Bryan's Posts About Science
Insects: In the Air and On the Air (with me) Today
Tune in and bug out with me and Kent McFarland today on Vermont Public Radio’s annual insect show.
A Flock of Sunrises and a Singular Sunset on Monhegan Island
Yes, the dawn can glow through the fog on Monhegan Island. But these sunrises were tiny warblers, glimmering for us birdwatchers in hues of red, orange, yellow, bay, blue and green.
On Darwin Day: Saving Songbirds
Today, Charles Darwin’s Birthday, I offer you a reflection from my annual bird survey at Bear Swamp in Wolcott, Vermont, where the Yellow-bellied Flycatchers call out no more.
Fly or Die: Painted Ladies on the Move
Now passing you by is one of the planet’s great events — an epic migration like no other. Painted Lady, the world’s most widespread butterfly, is on the move. We’ve been seeing them bigtime here in New England the past few weeks.
A Butterfly and a Tribute to Glenn Jenks
During fall migration here on Monhegan Island, Maine: a butterfly and a memorial.
The Sunflower and the Butterfly: Together They Fall
When you kill a rare sunflower here in Vermont, you may also be killing a rare butterfly.
RED ALERT
When a male dragonfly changes color — going from yellow to red — it’s a scene in a racy drama worthy of Shakespeare or a soap opera. It turns out that sometimes a male might get along better in life by impersonating a female.
Ghosts and Tiny Treasures — My Essay for Aeon
Ten years ago, I walked into the swamps of Arkansas to find a ghost — and perhaps some redemption for wildlife … and for us.
Backgrounder: Where Are the Snow Geese?
The latest news on why you may — or may not — find Snow Geese here in Vermont or New York.
Monhegan Migration Report No. 5: Life and Death in Flight
Here on Monhegan Island, the north winds deliver us migrating songbirds, and the raptors take them away.
Monhegan Migration Report No. 4: Summer Weather and Summer Tanagers
Three Merlins and three Sharp-shinned Hawks chased Northern Flickers in open warfare this morning, a natural event each fall on Monhegan.
Monhegan Migration Report No. 3: The Usual Oddities
THE USUAL RARE BIRDS HAVE ARRIVED. Yeah, it’s an oxymoron. How can rare birds be usual? Well, this is Monhegan Island, after all, where oddities (avian and human) are commodities. Take Lark Sparrow and Dickcissel, which basically breed no closer to…
