Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

Now with a strange title like that, you have to be wondering: "What on earth is this guy talking about?!" What I'm referring to is the intoxicating smell that wafts off of a bluegill sunfish after having played it from the water and into the hand. Fishing is filled with many interesting smells. They range from the neglected soft plastics slowly oozing into a indeterminate mass at the bottom of a tackle box to the powdery outside of trout "marshmallows" in their highlighter pinks and greens. It even extends to the often noxious baits used by catfish aficionados to beguile a large channel cat from the depths of a muddy river. There are so many natural smells to choose from as well. The pond I visited was located at Skaneateles Conservation Area just up the road from Marcellus. As I exited the car, the scent of honeysuckle and roses brimming with honeybees filled the air. The stick-in-your-nose smell of dried grass and soil drifted by as I started up ...

For thousands of years, human beings have been inspired and encouraged to create artwork that celebrates the diversity of the natural world. From early cave paintings of big game animals like mammoths and bison to the works of famous painters like John James Audubon and Louis Agassiz Fuertes, people have found countless ways to appreciate wildlife. My inspiration comes from the rustic wood carvings of ducks, geese, and other birds made by market hunters in the 1800s. The simplicity of their design combined with their rustic paint jobs and regional differences make them an interesting medium to look at. I've worked on woodcarvings of birds on and off for several years now and wanted to share some of my creations as well as the creative process behind them as well. Drawing from the decoys of yore, some of my first creations mirror the patterns of waterfowl and shorebird decoys represented along the Eastern shores of the United States. Carving decoys for hunting and shooting, eve...

On this hot summer evening, I realize I haven't posted anything in nearly two weeks and figured that tonight would be a good a time as any to do so. I have started work at Drumlin once more and I'm looking forward to the start of camp as well. The past few weeks have been busy and full of fun and learning. Fun because of all the returning counselors I know from prior years and learning because of staff training. Other than that, I managed to head to Portcon Maine this year and snap some photos of local bird life in the vacant lot nearby. The jovial songs of House Finches ( Haemorhous mexicanus ) rang out over the parking lot. The pleading cries of a pair of Killdeer ( Charadrius vociferus ) drew us close to what we suspected was their nest site. An American Goldfinch ( Spinus tristis ) surveys cosplayers on a beautiful Sunday morning. A honeybee ( Apis spp. ) feeds on the ornamental mint ( Mentha spp. ) flowers planted outside the Double Tree. Also, I rec...