Nature Guys

In this edition of Through the Eyes of Nature Guys, Bill shares stories of trips to one of his top two destinations in the world - the Galapagos Islands.

Related episodes:

• Bill's Travel Tips http://natureguys.org/bills-travel-tips/
• Belize http://natureguys.org/belize/

Our sources for this episode include:

• The experiences of Bill on his trips to the Galapagos

The Mourning Dove is easy to find both by sight and by ear.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Fun Mourning Dove Facts http://backyardbirdingblog.com/fun-mourning-dove-facts/
• Mourning Dove https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/lifehistory
• The Secret Life of the Mourning Dove http://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/the-secret-life-of-the-mourning-dove

This is a bird that is so friendly it will eat out of your hand! Tune in to find out more about this cute little bird that is easy to find.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Black-capped chickadees are amazing little birds - https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/thom-smith-naturewatch-black-capped-chickadees-are-amazing-little-birds,532813
• 10 Interesting Facts About Chickadees - https://www.backyardchirper.com/blog/10-interesting-facts-about-chickadees/
• Carolina Chickadees - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_Chickadee/overview

This is a bird that is easily identified. It will come to your feeder and is a year round resident in Cincinnati. Tune in to learn more about the little bird with the bad haircut.

Our sources for this episode include:

• What is a Titmouse? - http://www.10000birds.com/titmouse.htm
• Titmouse - https://www.britannica.com/animal/titmouse
• Tufted Titmouse - https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/tufted-titmouse

Cordyceps is a fungus that can destroy ant colonies. Tune in to find out how cicadas found a way to use cordyceps to survive.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Fungus turns 'zombie antsʼ into booby traps https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/08/19/fungus-turns-zombie-ants-into-booby-traps/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.549321d845b5
• 6 Benefits of Cordyceps, All Backed by Science https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cordyceps-benefits#section8
• Cordyceps: The Most Terrifying Fungus Youʼve Ever Seen https://www.strangerdimensions.com/2013/05/28/cordyceps-the-most-terrifying-fungus-youve-ever-seen/
• How to Tame a Zombie Fungus - Cicadas have repeatedly turned the infamous cordyceps fungi into indispensable allies. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/how-to-tame-a-zombie-fungus/562544/

Horsehair worms are easy to find. They are fascinating and harmless. Keep your eyes open when you are near water. Bill found one crawling out of a grasshopper.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Horsehair Worms (https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/files/efpdf3/ef613.pdf)
• Iowa State Horsehair Worms (https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/horsehair-worm)
• Wild Fact #752 – Bad Company – Nematomorpha (http://www.wild-facts.com/2010/wild-fact-752-bad-company-nematomorpha/)
• Zombie Fungus Enslaves Only Its Favorite Ant Brains (https://www.livescience.com/47751-zombie-fungus-picky-about-ant-brains.html)

Water Striders are amazing insects that you can find in lakes and streams. Tune in to find out what they eat, how fast they are and much more.

This episode was recorded live at Roads, Rivers and Trails (https://roadsriversandtrails.com/).

Our sources for this episode include:

• Facts About Water Striders https://someinterestingfacts.net/facts-water-striders
• This Is Why Water Striders Make Terrible Lifeguards - KQED You Tube video
• https://www.kqed.org/science/1871155/this-is-why-water-striders-make-terriblelifeguards
• 7 Water Strider Facts – It Walks On Water! http://jakesnatureblog.com/2018/08/11/7-water-strider-facts-walks-water/
• Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds - Water Strider - You Tube video
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RphuMEUY3Og

As human beings we have a chance to contribute to organizations that help educate and protect the natural world. Bob and Bill talk about some of their favorite organizations and what they are able to accomplish with a little help from people like you. If you are donating to an organization please consider leaving a comment under this episode.

Organizations that Bob and Bill support:

• Imago https://imagoearth.org
• Cincinnati Nature Center https://www.cincynature.org
• The Nature Conservancy https://www.nature.org/en-us/
• American Bird Conservancy https://abcbirds.org

The beaver is one of the largest rodents in North America. Tune in to find out how and why beavers actually took up parachuting!

Our sources for this episode include:

• Parachuting beavers featured in 'Fur For the Future,' 1950s-era film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gNAjBPIyjQ
• Amazing Facts About the Beaver https://onekindplanet.org/animal/beaver/
• Facts About Beavers https://www.livescience.com/52460-beavers.html
• 11 Fascinating Facts About Beavers http://mentalfloss.com/article/62316/11-fascinating-facts-about-beavers

Did you know that we have thousands of species of parasitoid wasps? Tune in to find out why these are called Zombie Wasps.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Butterfly Eggs and Caterpillar Survival | Life In The Undergrowth | BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCo2uCLXvhk
• That little speck there? That's a parasitoid wasp! https://u.osu.edu/pinningblock/2015/05/28/that-little-speck-there-thats-a-parasitoid-wasp/
• Ichneumon Wasps More than 5,000 species in North America https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/ichneumon-wasps
• Intimate relation between blue butterfly, ichneumon wasp and ants https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320475303_Intimate_relation_between_blue_butterfly_ichneumon_wasp_and_ant