Wildlife Episodes

Is leaving the woods alone really the best way to preserve them? According to forester Ryan Trapani of the Catskill Forest Association, “doing nothing” comes with hidden costs—and a whole lot of shade-loving trees. In this immersive forest consultation, Ryan pays a visit to host Brett Barry's property to explore hands-on stewardship, the limits of laissez-faire ecology, and the surprising power of sunlight in shaping forest health. In this episode: How to spot hazard trees before they fall (...

Kaatscast spoke with Cornell University researchers about their latest investigations into New York State bobcat population abundance and the discovery of avian influenza (bird flu) in these wild felines. Featuring Jenny Bloodgood, a wildlife veterinarian, and Haley Turner, a Cornell graduate student, the podcast explores their collaborative efforts to assess bobcat abundance and health using GPS collar tagging and camera trap stations. The discussion highlights various diseases affecting bob...

Unveiling the Mysteries of the North American Porcupine In this episode of 'Kaatscast,' host Brett Barry delves into the fascinating world of the North American porcupine with Uldis Roze, the world's foremost expert on this mysterious and lovable Catskills rodent. Hear about the porcupine's habitat preferences, diet, mating behaviors, and unique defense mechanisms. Roze addresses common misconceptions, shares personal encounters, and reveals insights from his decades-long research, including ...

Spring has sprung in the Catskills, and with the reemergence of our native flora and fauna, invasive species are also happy to awaken. Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) director John Thompson tells us what to watch out for, how to report our findings, and what we can do to stem the tide of invasive pests. Plus, two emerging invasives to add to our radar! Report your findings at: https://www.imapinvasives.org/ Thanks to our sponsors: Briars & Brambles Books, Hanford Mil...

As Catskills black bears emerge from hibernation, we spoke with three bear experts –– wildlife rehabilitator Kristine Flones, and conservationist couple Patti and Bill Rudge –– who shared some handy tips for coexisting peaceably with our Catskills bears, including ... the best time to wrap up your wild bird food (and why) the importance of taking out the trash (at the crack of dawn) equipping your Catskills home with a ... marine signal horn? resisting the urge to run from a bear! ...

In 2020, Leslie T. Sharpe came to Silver Hollow Audio to narrate The Quarry Fox: and other Critters of the Wild Catskills, available at Libro.fm or wherever you get your audiobooks. Then the pandemic hit. Two years later, she returned to our studios for a reading of "The Bluebird Chronicles: a Catskills Romance." In this episode, we sat down with Leslie to fill in some of the gaps between then and now, and to talk birds, bats, and butterflies, plus ways we can all be stewards of the Catskills...

The winter/spring 2022 issue of Appalachia, "America's longest-running journal of mountaineering and conservation," features an essay by Catskills writer Leslie T. Sharpe about our little blue harbinger of spring: the bluebird. In this episode, we have the exclusive audio edition! Leslie narrated her piece for Kaatscast, and we present it here in full. Don't forget to tune in next time for a followup interview with Leslie T. Sharpe, author of The Quarry Fox: and other Critters of the Wild Cat...

Each year, hundreds of injured birds arrive at Annie Mardiney's doorstep for a second chance at life in the wild. When she isn't rescuing birds, Annie's running educational programs, with companion raptors like Peregrine Falcon Meng, pictured. We spoke with her (Annie, not Meng) at a talk she gave at the John Burroughs' Woodchuck Lodge. Hear her story, plus advice for helping injured wildlife. Thanks to our sponsors: Dixon Roadside and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce For a list of w...

This week... it's the only mammal capable of flight. And it can catch 1000 mosquitos in an hour! We're talking bats with Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Senior Research Director, Kathy Nolan, who joined me among the little brown bats of Shandaken, NY. Thanks to our sponsors: the Catskill Center; and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce, hosting the 17th annual Cauliflower Festival. Thanks also to Robert Burke Warren, for the use of his song, "It's a Bat!" And to Raimund Specht, Avisoft Bioa...

Honey bees aren't the only species facing serious population declines. Wild bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other insects, plus birds, bats, and amphibians are losing natural habitat and being forced out by invasive species, pesticides and herbicides. Pollinator pathways are a series of pollinator friendly areas that are spaced closely enough to create a habitat corridor. And for Catskills landowners, the Woodstock NY Pollinator Pathway offers simple ways to affect positive change for our...

With snow and ice still reluctant to make way for long-awaited signs of spring, bird species know that warm weather is indeed on its way, and many are already en route back to their Catskills breeding grounds. For many of us, robins are a telltale sign that spring has sprung. If you're hiking in the high country, though, you might be lucky enough to hear a Bicknell's thrush, back from its winter home in Hispaniola. Although its range is not limited to the Catskills, the bird was discovered here ...

This week: bees! wasps! hornets! yellowjackets! (and other things that sting) with special guest Justin O. Schmidt, research biologist at Southwestern Biological Institute, adjunct faculty at University of Arizona’s department of entymology, author of The Sting of the Wild, and creator of the famous Schmidt Sting Pain Index. Scientific American called Schmidt the "King of Sting." The New York Times dubbed him a “Connoisseur of Pain.” Here’s your college class on stings, with ... if we may ... th...

In The Quarry Fox, Leslie T. Sharpe chronicles the seasons and the vibrant wildlife of a landscape she cherishes, offering her keen insights in an engaging narrative that celebrates the splendor of the natural world. From crafty foxes and hibernating bears to vulnerable monarch butterflies, The Quarry Fox explores the creatures of the Great Western Catskills in loving, lyrical detail. Heir to John Burroughs, who tramped through these mountains more than a hundred years before her, Sharpe revi...