Dispatches from the Forest

Winter weather has finally come to Dispatches HQ.  I tell you one of my favorite things about being outside after a light snow.  I saw some birds that are rare to this part of Wyoming and tell you why you should embrace your inner goose.  Also details on the very first "Feral Final Friday" Webinar and how to register.   Support the podcast by becoming a Patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromthefo...

Happy 2025!  In honor of winter weather I'm going to tell you about a bird that, well, at least has "snow" in it's name: The Snowy Plover. I'll also give you information on how to register for my first "Feral Final Friday Webinar" which will be on Friday, January 31st at 11a Mountain Time (that's 10a Pacific, 12p Central, 1p Eastern).  Registration is just $5. Other ways to support the Podcast: Be...

Happy New Year!  In this dispatch: my final observations of 2024 and goals for 2025. Support the podcast in the new year! Become a patron:  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest PayPal/Email address: dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com Cash App: $ForestNerd Merch Store:  www.cafepress.com/shop/dispatchesfromtheforest  

Happy Holidays feral friends!  For this special episode I give you the gift of the "lost" episode of the Dispatches from the Forest Podcast.  Truly the very first, never-before-released episode that started it all.  It's a history of Fontenelle Forest Nature Center, both as an organization, and a a spot on on the map - and it's an incredibly interesting story!  Featuring an interview with Fontenel...

Happy winter solstice (for my Northern Hemisphere listeners) and summer solstice (for those of you down under!).  I share my solstice tradition and tell you about the oldest known wild bird - a Laysan Albatross named "Wisdom". Support the podcast! Become a patron:  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest Email me or donate via PayPal: dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com Donate via the Cash App using...

Pigeons have become a fixture of cities - but why?  Well it turns out that pigeons and humans have been intertwined for thousands of years.  And they've played a role in revolutions, scientific breakthroughs and wars.  Not only that, they're pretty cool birds.  Learn more about this ubiquitous and often ignored bird on this episode!   Support the Podcast!  Become a patron by going to www.patreon.c...

Clark's Nutcrackers - an amazing member of the Corvid family that can cache up to 98,000 pine nuts per season, and did the City of Chicago release coyotes in Graceland Cemetery to control raccoons?  I'll tell you what I think!   Become a patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest Email me or donate via PayPal!  dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com Donate via Cash App using $ForestNerd Merch Sto...

In this episode I tell you about two unrelated things - one is a plant, one is a bird - both are interesting but neither is enough for a full episode by itself. Support the podcast by becoming a patron:  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest Support the podcast with a donation using Cashapp: $ForestNerd Support the podcast with a donation via PayPal OR send me an email!  Dispatchesfromtheforest@...

This episode of Dirt Dispatches: It's a small world, letting nature sooth you, and a bunch of critter sightings.  Check it out!   Support the podcast by becoming a patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest Send me an email or donate via PayPal: dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com Dontate via Cashapp if you're so inclinded using cashtag $ForestNerd Check out the merch store!  www.cafepress.com...

You've seen em' at the seashore, you've seen em' at the lakeshore, heck you've probably seen em' in the parking lot of the big box store.  Seagulls are everywhere!  Let's take a look at the often maligned seagull - a devoted mate, parent and incredibly intelligent bird! Support the podcast by becoming a Patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest Email me!  (or donate via PayPal):  Dispatches...

Grizzly 399, the cautionary tale of P'Nut the squirrel and the importance of licensed rehabbers and 3 common social media comments that need to be retired ASAP.   Support the podcast by becoming a patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Make a donation via PayPal or send me an email:  dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com   Donations can now also be made via Cashapp!  $ForestNerd   Check ou...

Gather round feral friends and in honor of Halloween, let's dim the lights and tell spooky stories about the creepy cryptid with glowing red eyes known as the mothman.  From his best-known origins in Point Pleasant, WV to his more recent shenanigans in the greater Chicago region - including both my wife's and my own hometowns!  It's a bit of spooky Halloween fun! Support the podcast: Become a Patr...

A reminder to check those amazing facts you see on social media to make sure they're actually true, and the surprisingly tender mating ritual of pronghorn.   Become a patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest PayPal and Email address:  dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com Merch store!  www.cafepress.com/shop/dispatchesfromtheforest

It's spooky season feral friends!  So to honor that we're taking a look at some critters that go with Halloween like peanut butter goes with jelly: spiders - specifically some species of spider that often turn up in your house.  Seriously, you're surrounded by spiders, you might as well get to know them!   Support the podcast! Become a patron:  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest Send an email...

Recovering from surgery has kept me in the house the last week or so, but I've got owls, orb weavers (or rather a lack of orb weavers) and book recommendations!     Become a patron, support the podcast!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Email/PayPal (donations accepted!): Dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com   Merch Store!  www.cafepress.com/shop/dispatchesfromtheforest  

Before we get too deep into "Spooky Season" let's take a break from creepy crawlies and return to the world of birds.  Grebes are a diving bird with one of the most elaborate courtship rituals in the bird kingdom.  Learn everything you didn't know you needed to know about this amazing bird on this episode!   Become a Patron by joining my Patreon:  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Donate v...

Happy Fall to my Northern Hemisphere listeners - Happy Spring to the New Zealanders and anyone else in the Southern Hemisphere!  In this Dispatch: Fall colors, mummified bats and a foray into the home school community!   Become a patron:  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Send an email or donate via PayPal:  Dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com   Check out the merch store:  www.cafepress.com/...

Grasshoppers have been around for 250 million years.  They're so common that we kind of take them for granted.  But what do you really KNOW about grasshoppers?  Well, learn more about them on this episode!   Support the podcast by becoming patron!  Subscriptions start at a measly $5/month.  Check out all the info at www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Donate via PayPal or send me an email! ...

What's been happening here at Dispatches HQ?  It's starting to feel like fall - a brief pelican update, coyotes playing the long con, cat-faced orb weaver spiders and lazy teenage great horned owls.  Check it out! Support the podcast by becoming a patron:  www. Patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest Check out the merch store!  www.cafepress.com/shop/dispatchesfromtheforest Send me an email or donate...

Last episode I talked about butterflies, this episode is about moths.  How are they different from butterflies?  How are they the same?  I'll also tell you about a moth that's a punk-rock pirate.   Support the podcast by becoming a patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   PayPal address for donations and my email address for questions, comments, or suggestions:  dispatchesfromtheforest@g...

An addendum to Episode 81 (Butterfly Royalty) regarding Monarch butterfly conservation, the Swainson's hawks are back in town, and a couple of corvid incidents.  Check out what I've been seeing and doing the last couple weeks! Support the podcast by becoming a patron:  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Merch Store!  www.cafepress.com/shop/dispatchesfromtheforest   Email and PayPal:  Dispat...

Monarchs and milkweed go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly.  Viceroy butterflies look an awful lot like monarchs.  Learn more about these beautiful pollinators in this episode!   Support the podcast by becoming a patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Email me or donate via PayPal!  Dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com   Check out the merch store!  www. Cafepress.com/shop/dispatchesfr...

Scorpion hunting and ball moss in San Antonio, TX plus Katarina receives a gentleman caller.  Find out what I've been up to for the last couple weeks!   Support the podcast by becoming a patron:  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Donate via PayPal or send me an email!  Dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com   Merch store:  www.cafepress.com/shop/dispatchesfromtheforest   Also follow Dispatches...

Another arachnid that's not a spider - but this one is not likely to be mistaken for a spider like Solifuges and Harvestmen!  Learn more about scorpions (the animal, not the band!) including their surprisingly romantic mating ritual.   Support the podcast by becoming a Patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   PayPal a donation or send me an email:  Dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com   Che...

The final pelican update of the summer (unless they surprise me!), the rules of collecting roadkill and a really big kitty that I (sadly) couldn't bring home.   Email me or donate via PayPal: Dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com   Become a Patron and support the podcast!  www. Patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest   Git' yourself some sweet Dispatches from the Forest merch!  www.cafepress.com/shop/disp...