Past Posts

Posts from 2024

Can an owl swallow a mouse alive?

Question: I've read that barred owls swallow their prey whole. Does that mean alive, kicking and screaming, or is the prey killed in some way first? (Gruesome question, but I like to get my facts straight when writing.) Thank you so much for your help! PamAnswer: No...

Clever nest-building frogs

I was doing one of my favorite things this morning, watching a BBC David Attenborough-narrated nature show. They come out with new ones all the time, and photography is just incredible, no one narrates nature better than he does, and I always learn something new. This...

Whose ragged feather is this?

Question: Can you please identify this feather? It’s a bit ragged and was outside in the rain and weather for quite a few months after I found it because I hung it on my fence. It was found in my yard on the property where I live near Arroyo Grande, CA. The length is...

History of the World Video

This video by Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, a German organization dedicated to science education.  This animated video’s goal is to show all of earth’s history in 60 minutes.  It’s a bit monotonous, but that’s partly what makes it interesting. What the video...

Posts from 2021

Posts from 2020

Freshwater Jellyfish

Thanks to Glenn and his quick-netted collecting crew of Parker, Avery, Christian, Gabe, and Isaiah, for this brief video of freshwater jellyfish they found in Bucks Pond, Harwich, MA in early September.  These creatures, native to China, typically exist as tiny polyps...

Posts from 2019

Will robins reuse this nest?

Does a robin use the same nest over again? I have a nest in the corner of my carport and have had three clutches this year. The second not being successful. Somehow the nest fell and splattered the eggs on the concrete below. I...

Watch a salamander form …

This is such a cool video. It’s called Becoming, and it’s by Jan van Ijken. If you have six minutes to watch something amazing, you’ll see a timelapse video of a salamander egg (alpine newt – Ichthyosaura alpestris) turning into hatchling tadpole. If you only have two...

head of Canada goose showing serrated beak and tonguePosts from 2018

badger

Posts from 2017

bubbles on lake

Posts from 2016

coyote

Posts from 2015

mallard pair

Posts from 2014

various tunicates

Posts from 2013

AmericanBadger

Posts from 2012

Toothwort

Posts from 2011

bryozoan

Posts from 2010