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Category Archives: Animalia
The Dawn Chorus—Requiem for a Birder
The last hour of the night seems darkest after tossing and turning to wake from strange dreams with a pounding heart. But there is a spell that can cast off the pall if we listen at an open window in … Continue reading
Posted in Animalia, Environment, Nature
Tagged Brown flicker, Carolina wren, Northern cardinal, Pileated woodpecker
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Pause for Pangolins
There’s no other mammal like them. Pangolin, the spiny anteater. They look like dinosaurs reduced to the size of domestic cats, miniature ankylosaurs with armored plates (scales) made of keratin instead of bone with sharp points. They may soon join … Continue reading
Posted in Animalia, Nature
Tagged coronavirus, pangolin, spiny anteater, wildlife trafficking
Insectageddon means we are buggered
It was one of those throw-away remarks that stick in the mind. I was at Middlebury College in June when somebody at dinner said, “Funny, I saw more deer on the journey here than insects splattered on my windshield.” He … Continue reading
Posted in Animalia, Bee-line, Environment, Nature
Tagged Allegheny Mountains, E.O. Wilson, George Monbiot, honey bee, insects, mountain mint, nature reserve, pollinators
Pug Marks in the Snow and Mind
Winter still grips the Allegheny Mountains. Rain alternates with snow as the days creep toward the official opening of spring. Snowshoe Mountain has accumulated 159” of snow this winter, which is far below the record although we are not yet … Continue reading
