The Old Naturalist

The Old Naturalist

By Brandon Brywczynski and Eric DurbinScienceNatural Sciences
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The Old Naturalist episodes

  • Was that a Furtive Longspur?
    Friend and professional bird namer Greg Links stops by again to chat with the boys about possible edits to your next edition of the Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds. And if you didn't know what the word furtive meant before, you will know what it means by the end of this episode. (Episode art obtained from Wikicommons)
    20 min
  • What's Your Favorite Bird Part II

    In a follow up to last week's episode, Brandon takes a shot and answering the impossible question. Listen in to see what is his favorite bird! Episode art provided by friend Jamie Cunningham.

    11 min
  • What's Your Favorite Bird Part I

    Every birder has been asked this question a million times. The reality is it's an impossible one to answer for a serious birder. But why let that stop us! In Part I, Eric attempts this Herculean task.

    12 min
  • October's Orchid: Putty-root

    The Old Naturalist may just turn Brandon into an orchid hunter yet. This month's edition to the boys' continuing series on Oak Openings native orchids is kind of an oddball. Listen in to learn all about putty-root.

    19 min
  • The Big Butterfly Quiz

    Neither Eric or Brandon claim to be butterfly experts. But they think they're pretty! So the Old Naturalist put together a quiz that includes some of our more common butterflies. See if you can beat Brandon's score as he's challenged with 5 of the gaudier members of the lepidoptera family.

    27 min
  • Great Plains Ladies Tresses

    September's edition of the orchids of Oak Openings is Great Plains Ladies Tresses. In addition to being a rather showy orchid, this one has the added benefit of being located by scent. So get the details about this beautiful plant, then go sniffing for orchids.

    22 min
  • Book Review: The Birds Audubon Missed

    In this week's episode Brandon and Eric discuss the recent publication The Birds Audubon Missed by Kenn Kaufman. Listen in to see how the boys liked the read, and whether you might want to delve into the world of early American ornithology.

    26 min
  • Confusing Fall Warblers
    Certain groups of birds can be very frustrating for even the best of birder. Shorebirds, gulls, sparrows all have their challenges. But the warbler family presents birders with many identification challenges in the fall. In this episode, Eric's wife Diane quizzes the boys on these drab fall migrants to see how good they really are. Thanks to our friend Brian Zwiebel for the episode art.
    17 min
  • The Rare Bird Alert Hotline
    The times they are a changin'. They always are. And sharing bird sightings, like anything else, has been impacted by those changes. Listen in to see how birders in Northwest Ohio used to get their information about rare bird sightings. For this episode the boys invite friend Tom Kemp over to help tell the story.
    16 min
  • The Hearing Only Big Day
    Eric Durbin has been known to occasionally have some questionable ideas. Today's episode is perhaps one of those examples. Listen in to learn all about his suggestions to do a hearing only big day. If you get inspired, don't forget to draft someone as your driver/caretaker, and be sure you don't leave your blindfold at home.
    9 min

About The Old Naturalist

From the publisher's feed

Brandon is a teacher. Eric is a retired real estate title examiner. What do they have in common? A shared love for the natural history of Northwest Ohio. In The Old Naturalist you'll learn about some…