When I say that I don’t always like Steller’s Jays, my students are always shocked. I, of course, understand where they are coming from. I remember when I first came to these mountains and was immediately mystified by these beautiful blue birds. However, after living in these mountains for a season, I have grown tired […]
It is the middle of Feathered Friends class. After discussing that there are multiple feathers on a bird consisting of contour and downy feathers, one of my students says: “Mr. Frazer, what is the difference between the contour feathers and the down feathers on a bird?” My answer describes that contour feathers are the outermost […]
Spring is here, and it’s an exciting time! Our bird friends in the San Bernardino mountains begin to sing, and these year-round populations are complemented by a whole new host of migrants. To many people, so many new birds and songs present a daunting challenge. How in the world do we identify all of them?! […]
There is a loonie legend about a small lake in rural Maine named Flying Pond. As the story goes, the Native Americans of the region returned to the northern lakes every season for fishing and successful hunter-gathering. One particular year, they discovered a lake they had never found before, a lake that provided them the […]
Ever wonder how our ever growing suburbanization and development affects wildlife populations? Have you heard that urban development is exclusively bad for bird populations? I thought so, too, until I read Welcome to Subirdia by John M. Marzluff. This book discusses various aspects of the impact of urbanization across the globe on not only bird […]
In 1963, scientists estimated a total of just 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles survived in the lower 48 states. The emblem of the United States since 1782 and the only eagle endemic to North America, the American Bald Eagle, is one of the most majestic birds in the world. This glorious bird our forefathers […]
To many, pollution is something dark and disgusting that poisons clean air or pristine rivers, like Dr. Seuss’s Smogulous Smog or Gluppity-Glup. However, pollution can be invisible, sly, and can even inhibit communication. We’re talking about noise pollution, and it is as serious as it sounds. Anthropogenic, or human-made, noise pollution is affecting organisms across […]
In Little World, our class about decomposers, we discuss the four main types of decomposers. But the scavengers are the ones that often hook the students. Large, charismatic, and easy to visualize, students are always eager to share what they know. Week after week, I am amazed at how little students actually know about one […]
When I ask my students during our class on birds, Feathered Friends, what sort of effects chemicals, pesticides, and insecticides might have on an ecosystem, they immediately respond with negative answers. These words trigger reactions about bad chemicals that kill plants, poison animals, and contribute to general destruction of the environment. However, only fifty years […]
Occasionally, walking through the wilderness, I find some bird feathers on the ground, due in no small part to my work in the woods. However, coming upon a feather the likes of which I had never seen, the moment gave me pause. My mind naturally wandered to what bird it had come from. It then […]
“Really? Birds don’t have a sense of smell?” I asked during a Plant and Animal Interactions class in college. My professor was ready for this question. “Nope, and I will explain why. Let’s talk about chili plants and birds”. If the purpose of fruit is to be eaten for seed dispersal then why is the […]
