breathing dragon out again?
Bonus Footage: This must be from when I dropped the camera during the set-up process. Looks like swirly fun in an impressionistic dream kind of way.
I’m going to leave the camera out for a bit longer, and I can keep you updated if I find anything else exciting!
In the meanwhile, if you are interested in some hands-on field work, but with the help of naturalists and scientists, the National Park Service is holding a series of BioBlitzes across the country this year in honor of 100 years of parks. BioBlitzes are a citizen science effort of conducting biological surveys in a short period of time. They are a great way to go on a guided exploration of biodiversity, plus they can be a huge help to keeping inventory of all living things in the focus area–from animals to plants to fungi, everything! Many of the BioBlitzes occurred in May, but different parks around the country are hosting their events all the way until later in the year. The map on the NPS page will help you search for BioBlitzes near you.
Well, that’s it for today. Keep exploring!
Turn on Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, or Nat Geo Channel, and you will probably be able to find a couple cool shows about exciting animals. Fierce predators, insanely huge fish, marine mammals that you just want to cuddle to pieces – really interesting stuff! The downside is that most wildlife shows focus on “exotic” animals. You’ve probably even seen a show on something like arctic foxes from the tundra or elephants herd on the African grasslands, but a PBS Nature special your own backyard wildlife? Maybe not quite as common. So how about we take a firsthand look at what’s in our own neighborhoods together? How will we do that?
Ladies and Gentlemen, for my next trick, I would like to make pictures out of thin air! Well, I’ll take pictures with a strategically placed trail camera that is motion-and-heat-sensing to allow snaps of moving animals but not the blowing wind. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it…ah well.
Trail cameras, or camera traps, are a fantastic way for researchers to observe elusive wildlife (like snow leopards or Andean bears), and state and federal agencies use them monitor wildlife populations across the country. I used a trail camera in my Wildlife Monitoring class that I taught at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, and I’ve heard of some school districts allowing teachers to use them for class projects. But, honestly, they can also be useful for learning on your own or with your kids.
If you guys would like to play along at home, I bought this camera:
Sparkly background not included
It’s a Cuddeback trail camera that I got from Cabela’s for $99. Though often used by hunters, I just want to scope out what kind of wildlife is right there under my nebby nose. I’m setting this up today in the backyard of a friend’s house, so I will be sure to share with you all as soon as I have some images!
For those of you want to try this, I would highly encourage you to give it a whirl. If you’re concerned about the price, let me know and I can try to put folks in touch if they would like to share a camera. Land owners, you might be amazed with what visits your property. If you really don’t have any space (I don’t either, no worries), it might worth a try to ask a local park if they would let you do a trail camera survey for fun. They might be interested in what you find as well! Just be sure when you’re using a camera that you obey all local ordinances involving privacy, and if it’s not your land, ALWAYS get permission first!
Once you’ve found a camera, it simply needs to be placed (mine straps around a tree), and then left alone. Super easy. Do keep in mind where the camera is pointing, or you will have pictures of either all dirt of all tree top. I would also recommend checking your camera on a regular basis to be sure it isn’t stolen or damaged. Beyond that, if you’re just placing a camera for the joy of learning, it’s a very simple process. (If you are interested in more technical details for research or wildlife management, see here.)
In the past, I’ve used my trail cam in the Highland Park area in Pittsburgh. We’ll see what I find next in the North Hills!
That was MY clover!!
Female at night
Young buck at night
Ahh, the elusive Maria Sleeve.
Linnaeus and the Lamppost 