The Field Guides

Jan 31 2025 88 ep. 57 mins 3.3k
The Field Guides Podcast artwork

Nature nerds rejoice! The Field Guides is a monthly podcast that will bring you out on the trail, focusing on the science of our North American wildlife.

  Education  Comedy
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Ep. 71 - The Field Guides Go Crikey!

Jan 31 2025 73 mins  
he guys return to Everglades National Park, again looking for a predator that Daniel wants to get too close to: the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). Listen in as Daniel shares some research, busts croc-related myths, and Steve probably gets a little too excited about how crocs deal with salt water. Bill doesn’t have much to say, but he’s there, too. Enjoy! This episode

Ep. 70 - Saving the Blue Iguana

Dec 31 2024 67 mins  
This month, we head to the tropics and meet the Blue Iguana of the Cayman Islands! This endangered lizard is found nowhere else on the globe save for the island of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean, and just two decades ago, it’s likely there were fewer than 25 animals remaining in the wild. This was a species that was functionally extinct, but thanks to the herculean efforts of a de

Ep. 69 - Rewilding Floreana (with Fundación Jocotoco)

Nov 27 2024 60 mins  
How hard is it to reintroduce species to a tropical island? Turns out, pretty hard! But it’s so worth it. The rewilding of the Galapagos island of Floreana will make it the largest tropical island ever to be rewilded. Researchers have spent over a decade meticulously planning for the reintroduction of the iconic Floreana Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger). Once thought to b

Ep. 68 - All Hail the King (Salmon)

Oct 31 2024 78 mins  
This month, Daniel leads the guys into uncharted waters for the podcast…that’s right, it’s our first-ever episode about fish! The Great Lakes salmon fishery is one of the greatest angling spectacles in the US. Large predatory salmon, native to the Pacific Northwest, are stocked in the Great Lakes region to maintain a world class fishery and control invasive baitfish. The undi

Ep. 67 - Fishers in the Field: A Hike with Fisher Researcher Dr. Scott LaPoint

Aug 31 2024 77 mins  
If we want to help wildlife, we need to know when and where they’re moving on the landscape. Dr. Scott LaPoint has spent his career researching just that. When our recent episode on fisher cats left us with a lot of questions, we figured who better to help us out than Dr. LaPoint. He was kind enough to join Daniel and Bill for a hike, sharing his expertise and his amazing ability

Ep. 66 - Pinesap (The Plant, Not the Sap)

Jul 31 2024 64 mins  
Pinesap (Monotropa hypopitys) is a goofy little plant that parasitizes fungi and can often be found beneath pine trees. It is not the sap of pine trees like Daniel thought. In this episode, Bill leads the discussion about the complex relationships between pinesap, its fungal host, and the tree species the fungi has a symbiosis with. Join the guys as they get caught in a sudden rain

Ep. 65 - Fishers: Eatin’ More Toes Than Turkeys

Apr 30 2024 69 mins  
Fishers (Pekania pennanti) are a predator species reclaiming much of its former range in the northeastern US, but, as sightings become more common, so do stories of what fishers (AKA fisher cats) are up to. This episode, the guys are on the trail - both literally and figuratively - tracking down the life history of this elusive member of the weasel family.

Ep. 64 - Let's Look at the Eclipse! (Not Literally)

Mar 31 2024 60 mins  
Who doesn’t love an eclipse? Apparently, wildlife has very mixed feelings about the whole affair. This month, the guys prepare for the upcoming 2024 total eclipse by looking into the research around how animals react to the moon photobombing the sun for a few minutes. The reactions are not universal, but they are varied. And trying to figure out what the animals are up to makes

Ep. 63 - Field Trip!: On the Trail of the Florida Panther

Feb 22 2024 72 mins  
Bill meets Daniel in south Florida to record an episode about the Florida Panther and tackle the questions and misconceptions that leave this cat shrouded in mystery.

Ep. 62 - Timber Rattlesnakes: Still Endangered, Still Danger Noodle-y (Part 2)

Jan 23 2024 60 mins  
Part 2 of our Timber Rattlesnake episode. If you haven’t listened to part 1, go and do that. We’ll wait right here for you. The episode was recorded on December 7, 2023 at Hunters Creek County Park in East Aurora, NY.