Category Archives: environment

You’re going to graduate – then what?


In the life sciences and especially in ecology, conservation, wildlife management, etc., your success in this field is dictated by the same things that apply in just about any other field. You need to be intelligent, nimble, a good critical … Continue reading

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Re-imaging the meaning of national defense


Writing for Resilience, Rob Brooks re-imagines a national defense grounded in Wendell Berry’s observation that “Earth is what we all have in common.” “We need to pay as much attention to conserving and restoring the connectivity of the natural infrastructure … Continue reading

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Coronavirus in Oklahoma: some data from the first week of April


As we have now left March 2020 in the rear-view mirror, I thought it might be a good idea to adjust my semi-weekly interpretation of national comparisons on #COVID-19 deaths and drill drown into some data from US states. Apropos … Continue reading

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You Share the Planet With #2: Glistening-green Tanager


It’s taken me one year for the 2nd installment of this series on species of birds new to me, and perhaps to you too. I want to resist the temptation to only present the most colorful species when I do … Continue reading

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Yes, we know that “the climate has always changed”…


… but that’s not the point. Here’s what that point really is. The concentration of global, atmospheric CO2 today exceeds 400 ppm. The last time that happened on Earth was something like 2–5 million years ago, in the Pliocene Epoch … Continue reading

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Wildlife of the real Gilligan’s Island(s)


Please don’t ask how I come up with these things because I can’t explain it, but I found myself wondering if anyone had ever eBirded Gilligan’s Island? Rabbit hole: entered. Quick history: Gilligan’s Island was a goofy comedy brainchild of … Continue reading

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The state of global biodiversity — it’s worse than you probably think — ConservationBytes.com


Sobering synopsis here by CJA Bradshaw. For those of us who study natural history, such information confronts us every day. It can be easy to forget that we are a tiny minority of the billions of humans on this planet … Continue reading

Posted in bat conservation, birds/nature, deforestation, editorial, Endangered Species Act, environment, evolution, history, IUCN, nature deficit disorder, No Child Left Inside, overpopulation, paleontology, population estimates, population monitoring, skepticism and science, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your life is profoundly meaningful


It’s quite simple, really. The matter in our universe is comprised of the same elements throughout. Proportions differ and it might be mixed together differently here and there, but it’s the same stuff. Some of those mixes develop self-replication under … Continue reading

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Vet school for an Oklahoma State grad at the University of Glasgow: The Beginning


From the Adventures of Future Dr. Z via The Beginning

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My lifer Whooping Crane – something I thought I might never see


It’s been a long time coming, but I was recently guided to my lifer WHOOPING CRANE by my nephews Benjamin and Matt Hack (+ special guest star Matt’s friend Kaitie) at a lake near Dexter, Michigan. This is an ENDANGERED … Continue reading

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One to watch: Nick Russo’s Ecology of Bird Movement and Dispersal


via Research Follow the link above to the Nick Russo’s website Ecology of Bird Movement and Dispersal. Interesting work and a lot more to come I’d wager!

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Undergraduate research in my lab? Sure! Here’s how it works.


I spend a lot of time bragging about the 15 graduate students who’ve worked in my lab but this post is inspired by the 28 undergraduates I’ve had the good fortune to mentor in research. Within this group are veterinarians, … Continue reading

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Kerri J. Smith – beaked whales


via Research I found another bright young scientist to amplify today. This is Kerri J. Smith, who is studying Sowerby’s beaked whale. No, I’d never heard of this species either. #TIL  

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The Wild Side for April 2019


Check out the latest newsletter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Wildlife Diversity Program. Note: Only do this if you want to learn cool stuff about wildlife in the Sooner State and how to support them through your education … Continue reading

Posted in animal behavior, bat conservation, bird banding, birding, birds/nature, Endangered Species Act, environment, evolution, IUCN, life, Links, migrants, monarch butterfly, National Audubon Society, No Child Left Inside, Partners in Flight, population estimates, population monitoring, professional development, skepticism and science, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The nightjars are returning! — A Feathered Reptile


The world needs to better appreciate the unique style of of Gretchen Newberry and her use of art in her #SciComm! This just in! The last of the migrants are on their way back, as evidenced by this announcement by … Continue reading

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You Share the Planet With #1: The Malay Peacock-pheasant


If you’re like most people – I mean literally most, as in >99% of the people who have ever lived – then this one you will file under TIL (today I learned). My Ornithology students are currently exploring the diversity … Continue reading

Posted in animal behavior, birding, birds/nature, deforestation, Endangered Species Act, environment, evolution, HBW Alive, Internet Bird Collection, IUCN, life, Links, National Audubon Society, population estimates, wildlife, You Share The Planet With | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The concept of a “chemical-free lifestyle” is absurd — The Logic of Science


Chemophobia is alive and well. It is difficult to get on the internet without celebrities, friends, and family members bombarding you with concerns about chemicals in your food, hygiene products, vaccines, etc. Indeed, being anti-chemical seems to be extremely fashionable … Continue reading

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007 — History of Ornithology


BY: Bob Montgomerie, Queen’s University | 7 January 2019 A couple of years ago, my family and I had an early morning stopover in Frankfurt, Germany, en route to our spring bolthole in the French Pyrenees. As we stumbled bleary-eyed … Continue reading

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Dear Americans, stop using China and India as climate change scapegoats — The Logic of Science


Reblogged from The Logic of Science.   I spend a lot of time on this blog debunking bad arguments, and I have previously devoted a lot of effort to debunking bad arguments against man-made climate change. There is, however, one … Continue reading

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