In a screen shot taken from Naturalist’s Notebook contributor Luke Seitz’s remarkable video of his bird-research trip to Ethiopia (see the video and more still shots from it below), one of the baboons initially reaches down to grab the puppy.

Do Baboons Keep Dogs as Pets?

February 17, 2015

Almost four years ago, an animal video shot by a French television crew at a garbage dump in Saudi Arabia went viral on YouTube. The footage had been packaged into a nature-show segment (see link below) that purported to illustrate—with mixed reactions from dog and baboon experts—that troops of baboons kidnap puppies and keep them as pets. The dogs were said to grow up with the baboons and protect the troop.

Now Cornell student and Naturalist’s Notebook contributor Luke Seitz has captured on video a brief but similar scene to contribute to the scientific debate over whether baboons indeed “keep” dogs: Click on this link to watch Luke’s 10-second video, shot in Ethiopia just over a month ago near the edge of Lake Langano, close to a hotel complex called the Simbo Resort:

Here is a series of still images from Luke’s video

*The baboon snatches up the puppy and starts to carry him or her across a rocky slope.*

Luke saw this behavior on successive days with the same group of baboons. He was in Ethiopia shooting video of that country’s endemic bird species for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, so he didn’t have time to hang out and further document the behavior.

*The dog does not seem to resist the baboon.*

If baboons are indeed taking and raising dogs to be pets of a sort—and I’m eager for more research into that possibility—we shouldn’t be completely stunned. Even though they are classified as “old world monkeys,” a group that split 30 million years ago from the primate family from which modern humans evolved, baboons share 91% genetic similarity to humans. Tests have shown that baboons have the ability to recognize printed words and think abstractly.

In addition, according to American Journal of Primatology, researchers in Brazil studied another group of highly intelligent primates, bearded capuchin monkeys, and found some that raised a baby marmoset (also a type of monkey), for years as what could be seen as either a pet or a child—in either case, a beloved family member.

*…and one last image before the tape ends.*

Immediately below is the nature-show segment that shows baboons with dogs at that Saudi Arabian garbage dump. The early part of the segment is a bit hard to watch, as a baboon grabs a puppy by the tail, drags the dog down a rocky slope and sits on the pooch in an act of domination—though that doesn’t seem so different from the way many young children (and, sadly, some human adults) treat their family pets. Later in the segment there is footage that shows the baboons and dogs playing, relaxing and hanging out, and the dogs apparently standing sentry to protect their baboon family troop.

Let us know if you’ve got anything to add on this whole subject. If you would like to read more about birding wunderkind/artist/photographer Luke Seitz and Ethiopian birds, read the post we put up on The Naturalist’s Notebook Facebook page a few days ago.

We will put an expanded version of the Ethiopian bird post here on the blog soon and will keep you apprised of any updates on the baboon-dog front. Many thanks to Luke for letting us share his footage!

—Craig Neff and Pamelia Markwood

Palm warblers are one of the species that rely on the boreal forest. (photo courtesy of Jeff Nadler)

The Forest Where 3 Billion Birds Go Each Spring

May 17, 2014

A bird expert once told me that Jeff Wells will one day be viewed as one of the great ornithologists of his generation. Jeff, the former national conservation director of the National Audubon Society, is a visiting fellow at the world-renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology (where he worked for years) and the science and policy director of the Boreal Songbird Initiative. He is a soft-spoken but forceful advocate for conserving what's left of the habitat that animals—especially birds—require to breed, feed and survive.

Jeff is also a Maine native and a friend of The Naturalist's Notebook's. He led a Notebook birding walk in Seal Harbor a couple of years ago, and we are big promoters of a book he and his wife, Allison, also an ornithologist and conservationist, wrote called Maine's Favorite Birds. We used the book to create an indoor birding trail in the Notebook two summers ago and have been trying to establish a downtown birding trail in the village of Northeast Harbor, Maine, by encouraging merchants to put illustrations from that book (beautifully done by artist Evan Barbour) into their shop windows for passers-by, especially kids, to identify. In the long term, we would love to help Jeff achieve his dream of getting the book into the hands of every student in every Maine school.

The blackpoll warbler is another boreal regular. Eighty-two percent breed there. (photo courtesy of Jeff Nadler)

Jeff lately has focused his energy on preserving the vast expanse of boreal forest in northern Canada and Alaska. Working with fellow scientists from the Boreal Songbird Initiative, Ducks Unlimited and Ducks Unlimited Canada, he has co-written a new report called "Boreal Birds Need Half: Maintaining North America's Bird Nursery and Why It Matters." It's an extremely important assessment because many bird populations have been declining substantially in recent decades. Since the late 1960s 20 of the most common North American birds have fallen in number by at least half, and the population of evening grosbeaks (to name just one example) have fallen by nearly 80 percent. I asked Jeff to describe the boreal forest and its value to birds.

This map shows the routes taken by birds leaving the boreal forest in late summer and fall. According to Jeff’s report, between 3 billion and 5 billion birds migrate south after young have hatched. About a billion of them winter in the U.S.; others … — This map shows the routes taken by birds leaving the boreal forest in late summer and fall. According to Jeff’s report, between 3 billion and 5 billion birds migrate south after young have hatched. About a billion of them winter in the U.S.; others fly as far as Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America.

"North America’s boreal forest is one of the world’s largest and most ecologically intact ecosystems," Jeff told me in an email. "It extends over 1.5 billion acres from interior Alaska across the northern two-thirds of Canada all the way to (and including) Newfoundland. The boreal forest is host to a between one and three billion nesting birds of over 300 species making it one of the world’s greatest 'bird nurseries.'

Oscar Lake is surrounded by boreal forest in Canada's Northwest territories. (photo courtesy of Ducks Unlimited Canada)

"This abundance of birds occurs here," Jeff continued, "because the boreal forest region is still mostly unfragmented and within the region there is an amazing diversity of healthy and pristine habitats including millions of lakes and ponds, one of the world’s largest wetland complexes, forests of spruce, jack pine, balsam fir, and aspen, bogs, fens, marshes, tundra, barrens. And along with all these birds, the boreal forest region supports North America’s last remaining large populations of wolves, grizzy bears, wolverine, caribou and even the southernmost population of polar bears in the world!"

Two of the birds under threat are the Canada warbler and the evening grosbeak.

Another boreal-dependent species, the short-billed dowitcher. (photo courtesy of Jeff Nadler)

Studies have determined that most of the songbirds and waterfowl that breed in the boreal forest do so in low densities over large expanses. Protecting those birds means preserving vast tracts, not small, concentrated nesting areas. And that is the message of Jeff's report. At least half of the boreal forest "must remain free of large-scale industrial disturbance," the report states, and "industrial activities undertaken in the remaining unprotected areas should be carried out with the highest global sustainability standards, with an emphasis on maintaining healthy and pristine wetlands and waterways."

And yet another, the Hudsonian godwit. (photo courtesy of Len Blumin)

Jeff and the Boreal Songbird Initiative will continue to work to see that those goals are met, in negotiations with the Canadian government, provincial governments, native populations and industry. The birds don't have a voice in the matter, unfortunately, so Jeff—and we—have to speak for them.

That's Jeff (left) on a visit to the Notebook.

Here is a portion of the birding group on the Notebook deck holding up Jeff's book.

A bonus treat for those of you who don't see The Naturalist's Notebook page on Facebook: A photo of crow's eggs taken recently by the great naturalist and writer Bernd Heinrich near his cabin in western Maine. Yes, Bernd climbed to the top of a tre… — A bonus treat for those of you who don't see The Naturalist's Notebook page on Facebook: A photo of crow's eggs taken recently by the great naturalist and writer Bernd Heinrich near his cabin in western Maine. Yes, Bernd climbed to the top of a tree to get the shot.

The surf at Schoodic was some of the wildest Pamelia and I have seen in this area.

Big Waves and Big Ideas

April 17, 2014

Surf, scientists and students were out in force at yesterday's invigorating Acadia National Park Science Symposium at the Schoodic Institute campus. Among the more than 130 participants and speakers were Rick Bonney of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (below, who invented the term citizen science in 1995 and later helped create ebird), Mark Chandler of the Earthwatch Institute (which is launching a seven-year citizen-science partnership with the institute and Acadia to study ocean acidification and other environmental issues), the MDI Bio Lab's Jane Disney (also below, explaining links between the rise of green crabs and the decline of eelgrass near MDI), College of the Atlantic's Catherine Clinger (science and art), Maine Sea Grant's Catherine Schmitt (science communication), the University of Maine's Sarah Nelson (mercury contamination in dragonfly larvae in Acadia), MDIBL geneticist Karen James (biotrails and DNA barcoding) and others.

Bravo to Abe Miller-Rushing, Seth Benz, Mike Soukup, Sheridan Steele and the whole forward-thinking Acadia-Schoodic team, which is striving to put Acadia and Schoodic at the forefront of science research in the national park system and on the frontier of knowledge. We've worked with them for several years. Pamelia is now part of a dynamic group of Dixon Schoodic Scholars, about whom I'll write more soon.

Abe, Seth, Mike, Sheridan and Co. put on a world-class event. If you missed it, you can watch the talks at livestream.com (http://new.livestream.com/accounts/4350281).

The Cornell Lab's Rick Bonney, and yes, the title of his talk was Citizen Science Is Just Like Bartending. You'll have to watch it on lifestream.com.

Jane Disney was one of many researchers who discussed their projects with the help of large posters between lectures.

The Beautiful Earth, From Space

March 29, 2013

Here's a thought for the day: The biggest benefit of flying to the Moon was being able to see the Earth for what it really is—a tiny, fragile, overwhelmingly beautiful planet hanging in the vast darkness of space. Astronauts looked down and were humbled to see that that what we consider our "world" is but a paper-thin layer of atmosphere and life on the surface of the planet. For the first time, the bigger picture came into focus.

The film below, called The Overview Effect, lasts 19 minutes, which I know can seem like 13.8 billion years in Internet time. But it is a wonderful, calming, perspective-rich look at the Earth as seen from space. What else will you do in 19 minutes today that will resonate in your mind a week, a month or a decade from now? If you have time, click and watch.

A yellow-headed blackbird, one of the species you're likely to see on Jeff's trip.

A Rare Birding Opportunity Jeff Wells is one of America's foremost bird experts. He has worked at the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology and been the bird conservation director for the National Audubon Society, and he is now the senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. A lucky number of you went with Jeff and us on a fun birding walk in Seal Harbor last summer. His latest book, Maine's Favorite Birds, is one of our favorites. We even used it to create an indoor birding trail at the Notebook last year.

I wanted to let you know that there is still an opening or two on a June birding trip to Canada led by Jeff. It's not inexpensive, but the experience will be extraordinary and the money goes to support the Boreal Songbird Initiative, which is trying to protect the habitat where huge numbers of the birds we know go to nest and breed. If you might be interested, or want more information, send me an email. Here is a writeup from Bob Wallis, one of the organizers, which is worth reading even if you can't swing the trip:

"I am pleased to share with you our 6th annual outing for eight days in early June 2013 starting from Manitoba's prairie, wetlands, and boreal forest outside Winnipeg before flying north to the town of Churchill on the shores of Hudson Bay. Along the way we can expect to see immense numbers of ducks and grebes along with shorebirds, marsh birds and boreal passerines. In early June, wetlands that we visit outside Winnipeg should be hosting Franklin’s Gulls, American Avocets, Wilson’s Phalaropes, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, White Pelicans, Black Terns, and with luck maybe a Yellow Rail or LeConte’s Sparrow. The spruce woodlands and aspen forests of Riding Mountain Provincial Park will provide opportunities for us to search for “boreal specialities” like Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay, Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Great Gray Owl, Connecticut Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler and Lincoln’s Sparrow among many.

"Before we move north we will spend some time hearing from leaders of a First Nation’s initiative to protect the world’s largest intact forest which has now been formally proposed to become the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Site. While their lands are inaccessible for us to reasonably visit, such strategic conversation will enlighten us on their important work to protect their lands and its species. "We then will fly north over the breadth of the province to the edge of the tundra at Churchill on the western shore of the Hudson Bay. "With four days based from Churchill at the perfect time when migrants are still passing through yet breeders are arriving (and mosquitoes are at a minimum) and at a unique location where tundra and taiga meet at one of the most southerly locations in North America, we can expect to see some spectacular birds. Trip lists can include stunning marine species like Little Gull, Sabine’s Gull, Parasitic Jaeger, and Red Phalarope and amazing landbirds like Smith’s and Lapland Longspurs, Harris’s Sparrow, Gyrfalcon, and Willow Ptarmigan!

"Jeff Wells will lead this trip and several local guides will join us. Jeff earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1995 and has worked at or remained affiliated with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology since that time. He is an expert birder, author, and conservation scientist and has focused on Boreal Forest conservation issues for the last decade. The Boreal Forest of North America is one of the world’s last and largest wilderness areas and provides breeding grounds for up to three billion birds which is why it is often called America’s Bird Nursery. Most of the birds that we enjoy as migrants and winterers throughout the U.S. were born in the Boreal Forest. "I have long felt that the Boreal Forest is important for East Coast birders to visit and see some of our birds on their nesting grounds though, of course, Churchill is home to species from a number of flyways. So it is possible to see our familiar wintering Common and Red-throated Loons as well as West Coast wintering Pacific Loons and along with Snow Geese it is possible to see Ross’s Geese. And East Coast wintering White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and Snow Buntings overlap here with mid-western wintering Harris’s Sparrow and Smith’s Longspurs.

"This will be an 8-day trip beginning from Winnipeg with travelers arriving at Winnipeg by Saturday, June 1st @ 3pm and departing from Winnipeg on Sunday morning, June 9th. Winnipeg has frequent flights to USA cities. "The trip expense starting and ending at Winnipeg International Airport is $3,740. per person for double occupancy and $4,277. for a single room. Those who want double occupancy and are traveling alone will be assigned a roommate. A trip deposit of $1,500 single and $1,000 per person for a double room is due by February 4, 2013 payable to Boreal Songbird Initiative, 1904 Third Avenue, Suite 305, Seattle, WA 98101, Attn. Ms. Lane Nothman. This is necessary to reserve Calm Air seats at group rate. The second and final payment is due to Boreal Songbird Initiative by March 15, 2013. The first $250 is non-refundable and refund of the balance is only payable conditional on us enlisting a replacement traveler to fill your place 45 days in advance of departure. Expenses are calculated in US dollars and negative conversions to Canadian dollars may require a charge, if such are not covered by the trip expense, as calculated."

Answer to the Last Puzzler Tabasco sauce isn't nearly as thermodynamic as Habanero peppers, according to the Scoville heat scale. Habaneros come in at 200,000 heat units and Tabasco registers at only 3,500 to 8,000 heat units.

Today's Puzzler The white cliffs of Dover (below) are one of England's most famous physical features. The cliffs are made of chalk—but what is that chalk made of?

a) salt layers built up from ocean water over the last 200 million years b) talc, a white form of carbon produced in fish excrement over the last 1 billion years c) billions of tiny skeletons from algae that lived 80 million years ago

Our motion-triggered wildlife camera continues to provide beautiful photos. I saw this red fox run across our lawn yesterday but didn’t realize that he (or she) would stop to pose for a picture.

Fox Cam, the Birds-of-Paradise Project, Election Notes and Our Holiday Schedule

November 16, 2012

Pamelia and I are back from our trip to Russia and happy to be at home in beautiful, chilly Maine. Our internal clocks are still out of whack while adjusting to the nine-hour time difference. Eli and Virginia helped keep us awake past 7 p.m. last night by challenging us to a game of Life, in which three of us became journalists—for me, a case of Life imitating life. I came home from Sochi with a full reporter's notebook as well as new ideas for The Naturalist's Notebook, which we will open for two days of holiday shopping and interacting right after Thanksgiving (see below). And now it's time to start catching up on the blog.

Given how he (or she) stared into the camera, we wondered if the fox could see the infrared motion-detection beam aimed at him.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Geographic are collaborating on a book, TV special and museum exhibit on birds of paradise, some of the most extraordinary—almost unbelievable—creatures on Earth. The special will start airing on the National Geographic Channel on Thanksgiving night, and above is a sneak preview. These birds live only on the ecologically invaluable island of New Guinea, in Asia's densest rainforest. Watch the short video above and you'll be amazed.

Notebook Holiday Schedule The Naturalist's Notebook will be open for two days of holiday shopping and interacting: Nov. 23 (otherwise know as Black Friday) and Nov. 24 (otherwise known as Small Business Saturday). We'll be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on each day and will offer 15% off on all purchases and discounts of up to 40% on several items. Come on over to Seal Harbor—you'll get a sneak peek at how we're already beginning to transform the Notebook for 2013.

What’s this? A glimpse of what’s coming to the Notebook in 2013?

How Many Seeds in the Owl? All season long, Notebook visitors guessed how many sunflower seeds there were in the large glass owl that sat on our checkout desk. The estimates ranged from 651 to 45 trillion to a googol (1 with 100 zeroes). Some people took measurements of the owl and went through elaborate calculations. Others plucked a number from the air. The most common guesses were 25,000 and 1 million.So what's the correct answer?

It is...131,487 seeds. Virginia painstakingly went through all the entries and determined that the person with the closest guess was Jake Weisberg, who guessed 128,001 (very impressive!). He will receive a $25 Notebook gift certificate, and we will try to figure out something else to put in the owl next year.

We had scores of entries to sort through.

Five Things Learned on the Trip to Sochi 1) Russia covers one-eighth of the land on Earth. I knew it was huge, just not that huge. It's 60 percent bigger than the world's second-largest country (Canada) and nearly twice as big as the U.S. More significant to the future of our planet is the fact that 63 percent of Russia is covered with permafrost. That permanently frozen ground, which, as you probably know, is already thawing at an alarming rate because of climate change, contains great quantities of methane, a major greenhouse gas that could dramatically accelerate that change in the decades ahead.

2) The Caucasus Mountains, in which many of the Sochi Olympic venues are located, are so rich with unique plant and animal life that they are recognized as one of the world's bio-diversity hotspots—that is, spots especially worth protecting. I actually knew this before I went to Sochi because at The Naturalist's Notebook we have an installation that shows all 34 global bio-diversity hotspots. Reading about the diversity of life in the Caucasus while in Russia made me happy that we give it attention at our little shop-exploratorium in Maine.

The bio-diversity hotspot map at The Naturalist’s Notebook. It’ll be there for you to study if you stop in on November 23 or 24.

3) The Black Sea (which is within 200 yards of one of the main Olympic venue complexes) has some strange features. It has virtually no tides, for example, and is much less salty on the surface than most other seas and oceans. The latter is true because the sea takes in more fresh water from rain and rivers (including the Danube) than it loses through evaporation. Also, the surface water and the (much saltier) deep water in the Black Sea are two separate layers that, for complex reasons, do not mix. The deeper water has very little oxygen and very little life, a situation compounded by a huge influx of industrial and agricultural pollution that started around 1960.

The broader topic of ocean saltiness is itself fascinating. I remember reading once that ocean water has the same salinity as human tears—a poetic notion indeed—but in fact typical ocean water is about four times saltier than tears. In any case, salinity levels can vary significantly by latitude and depth even within the same ocean. Ocean surface water tends to be less salty near the Equator because so much rain falls at that latitude, and also near the poles because less water evaporates from the ocean in cold weather.

4) People from the Caucasus Mountains are, logically enough, called Caucasians, and the story behind the use and misuse of that term as a racial identifier is an intriguing and sometimes horrifying tale of 18th-century anthropological theories and measurements of skull shape: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_race.

5) Though we saw relatively few birds during our six days in Russia, the country is an important staging and wintering area for 678 bird species, 29 of which are globally threatened. Someone sent me a link to a fun video about a gifted young Russian girl who makes bird calls not by whistling, but with her vocal chords. I don't think the girl normally dresses in the doll-like ceremonial costume she's wearing in the Russian news video below.

Late Election Note I I was in Russia on U.S. election day, so I missed this news item until now. Those of you in Georgia (the state, not the country adjacent to Russia) know about it already. I will quote from the Huffington Post:

"Fictional write-in candidate Charles Darwin was promoted around Georgia's 10th congressional district to provide a symbolic challenge to Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), the outspoken congressman who created a stir earlier this year when video emerged of him calling evolution and the big bang theory 'lies from the pit of hell.'

"Broun had been running unopposed until Jim Leebens-Mack, a plant biologist at the University of Georgia, started a Facebook page floating the idea of running Darwin to challenge the ultraconservative congressman over his anti-science views.

"While there was no chance of actual victory for Darwin (the naturalist died in 1882), his supporters hoped to draw attention to the fact that Broun currently sits on the House Science Committee, despite his apparent disdain for the basic principles upheld by science itself."

The good news is that Darwin received an impressive 4,000 votes despite having been dead for the last 130 years. The bad news is that Broun—who, as you might expect, also calls climate change a hoax—won re-election and will continue to shape congressional science policy.

Election Note II By coincidence, just as newly elected members of the politically polarized U.S. government were debating whether to compromise and work with each other in the best interests of the country, Discover magazine ran a story called "Cooperation Instinct." The piece, based on the research of Martin Nowak, a biologist and mathematician who oversees Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, explained how and why humans evolved a willingness to cooperate with each other and how that crucially important trait has helped our species survive. Something to put on the Congressional reading list?

Pamelia and I stopped by the home of noted painter Eric Hopkins recently. His work is fantastic…and so is his palette. It’s an artwork in itself.

Another shot of Eric’s working tools. Very global, don’t you think?

Answer to the Last Puzzler The Russian world bolshoi means large or grand.

Today's Puzzler

On our TEDx scouting trip to Bates College, we watched this osprey circle over the duck-filled lake and land high in a white pine.

Bates, Birds, Bones, Bugs, Bats and Bottle-Cap Art

September 12, 2012

Pamelia woke me from a deep sleep at 4 a.m. "Sorry," she said. "But we have to drive to Bates." I was too groggy to process this unexpected announcement, but an hour (and two cups of coffee) later, as we began the 150-mile drive south to Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine, to scout the location of our upcoming TEDx conference outdoor installation, I knew we were off on a worthwhile adventure.

Pamelia and I studied the outdoor amphitheater and Lake Andrews—a small, man-made body that Bates students often call the Puddle—to figure out how best to present the Notebook’s outdoor 13.7-billion-year, history-of-the-universe walk during the TEDx… — Pamelia and I studied the outdoor amphitheater and Lake Andrews—a small, man-made body that Bates students often call the Puddle—to figure out how best to present the Notebook’s outdoor 13.7-billion-year, history-of-the-universe walk during the TEDx conference in October.

Bates is a small school (1,700 students) that has been recognized as one of America's greenest colleges. I had never been there, but immediately liked the feel of the compact campus and the brick buildings. The TEDx conference will be held at the Olin Arts Center, which sits next to a stone-and-grass outdoor amphitheater and pond-sized Lake Andrews. Between sessions at the conference (which will focus on the theme of villages and will feature a variety of compelling speakers), attendees will go out onto a stone terrace overlooking the amphitheater and the lake. We hope that many of them will be drawn to our fun, color-coded, lakeside walk through the history of the universe.

The quarter-mile walk around the scenic lake took us past not only the osprey but also glowing spider webs, a flock of black ducks, assorted leaf-munching caterpillars and a splendorous mix of trees, grasses and flowering plants.

About a dozen of these white hickory tussock moth caterpillars were on the trunk of an oak tree. This type of caterpillar has been growing in number in Maine. Be forewarned if you see one: Touching its hairs can cause an allergic reaction.

We should have brought some of our Notebook brain-bogglers to work on at this lakeside sitting spot.

Whether or not you attend the TEDx conference, you should try to take in this show of astrophotography, which will run at Bates through the end of the year.

We hope to see some of you at the TEDx Dirigo event at Bates. The group's slogan is Maine Ideas Worth Sharing, but the talks and conversations will reach far beyond the Pine Tree State in their insights and importance. Even the walk around the lake will (we hope) be memorable.

Wildlife Back Home We've had many distractions lately—pretty much anytime we step out the door or look out the window. Our house and its surroundings are a hub for black bears, raccoons, skunks, foxes, migrating birds, frenetic fish, butterflies, dragonflies and a flock of wild turkeys that is growing in number, as it does at this time each year. A few pictures:

This morning we looked outside at 6:30 and saw a pair of young foxes. We’ve seen fox kits here in mid-September for several years.

Doesn’t this caterpillar look a bit like a hippo? Pamelia and I found it marching across our dirt road. I couldn’t find it in my caterpillar field guide. Any thoughts on what type it is? It has evolved a wonderful camouflage to hide in leaves.

A top view of the same caterpillar. The design itself looks like an insect.

We found this beautiful dragonfly on the road. Don’t know what happened to it, but it had expired. Scientists have long studied dragonfly wings for insights into building strong, lightweight, aerodynamic structures.

Cute animal face? No, a bone found on the shore near us by our friend Betsy. What is it? We’re trying to find out.

Here’s a bottom view of the same bone. Or maybe this is the top view.

Caterpillars have been carving meandering paths on these leaves. Each leaf has a different pattern.

The waters at our house were alive with swarming fish yesterday afternoon. We guessed that they might be mackerel, but couldn’t tell. They were literally jumping into the air—perhaps to escape a hungry seal?

Back to those foxes. Julie, who's living with us, had the wits scared out of her the other night by a screaming red fox when she got out of her car in our driveway. You laugh? Listen to what a fox scream sounds like:

Birding Tips from the Cornell Ornithology Lab The lab e-mailed me this video link the other day about the methods it uses to track the small birds we find in our backyards:

Worrisome Words From a story in last week's Ellsworth (Maine) American on the lack of cod and other groundfish in the eastern Gulf of Maine—an area that MacArthur Fellow Ted Ames, a longtime Maine fisherman and historical fisheries ecology researcher, calls "a depleted suite of fisheries":

James "Howdy" Houghton, a Bar Harbor lobsterman, said the bottom temperature around that Frenchman Bay harbor had been "45 degrees forever," but has increased significantly over the past few years. Five years ago, he said, the temperature had risen to 50 degrees.

"Now it's up to 60. We're seeing all kinds of squid around we never see."

Bat Watching

The U.S. Forest Service sent me a press release this week saying that it will be co-sponsoring a live educational webcast about bats on Tuesday, September 18, from Bracken Cave near San Antonio. Twenty percent of the world's known mammal species are bats, and if you'd like to learn more about them, tune in (or tell your local school to tune in) by going to http://www.batslive.pwnet.org. The webcast will take you on a field trip to view millions of Mexican free-tailed bats and find out the latest on the white-nose syndrome that has killed off more than 6 million bats, mostly in the eastern U.S.

Here's a link to a very good Q-and-A about bats:

http://www.batslive.pwnet.org/pdf/Q&A.pdf

Bottle Cap Art Anne, our Russian correspondent, sent along this link to a story about a woman who has taken recycling in a different direction. She has covered her house with art she has made from plastic bottle caps. The piece is written in Russian, but you can get the basic idea from the photos:

http://www.ridus.ru/news/45059/

Answers to the Last Puzzlers

1) How much salt is in the average human body? Answer: c) enough to fill two salt shakers

2) What is the name for that crown-like, five-pointed star on top of a blueberry? Answer: b) calyx (from a Latin word meaning outer covering)

Today's Puzzler

We saw this creature at the side of the road.

1) What is the insect shown above? a) a two-striped grasshopper b) an Eastern locust c) a yellowback katydid

2) A very smart five-year-old girl visited The Naturalist's Notebook and told us a joke she had made up:

What do you call the time in history when dinosaurs were eating candy?

Can you guess the answer?

News, Notes and Photos from the Field (Craig and Pamelia's Blog)

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Darwin's Past Posts