Bryan's Blog
Find Bryan's latest essays at Chasing Nature »
Capital City Blues
During these shortest days of the year here is some light — three Eastern Bluebirds visiting my backyard not more than a half mile from downtown Montpelier.
The Forecast Calls for Finches
Finches and other visitors from the far north have already begun to show up in New England and northern tier states. And the forecast is for more of them. Lots more.
Snowy Owl Alert
Snowy Owls are now turning up in New England, Quebec, Ontario, Michigan and across central Canadian provinces. I’ll be tracking the migration for you this winter on the Snowy Owl Scoop.
Butterflies and Joy
Two hundred orange butterflies in a meadow of purple wildflowers — next to the ocean. It reminds me to slow down, lose myself, and find the joy.
The Black Bear
Guest author Grace Glynn, a field naturalist at the University of Vermont, encounters a black bear here in Vermont. A tree brings them together: American Beech.
The Snows of Autumn
With a dusting of snow here in Vermont this morning, here’s your reminder that I’m now tracking the Snow Goose and Snowy Owl migrations for you this autumn.
Monhegan Migration Report No. 3
Migrate or die. Such is the fate of Monarchs here on Monhegan Island. But where do these Monarchs — 12 miles out to sea in the Gulf of Maine — spend the winter? I report from this Atlantic outpost.
Monhegan Migration Report No. 2
Cape May Warblers outnumbered Yellow-rumped Warblers here on Monhegan Island yesterday. Well, maybe it’s because I’ve learned how not to look at Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Monhegan Migration Report No. 1
Today on Monhegan Island, 12 miles out to sea off the Maine coast, the prairie dropped in for a visit. Dickcissels, lots of them, far from their heartland in the Great Plains, descended from the skies at dawn.
Self Portraits with Insects
Every now and then, I find myself in a photograph of a flying insect. (Okay, these are accidental self portraits.) In this case, I’m photobombing a dragonfly and a butterfly.
Naked in the Lake
The largest freshwater lake on the planet is the stage for our canoe trip on Lake Superior, where ancient rock and crystalline water conspire for some of the most beautiful paddling anywhere. The place is also in my DNA.
The Extinction of Meaning
One of the most imperiled animals in North America isn’t big and furry like a polar bear. It has incited no eco-wars like those over the gray wolf or the spotted owl. Instead it’s a tiny butterfly that I’ve watched dance across the prairie.
