Nature's Archive

There are probably few better ways to learn about raptors, raptor behavior and migration, and identification than a hawk count!

My guest, Allen Fish, Director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, tells us all about their hawk count and banding operation, as well as some of the fascinating projects and partners that connect to this community science effort. These are things like satellite and radio telemetry and DNA barcoding.

The GGRO is a long-term, community-science program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, in cooperation with the National Park Service. The GGRO is the longest-running single-location community science program in any National Park.

Allen has been with GGRO since its inception - nearly 38 years. He has a wealth of knowledge on raptor behaviors, habitats, and of course migration. Today, recorded from atop Hawk Hill just north of San Francisco, Allen tells us about many of the raptors they observe, why they migrate, and helps provide a broader context of migrations as they relate to geography and topography, weather, and climate. For example, did you know there are some east/west migrants? And get ready to brush up on zuhgunrohe and umwelt! It's fascinating!

You might recognize Allen from the field guides episode back in May. He's a lot of fun to talk to, and you can tell that he lives raptors and nature with his deep insights. And Hawk Hill itself is also a wonderful character. Located in the famous Marin Headlands, which is in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (a unit of the National Park Service), Hawk Hill offers wonderful panoramic views, unique topography, and unique history that Allen helps decipher. And while it was a foggy day - abnormal even for notoriously foggy San Francisco - we still had some close encounters with birds that we caught on the recording.

Check the full show notes for a few pictures from the area, and things we saw during the recording.  Find the GGRO @goldengateraptors on instagram, or at ggro.org.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links Discussed
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
Hull Lab at UC-Davis
Veracruz Rio de Rapaces

Books
Links may be affiliate links
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Hawks from Every Angle by Jerry Liguori
Hawks at a Distance by Jerry Liguori
A Field Guide to Hawks of North America (Peterson Guide) by William Clark and Brian Wheeler

Related Podcasts
My interview with Scott Whittle and Mike Lanzone discussed CTT's telemetry and tracking technologies

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

Hi everyone!

This week's episode is not a traditional interview episode, but rather more of an update. But I still tried to pack some great nature content in it. Regular episodes return in two weeks,

So what's on tap today? I have some fascinating updates and topics that I picked up from two nature conferences I attended over the last two weeks.  This includes:

- Complexities of nitrogen deposition and their impacts on land and water
- Wildfire ecology including using burn scars to measure fire history
- DNA Barcoding revealing raptor prey
- Summaries of the CNPS and California Naturalist conferences
- Preview of upcoming podcast guests

As I said, we'll be back to normal interview episodes in two weeks, with Allen Fish of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory talking raptor migrations and raptor biology, counting, and banding. And I have some other wonderful guests with interviews in various stages of production, covering spiders, slime molds, and hydrology and water management.

I also have a question for you all. What would you think if I changed to a "seasonal" release schedule? I explain my thought process in the episode, but the short story is I think I can increase my annual episodes released from 26 to 30 while providing more flexibility for scheduling challenges and I inevitably run into.

As always, please send feedback to naturesarchivepodcast [at] gmail.com, and consider checking out @naturesarchive on the various social media platforms. Thank you!

Links Mentioned in This Episode
Nature's Archive interview with Dr. Stu Weiss
Field Guide Episode with Allen Fish and Cricket Raspet

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9616-spellbound
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://brianholtzmusic.com

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

My guest today is Deb Kramer, founder and executive director of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful.

I’ve come to know Deb and her organization over the past couple of years, and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to have her on the podcast! Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, in my opinion, is a model for how to start and grow a conservation organization.

Today you’ll hear about Coyote Creek - a river that traverses open space, agriculture, and urban areas. In the San Jose area it is often overshadowed by more prominent rivers, and as a result, has been under appreciated and under used. Like so many waterways, it faces  pollution, invasive species, and impacts from damming and other management practices. We discuss the specific challenges facing Coyote Creek. I’m sure you have a waterway near where you live with similar challenges.

Naturally, Deb and KCCB are changing this, advocating for the creek and making tangible improvements. As you’ll hear, there is thoughtfulness and purpose behind every decision they’ve made and activity they facilitate - from the organization's name, to their three pronged approach to engaging the public, to partnership development, and embracing fun and enthusiasm throughout. They’ve removed 272 tons of trash and have engaged over 9,000 volunteers, many of whom are regulars.

There are so many useful insights and transferable lessons today that I hope you find useful, whether you are a volunteer, conservation leader, or someone who simply enjoys their local rivers and creeks.

Connect with Deb and KCCB on instagram, facebook, and twitter @coyotecreeksj.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Cadillac Desert by Reisner
Garbology by Humes
Podcast with Dr. Merav Vonshak
BeautifySJ
Bioblitz.club
Kelley Park (San Jose)
Mothers Out Front
Our City Forest
Pathways for Wildlife
Paul J. Gonzalez
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
San Jose Conservation Corps
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Valley Water
VolunteerMatch

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

My guest today is Denise Lewis, Director of Programs and resident raptor expert at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, Nebraska. Today Denise gives me a tour of the Raptor Woodland Refuge, which is an incredible public facility at the forest. Just envision this - a densely wooded hillside with an elevated boardwalk. But every 10 or 20 meters, there is a structure, almost like a cabin, each housing incredible owls, hawks, vultures, and eagles!

Denise and I discuss each of the species of birds at the refuge, including Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Gyrfalcon, Peregrine Falcon, Eastern Screech Owl, and more. You'll learn a bit about the natural history of each of these species, and get some behind-the-scenes insights into how they are cared for.

All of these incredible raptors have been deemed un-releasable due to the injuries they sustained. But the wonderful people at Fontenelle Forest have given these birds a second chance through this wonderful education space.

This is the second episode I recorded "in the field" at Fontenelle Forest . So as we walk through the raptor refuge you'll hear some wonderful vocalizations of these birds. You may also hear some vocalizations of some of the visitors, especially early in the episode.

I hope you enjoy this tour as much as I did! I'm posting some photos and videos in the show notes at podcast.naturesarchive.com, as well as in my stories on my instagram, so please check them out!

And be sure to follow Fontenelle Forest on twitter, instagram, and facebook.

And if you missed it, check out episode 53, where Michelle Foss and I walk the forest and discuss the habitats, management and stewardship practices, and some of the species and ecologies on the western extent of this eastern deciduous habitat.

So without further delay, Denise Lewis and the incredible educational raptors of the Raptor Woodland Refuge.

FULL SHOW NOTES

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LINKS
Cornell's All About Birds - comprehensive and free resource covering all of the birds of North America
Diane Guinn - Educator at the Woodland Raptor Refuge who made an appearance in the podcast.
Fontenelle Forest
My Podcast Episode with Michelle Foss - all about Fontenelle Forest's habitats and land management

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

I love getting feedback about the podcast, and within days of each other, I received some interesting and overlapping suggestions. One said "I enjoy the deep dives into different taxa or environments, but I also really enjoyed some of your earlier episodes where you had people with different ways of engaging with nature, such as the standup paddleboard guest". And a former guest gave me similar feedback, along the lines of wanting to hear from guests with "different relationships with nature".

My guest today will make those listeners happy, and hopefully you, too. She's inspiring, she has a wealth of knowledge in environmental education and natural sciences, and has charted a unique path. My guest is none other than Parker McMullen Bushman, also known as Kweenwerk on social media!

Today's discussion is very wide ranging. Parker tells us about her unique journey that led to getting a Master's degree of science and natural resources, focused on environmental education/interpretation. She's worked in marine sciences and was Vice President of Community Engagement, Education, and Inclusivity at the famous Butterfly Pavilion.

Parker gives many examples of how she and her organizations reached people that had been thought to be difficult to reach. If you are a nature communicator - and I think nearly all of us are, even if only with our family and friends - you'll walk away from this episode with some new tools in your toolkit. 

After 25 years in environmental education, Parker's personal and life experience led her to a bigger calling - founding The Inclusive Guide. It's an online crowdsourced review service, like Yelp, but focusing on safety, accessibility, and inclusion. The guide is for everyone, regardless of race or identity, and covers not only businesses but also parks, outdoor spaces, nature centers, and more.

Check The Inclusive Guide, consider contributing to their gofundme. Reach the Inclusive Guide at [email protected], instagram or twitter.

Parker's on TikTok, IG, Twitter and LinkedIn.

And stay tuned until the end to hear about a roly poly the size of a football (video here)
FULL SHOW NOTES

Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry by Dungy
Butterfly Pavilion
Crystal Egli Inclusive Guide cofounder
The Diverse Green Project
EcoInclusive
The Inclusive Guide
Outdoor Afro

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

Today's episode is really exciting and was a new experience for me - a field interview! And I couldn't have asked for a better guest than Michelle Foss, Director of Resource Stewardship at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Fontenelle Forest is not what most people would typically think of if they envisioned Nebraska. It is 2100 acres, with a mosaic of habitats. It's largely wooded, and much of it heavily forested. It is hilly, and also includes riparian spans, flood plains and hilltop prairies when considering the Neale Woods portion of the properties.

For this episode, Michelle and I took a walk in the forest, with my goal to learn more about the ecology of this system and the stewardship that Michelle and the team at Fontenelle Forest oversee. You'll hear our footsteps, singing birds, and even evidence of the hills we were walking in the form of our occasional heavy breathing. And in a way this is like many of the nature hikes I lead, where we have a hike theme, but we give ourselves leeway to discuss and interpret fun things we happen upon along the way.

So be prepared to learn about Bur Oaks, Loess soil and the Loess Hills, American Redstarts, the natural fire regime of this more eastern North America forest, how the team is working to restore more of the natural habitats, and much more.

You can follow Fontenelle Forest on twitter, instagram, and facebook.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
Biological "Rules" - interesting relationships seen in nature.
Fontenelle Forest Nature Search (ffnaturesearch) - excellent catalog of living things found at Fontenelle Forest
Nebraska Natural Legacy Project - map showing Nebraska's 35 unique biological landscapes

Other Nature's Archive Episodes You Might Like
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these:

• Today we spoke a bit about prairies and wildfire. Check out my interview with Chris Helzer, The Prairie Naturalist, to learn more about prairie management. And check my interview with Rick Halsey on wildfires in the western USA.
• Today I pointed out leafminers and plant galls. Check out my interview with Charley Eiseman where leaf miners are covered extensively, or Adam Kranz for plant galls.

Episode Ideas?
Do you have an idea for an episode or a guest? Maybe it's you? Please contact me at naturesarchivepodcast AT gmail DOT com.

Music Credits
Opening - Fearless First by Kevin MacLoed
Closing - Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLoed
Both can be obtained from https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/

Support Us On Patreon!
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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

Today's episode is a bit unique. As I mentioned in my monthly newsletter a couple months ago, I've been very impressed with a new podcast called Golden State Naturalist. I've had the pleasure of speaking with its creator, Michelle Fullner, a couple of times, and thought it would be fun to discuss her rapid success, and expose more people to her work. One of my goals with Nature's Archive was to find inspiring people charting unique ways to help the environment, and Michelle fits the bill!

And at the same time I'm at a moment of transition. I hit 50 episodes and two years of Nature's Archive over the last few months, and I'm working hard to get my new nonprofit, Jumpstart Nature, launched. I also wanted to share more about this journey with all of you, too. I hope this gives you all insight into what makes me tick, and what I have in my pipeline.

So Michelle and I agreed to interview each other about our podcasts, some of the fun, surprising, and dreadful things we've encountered, and what's next in our plans and metaphorical journeys.

If you haven't listened to Golden State Naturalist, Michelle gets out in the field with experts to discuss unique parts of California's nature. She's covered geology, giant sequoias, beavers, oak trees, and more. It's authentic, entertaining, and educational.

And the more traditional Nature's Archive episodes continue in two weeks. I have a great set of topics recorded or in the queue, ranging from forest management to raptors to slime molds. What fun!

You can find Golden State Naturalist on any podcast app, or by going to the website. Michelle is also on instagram, so be sure to check her out!

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
California Naturalist Program information
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, CA [instagram]
Golden State Naturalist Podcast
Sacramento Tree Foundation

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

My guest today is Dr. Karlisa Callwood. Dr. Callwood is the director of the community conservation education and action program for the Perry Institute for Marine Science, and an expert on the coral reef fisheries of the Bahamas, and has a PhD in Ecosystem Science and Policy from the University of Miami in Florida.

Today we talk about about the coral reef systems of the Bahamas, how they function, their overall health, and a couple important species that call the reefs home - spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) and parrot fish.

In fact, Dr. Callwood's research and expertise goes well beyond these animals and their ecology, and into the social and cultural impacts of policy and fishing at the reefs. Dr. Callwood tells us how an emerging Parrotfish fishery adds new pressures to the coral ecosystem. And how the spiny lobster fishery, driven partly by few regulations for Bahamian citizens, has evolved to include new forms of fishing that are more productive for the fishers, but also put fishers in conflict with each other. And these new methods have unknown long term ecological impacts, as Dr. Callwood explains.

As you'll hear, Dr. Callwood combines ecological knowledge with building trusting relationships with the people on the islands, allowing her to deeply understand the motivations and rationale of the fishers. This understanding allows her to assess and recommend policy responses that strike a balance between reef health and the needs and motivations of the people on the islands.

You can find Dr. Callwood on twitter @Sci_in_Color and instagram @science_in_color.

It's a fascinating set of topics today - please enjoy!

FULL SHOW NOTES

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

Today's guest is Dr. Brian Brown, Curator of Entomology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. A native of Toronto, Canada, Dr. Brown did his undergraduate and masters work at the University of Guelph. During the latter, under the tutelage of well known entomologist Steve Marshall, Dr. Brown took up the study of the fly family Phoridae. This is a phenomenally diverse family of extremely interesting flies that, of course, we discuss at length today.

In 1990, Dr. Brown obtained his doctorate at the University of Alberta in Canada, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution and University of Maryland. In 1993 he took up his current position in Los Angeles.

Today we discuss Dr. Brown’s work at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - in particular, the scale and diversity of the collections, and the implications of that on the work that he does.

We pretty quickly delve into the aforementioned phorid flies. There are potentially as many as one million species of these flies, but to give you an idea of the diversity and scale of the work, only 4,500 have been described to date. Yes, you heard that right! Dr. Brown discusses the challenges of having so few people studying such an immense diversity of species, and approaches involved such as DNA barcoding.

Even among the 4500 described species, there are many amazing natural history stories that we get into, ranging from the aptly named “Coffin Fly” to ant-decapitating phorids.

We weave in and out of many fascinating subjects, from research in the Amazon canopy, to surprising discoveries in Los Angeles, to invasive ant species.

You can find Dr. Brown through the museum’s website at nhm.org, on his blog at flyobsession.net, or his Phorid fly site at phorid.net.

This discussion was full of surprises and a lot of fun, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
Dan Janzen, ecologist cataloging Costa Rican biodiversity
flyobsession.net - Dr. Brown's blog
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Nature Conservancy - conservation charity recommended by Dr. Brown
Phorid.net - Dr. Brown's Phorid resource
Rainforest Trust - conservation charity recommended by Dr. Brown

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

It’s mid-summer here in the northern hemisphere, and that means vacation season. So this week’s episode is a solo one, to give me a little space for my vacation.

Don’t worry, regular episodes return next time, including topics such as Caribbean coral reef systems, the incredible diversity of flies (yes, flies are more incredible than even the experts know!), raptor ecology, and eastern North American deciduous forests. And that just covers episodes in various stages of development during the month of July!

Before the main topic, be sure to check out my latest blog post that has more field guide recommendations from Cricket, Allen, and I. If you don't know what I'm talking about, listen to Episode 47 for an amazing discussion about an eclectic mix of field guides.

The main topic today is Jumpstart Nature, my new non-profit! I'm making progress, and even have a new logo. See the FULL SHOW NOTES for a preview!

Today's episode gives a few glimpses into my plans, and reveals a core element - The Ladder of Environmental Care. 

Support Us On Patreon!
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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!