These posts are related to Natural History observations and musings.
How much is nature worth? One 1997 estimate put its value at $142.7 trillion. But what about those people in China who pollinate apple blossoms by hand? In this episode of Radiolab, Jad and Robert talk with some of my favourite authors, including Carl Zimmer and J.B. Mackinnon, and discover that this simple question – how much is nature worth? – is not very easy to answer.
Photo by flagstaffotos.com.au Canon 20D + Sigma 150mm f/2.8
Tavish Campbell and Pacific Wild give us a breathtaking view of the colourful life under the surface of the Great Bear Sea.
Talk about a lucky shot! A camera trap set up by tiger researchers captures a golden eagle attacking a sita deer.
A leap of leopards. A prickle of porcupines. A romp of otters, an exaltation of larks. These terms are not typically very practical, yet the collective nouns used for animals are fanciful. And fanciful is good.
Not typically very practical, yet the collective nouns used for animals are decidedly fanciful. And fanciful is good. So are beautiful videos…
One reason I have not been posting much on this blog lately is that I’ve had sporadic internet access while working in the field doing bird and amphibian surveys.
It has been a while since I’ve done some good old fashioned biology fieldwork and it is darn nice to be spending my days outdoors, away from my keyboard. Even nicer on evenings when I get sit on a beach and eat dinner while the sun sets over Lake Huron…
Our birdfeeder makes our backyard a lot more interesting. Just about anytime I look out the window there are several species of birds taking advantage of the bounty. But last week, I saw something I…
Paul Nicklen is a hard working photographer for National Geographic. I met him last fall while he was working on a Spirit Bear photo project on the BC coast. He told me that his work…
Over the past months I have been encountering J.B. MacKinnon’s engaging writing on natural history and historical ecology in Explore, The Walrus and on his blog. It has been refreshing and mentally invigorating to discover…
There is good news and bad news. The good: I’ve been immersed in the wilderness of the BC coast for nearly a month now. The bad: there is little opportunity to update this blog. Well,…
I am spending the month of September exploring the central coast of BC, working as a naturalist and soaking in the beauty of the place. I’ve been at Great Bear Lodge for a week and…
I saw an Eastern Phoebe yesterday. Phoebes are small and drab birds, they don’t have a pretty song, they do not do anything particularly endearing, other than bob their tails when perched on branches. I…
