Old Columns

Earlier Columns Published in Nature Watch

2006 Columns

September 3: Paper Folding (Britney Gallivan Earns an A)
August 27: Patents (Some Not So Great Slip Through)
August 20: Fall Bird Migration Dates (Moving South Already)
August 13: Yellowjackets (An Increasing Problem as Summer Progresses)
August 6: Astronomical Matters (Naming a Planet and Locating Three Stars)
July 30: Butternut (Another Tree in Trouble)
July 23: Mosquito Sensitivity (Scientists Confirm a Problem)
July 16: Butterfly Count 2006 (A Day in Niagara County Fields and Woodlots)
July 9: Cuckoos (First Line of Defense against Caterpillars)
July 2: Summer Reading (More Fine Books Available)
June 25: Inconvenient Truths (Gore and Carson Face Similar Responses)
June 18: Hunter-Wildlife Watcher Cooperation (One Way: Purchase a Duck Stamp)
June 11: Bird Flu (Where we stand today)
June 4: Twenty Minutes on a Bridge (A Quiet Spot in Amherst State Park)
May 28: Cecropia (Our Largest Moth Emerges)
May 21: Flower Power (How Human History is Tied to that of the Flowering Plants)
May 14: New Nature Trails (Times Beach and Swallow Hollow Trails Now Open)
May 7: Trilliums (Disappearing Wildflowers?)
April 30: Bluebird People (Providing Homes for these Lovely Birds)
April 23: Turkey Vulture (At a distance: handsome; up close: less attractive)
April 16: Environmental Education Week (Activities at the Dr. Victor Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve)
April 9: April Excitement (Spring Reactivates Nature)
April 2:Nature View Park (A Park Plays a Pivotal Political Role)
March 26: Wetlands (The Good and Bad of These Water Reservoirs)
March 19: Squirrel Contest (Fighting the Good Fight)
March 12: Winter Patterns (Two Winter Walks Lead to Attractive Silhouettes)
March 5: Curling and Science (University Researchers Extend their Interest in an Olympic Sport)
February 26: Riverkeeper (Lynda Schneekloth Speaks Out for the Niagara River Greenway)
February 19: Cave Swallows (A Fall Invasion)
February 12: The 2006 Great Backyard Bird Count (Take Part in Citizen Science)
February 5: The 2005-2006 Science Talent Search (Western New York is Missing)
January 29:John Sillick Tribute (A Library Corner is Dedicated to this Good Friend)
January 22: Northern Hawk Owl (A Rare Winter Visitor to the Niagara Frontier)
January 15: The Nature Fakers (John Burroughs and Teddy Roosevelt Take On Ernest Thompson Seton and William Long)
January 8: Birds of Snowy Fields (Snow Buntings, Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs)
January 1: A Salute to 2005 Readers (A Rich Variety of Welcome but Almost Overwhelming Responses)

2005 Columns

December 25: A Christmas Homecoming (From the Mediterranean to Upstate New York)
December 18: Snake Oil Salesman (A Book NOT to Buy)
December 11: Holiday Books: 2005 (Natural History Again Well Represented)
December 4: Community Activists (People Who Stand Up to Powerful Interests Aren't Always Welcomed)
November 27: 2175 Miles (Ellen Gibson completes the Appalachian Trail)
November 20: Maggot Therapy (Bluebottle Flies to the Rescue)
November 13: Hunter's Creek Park (An Erie County Conservation Park)
November 6: Nature View Park Politics (Legal High Jinks Delay Park Progress)
October 30: Nocturnal Stadium Fallout (Migrating Birds Visit Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca)
October 23: The 2005 Ig Nobel Prizes (The Underside of Science)
October 16: Maples in Fall (A Riot of Color)
October 9: A Morning among the Goldenrods (Wildflowers and Insects)
October 2: Hammock Camping (A New Way to Camp - to Me at Least)
September 25: The Enchanted Forest (Children Introduced to Nature)
September 18: Lake Huron by Scooter (Learning History about a Great Lake)
September 11: A Busy Weekend (Mid-September activities on the Niagara Frontier)
September 4: Irresponsible Design (An appeal to school board members)
August 28: Bloodsuckers (Leeches return to favor in medical practice)
August 21: The Pfeiffer Nature Center (A Southern Tier Enhancement)
August 14: Chicory (The Blue Blossoms of Summer Fields and Roadsides)
August 7: The Perseid Meteor Shower (A Summertime Opportunity to Observe Astronomical Activity)
July 31: Environmental Ethics (A Beautiful Site is Trashed)
July 24: Masked Warblers (Two of Our More Common Warblers Go Incognito)
July 17: Canoeing the Minnesota Boundary Waters (The Youngsters Take Charge)
July 10: Long-eared Owl (An Unexpected Local Breeding Record)
July 3:Books for Summer Reading (A Few of the Best Recent Issues)
June 26: Swallowwort (Trouble Ahead with Another Invasive Weed)
June 19: Chronic Wasting Disease (Our State Deer Herd is Endangered -- and We May Be Too)
June 12: An Asteroid Scare (The Odds are Threatening)
June 5: Ultralight Backpacking ("Java Joe" Dabes Goes Light)
May 29: Allen Benton (An ornithologist turns out to be a siphonapterist as well)
May 22: Research at Marineland (Canisius College Students Enjoy Special Opportunities)
May 15: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (A Lucky Video Establishes this Remarkable Find)
May 8The Strange Fahrenheit Scale (Why are Freezing 32 Degrees and Boiling 212 Degrees?)
May 1: Great Lakes Problems (Straws in Our Threatened Lakes)
April 24: Swamp Songs (Frogs and Toads Enliven Our Evenings)
April 17: Muckrakers (Local Citizens and Agencies Keep Alive our Environmental Conscience)
April 10: New Kid on the Block (Birders Add Cackling Goose to their Lists)
April 3: Possum in Winter (Rough Going for a Half-Hardy Mammal)
March 27: A Pseudoscience Course (University Students Investigate the Weird)
March 20 Sundogs (One of Many Atmospherics)
March 13: Spring Bird Migration Dates (A Summary of Springtime Arrivals and Departures)
March 6: Suggestions for Novice Naturalists (How to Get Started Studying Natural History)
February 27: A Whirlpool Story (An Experience in the Strait of Messina)
February 20: A Trip to the North (Seeking Out Some Rare Northern Birds)
February 13: Ordinary Wolves (An Autobiographical Novel about the Alaskan Wilderness)
February 6: The Downy Woodpecker (A Busy Woodland Worker)
January 30: Groundhog Day (Some Background for this Silly Prediction)
January 23: Ice (Memories of this Feature of Northern Winters)
January 16: An Incursion of Big Owls (Large Owls Retreating from the Far North)
January 9: Seagulls (Identification of Gull Species)
January 2: Readers in 2004 (Responses to Correspondents' Messages)

2004 Columns

December 26: Deer Lick (Hiking through a Nature Preserve in Early Winter)
December 19: Leadership Changes at the Iroquois Refuge (Bob Lamoy retires; Tom Roster takes over)
December 12: Christmas Bird Counts (Winter Days in the Field)
December 5: Holiday 2004 Natural History and Science Books (A New Batch of Fine Books)
November 28: Birding Babylon (A Soldier-Naturalist in Iraq)
November 21: Bees and Beekeeping in Winter (Bees Defend against the Cold Aided by Beekeepers)
November 14: Cross-country Hiker (A Long Trek across the Continent)
November 7: Death in a Meadow (Nature's Morticians)
October 31: The State of the Environment (Some Issues to Consider before Voting)
October 24: Richard Feynman (A Remarkable Teacher of Physics)
October 17: Lake Champlain (A Visit Back in History)
October 10: Crickets (Autumn Music Replaces Summer Clamor)
October 3: The Carolina Parakeet (Our Native Parrot Long Gone)
September 26: Oliver Hazard Perry (A Most Fortunate Hero)
September 19: Tom Hudak (An Outstanding Herpetologist Visits Buffalo)
September 12: Gravity (Driving Force of the Universe)
September 5: Circumnavigating Lake Erie (Around the Lake by Motor Scooter)
August 29: How Many Birds Do Cats Kill? (Some Recent Information about Bird Mortality)
August 22: Big Animals (The Buffalo Zoo's Elephants and Rhinos)
August 15: Veterinarians (Animals Receive Outstanding Care)
August 8: Queen Anne's Lace (Fields Covered with White)
August 1: Locust Plague (A Remarkable Story of Overabundance and Extinction)
July 25: Beatrix Potter (A Victorian Naturalist)
July 18: The Beast in the Garden (A New Book Suggests that Cougars Create Problems)
July 11: House Wren (Tiny and Cheery but Violent)
July 4: Ernst Mayr at 100 (Happy Birthday to an Important Scientist)
June 27: Blame It on Lake Tonawanda! (An Ancient Glacial Lake Creates Modern Problems)
June 20: Summer Reading 2004 (Some New Natural History Books)
June 13: John James Audubon and Alexander Wilson (A New Book about Two Outstanding Early American Ornithologists)
June 6: A Transit of Venus (A Twice in a Lifetime Astronomical Event)
May 30: Killarney Provincial Park (A May Canoe Trip in a Beautiful Setting)
May 23: West Virginia (Great Birding, Great Scenery and Great People)
May 16: Speedwell (One of Several Alternatives to Solid Green Lawns)
May 9: Wind Turbines and Birders (An Unnecessary Confrontation)
May 2: The American Toad (A Welcome Neighbor)
April 25: Reptile House (A Great Part of the Buffalo Zoo)
April 18: Trash (A Winter's Accumulation)
April 11: Our Three Swans (Three Beautiful Birds: Two of Them Serious Problems)
April 4: William O. Douglas and the C&O Canal (A Hiking Trail from the Nation's Capital)
March 28: Bed Bugs (Return of a Sleeping Problem)
March 21: Highly Contagious Avian Influenza (The Bird Flu Virus is Dangerous to Birds and Humans)
March 15: Birding in Early Spring (Head for Water)
March 8: Foucault's Pendulum (Proof that the Earth Rotates)
March 1: The February Niagara Frontier Feeder Count (What 255 Observers Recorded)
February 23: New Orleans Disappearing (Formosan Termites Exact their Toll)
February 16: Raptorphilia (A Concern about Our Attitude toward Hawks and Owls)
February 9: Honeybees and Land Mines (Another Service of Our Favorite Insect)
February 2: Bird Feeder Survey (A Niagara Frontier Citizen Science Opportunity)
January 26: Civet Cats (The Latest Animals in the News)
January 19: 19th Century Blizzards (Tougher Times)
January 12: A Problem with US-Canada Birding ("Hands up!")
January 5: A Salute to Readers (Correspondence in 2003)

2003 Columns

December 29: Halcyon Days (How the Kingfisher Got Its Latin Name)
December 22: My Family on Ice (A Father in Trouble)
December 15: Nature View Park (A Plea to the Amherst Town Board)
December 8: Holiday Books: 2003 (More Natural History Books for the Season)
December 1: The Passenger Pigeon (From Multitudes to Extinction)
November 24: The Agricultural Research Service (A Fine Agency Celebrates its Fiftieth Anniversary)
November 17: Lifer (A Young Birder Shows Us Up)
November 10: The Woolly Bear (What Does this Insect Have to Say about the Coming Winter?)
November 3: A New Biology Journal (PLoS Biology, an Important Web-based Science Resource)
November 2: Museum and Zoo (Our Buffalo Museum of Science in Free Fall)
October 20, 2003: Hurricane Birds (Hurricane Isabel Does Us Two Favors)
October 13, 2003: Formation Flight (Does Flying in Echelon Provide Advantages?)
October 6: Frequently Asked Questions (Selections from a Bird Watcher's Digest Summary)
September 29: Buffalo's Olmsted Parks: III (I Finish My Tour of These Graceful Parklands)
September 22: John Sillick (Our Community Loses an Important Voice and I Lose a Dear Friend)
September 15: Galileo's Demise (Our Jupiter Satellite Meets a Fiery End)
September 8: Skunks (One of Our Too Much Maligned Mammals)
September 1: Buffalo's Olmsted Parks: II (Parks and Parkways)
August 25: Buffalo's Olmsted Parks: I (The City at its Best)
August 18: Birds and Windows Reprise (Readers Offer Their Suggestions)
August 11: Lobster Quadrille (Trials of a Rehabilitator)
August 3: British Bird Decline (A Major Loss in House Sparrow and Starling Numbers)
July 28: Deep Space (The Near-Empty Universe Surrounding Us)
July 21: Least Bittern (The Tom Thumb of Herons)
July 14: Erie County Parklands: 4 (Parks in Cheektowaga, Lancaster and Clarence)
July 7: Birds and Windows (A Bit Too Much Testosterone?)
June 30: Butterfly Book and Count (A Delightful Book and the Annual July Count of Butterflies)
June 23: Erie County Parklands: 3 (Trails in Amherst, Tonawanda's Canalway and the Tonawanda-Buffalo Riverwalk)
June 16: Summer Reading: 2003 (A New Crop of Good Books for Naturalists)
June 9: Erie County Parklands: 2 (Akron Falls and Beeman Creek Parks)
June 2: Dandelions are Different (An Apomict Composite)
May 26: Erie County Parklands: 1 (Clarence and Newstead Bikepaths)
May 19: On Good and Bad Aliens (Invasives Are the Ones That Cause the Problems)
May 12: The Peppered Moth Story Comes Unglued (A Body Blow to Some Evolutionists)
May 5: A Transit and an Eclipse (Two Astronomical Events in Early May)
April 28: Coots Can Count (They May Not Look Smart...)
April 21: Regional Bird Migration Information (The New Buffalo Ornithological Society Seasonal Checklist)
April 14: Steam Devils and Waterspouts (Strange Tornado-like Lake Phenomena)
April 7: Timberdoodle (April is the Month for the Woodcock's Display)
March 31: Protecting Our Health (Our Legislators Let Us Down Again)
March 24: Late Winter Walk (Finally Some Bright Days)
March 17: Birdbox Festival (Getting Busy Before the Migration Heats Up)
March 10:Allan Klonick 1921-2003 (Another Fine Friend Departs)
March 3:Environmentalists Get No Respect (Speak Up and Critics Come Out of the Woodwork)
February 24:The House Mouse ("The Second Most Successful Mammal on Earth")
February 17:Fat Litigation (McDonald's May Not Be Off the Hook)
February 10:Two Movies (Bowling for Columbine excellent; Adaptation rotten)
February 3: Times Beach (Time to Get Going on a Long Overdue Conservation Project)
January 27: Assemblages of Animals (From Herds of Cattle to Parliaments of Rooks)
January 20: Scientists and Politicians (Coming at Science from Differing Traditions)
January 13: Bird Feeding is Okay (A Response to a Wall Street Journal Article)
January 6: The First American (The Best of our Best was a Scientist as Well as a Politician)

2002 Columns

December 30: 2002 Correspondents (A Few Responses)
December 23: Geocaching (A New Outdoor Activity Especially Suitable for Families)
December 16: Snowflake Bentley (An Exhibit of his Work is at the Buffalo Museum)
December 9: Books for the Holidays (Some Presents for Nature Lovers)
December 2: Patricia Chapple Wright (An Honored Primatologist from Western New York)
November 25: Suet Feeding (Providing Life Support for Winter Birds)
November 18: Phragmites (Another Invasive Species Expands Rapidly)
November 11: A Carnivore Website (Some Selections from an Excellent Resource)
November 4: Plants Prepare for Winter (Adaptations to Address Severe Conditions)
October 28: A Late Mosquito (West Nile Virus is Tough on Birds)
October 21: A Correspondent's Summer (Carl Carbone's Family Natural History Experiences)
October 14: An October Birding Big Day (Two Young Men Set a New York State Record)
October 7: Daddy Longlegs (A Quite Remarkable Arachnid)
September 30: Roadside (Wildflowers Brighten a Country Road Edge)
September 23: Mammouth Cave (A Visit to a Kentucky Underground Wonderland)
September 16: Birding on 9/11 (In New York City's Central Park)
September 9: Al Chestnut (Canoeing with a Wartime Hero in Algonquin Park)
September 2: Iroquois Observations (A Full Fall Program at Iroqouis National Wildlife
August 26: What Time is It? (New Ways of Telling Time: Some Interesting But Don't Worry about Converting)
August 19: Ogden Nash (A Delightful Poet Writes about Nature)
August 12: Genesee Country Village (Animal Art at a 19th Century Village Re-creation)
August 5: African Lion Safari (Behind the Scenes at a Wildlife Reserve)
July 29: Dragonflies and Damselflies (An Attractive Field of Interest)
July 22: Ecoterrorism (Misdirected Animal Rights Contributions Support Serious Crimes)
July 15: St. Johnswort (A Common Roadside Wildflower Often Offered as an Herbal Depressant)
July 8: Two Lost Friends (Two Very Different People Leave Me Saddened)
July 1: Cascadilla Creek (A Thoughtful Poet Writes About a Tompkins County Stream)
June 24: Scary Bear (Museum Remounts its Huge Brown Bear)
June 17: Summer Reading (A Few of the Many Outstanding New Natural History Books)
June 10: Bumblebee Queen (Busy as a Bee Makes Sense Here)
June 3: By Moped along the Hudson (From Mountain Stream to Mile-wide Estuary)
May 27: Teen Treks (A Bicycling Program of the Buffalo American Youth Hostel Center)
May 20: Dandelions (Fields of Gold Doubloons)
May 13: The New York State Breeding Bird Atlas in 2002 (Beginning the Third of Five Years)
May 6: Five Planets (On View in the Early Evening Sky -- If the Weather Breaks)
April 29: Two Handsome Sparrows (White-crowned and Fox Sparrows Appear Briefly on Migration)
April 22: Iroquois NWR Open House (Refuge Activities Updated)
April 15: Living Downstream (A Book Sets the Stage for Earth Day 2002)
April 8: Dangerous Wildlife Legislation Goes Too Far (A Good Start But This Bill Needs Careful Revision)
April 1: Urban Legends (An Appropriate Topic for April Fool's Day)
March 25: Insect Flight Myths (Even Scientists Make Mistakes)
March 18: Weird Behavior on the Vernal Equinox (Eggs on End)
March 11: Two Saints vs. Wildlife (St. Peter's Snakes and St. Urho's Grasshoppers)
March 4: AT Hiker (Ellen Gibson Hikes the Appalachian Trail Alone)
February 25: Snow in Mexico (80 Million Monarch Butterflies Killed)
February 18: Lynx Troubles (A Major Attack on Wildlife Biologists in the Northwest)
February 11: Head Lice (A Medical, not a Social Problem)
February 4:Museum Kids (Youngsters Whose Lives Were Changed by the Buffalo Museum of Science)
January 28: Amateurs Working with Illegal Venomous Snakes (A Community Concern)
January 21: Three Rare Birds (Winter Birding Not Bad on the Niagara Frontier)
January 14: Walking on Snow (Humans Match Up Quite Well)
January 7: Pukak (Winter Life Continues Under the Snow)

2001 Columns

December 31: Correspondents in 2001 (Thanks for Some Interesting Mail)
December 24: Two Poinsettia Legends (Red Bracts Enhance the Holidays)
December 17: Fall Yellow Palm Warblers (Unexpected Visitors to the Niagara Frontier)
December 10: Books for the 2001 Holidays (A Few of the Many Good Nature Books This Year)
December 3: The Demise of a Nature Center (Sadly Some Conservationists Share the Blame)
November 26: The Leonid Meteor Shower (And a Note on Botulism)
November 19: Erie Canal End-to-End (Two Fine Books Celebrate My Achievement)
November 12: More on Monarchs (Lincoln Brower Brings Us Up-To-Date at the Buffalo Museum of Science)
November 5: Anthrax (A Naturally Occurring Disease)
October 29: Underwater (Measuring Lake Qualities with a Senior Scientist)
October 22: Ladybug Reprise (More of Those House-Invading Asian Lady Beetles)
October 15: Johnny Appleseed (A Closer Look at a Frontier Entrepreneur)
October 8: Evolution (PBS Provides Eight Hours of Superb Television)
October 1: Chautauqua County Rails-to-Trails Pathways (New York State Has Rural Areas as Well as Urban)
September 24: Reinstein Woods (A Week of Activities in an Important Nature Sanctuary)
September 17: Fall Wanderers (Wood Storks Visit Upstate New York)
September 10: Buffalo has Good Guys Too (Two Buffalonians Make Audubon Magazine)
September 3: Around Lake Ontario (A Delightful Moped Ride)
August 27: Mosquitos (Don't Let Down Our Guard)
August 20: Cedar Waxwings (Sociable Birds)
August 13: Botulism (Another Tough Year for Waterbirds)
August 6: Dangerous Waters (A Wonderful Resource Poses Problems Too)
July 30: Anguished English (English vs. Natural History)
July 23: Southwestern New York (A Moped Trip along Border Country)
July 16: Where Was I? (A New Kind of Birding Test)
July 9: This Summer at the Buffalo Museum of Science (New Exhibits, New Life for an Old Museum)
July 2: Swallow Hollow Trail Closing (Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Access Reduced)
June 25: Dennis Puleston (Death of a National Conservation Hero)
June 18: The Pig War (An Interesting and Little Known Incident in Canadian-American History)
June 11: Fire Tower (Saving a Landmark)
June 4: Great Lakes Surfing (An Unexpected Freshwater Sport)
May 28: Two New Regional Wildflower Books (The Problems of What to Include in a Guidebook)
May 21: Blake Reeves (Loss of an Environmental Leader)
May 14: Leading Field Trips (Joseph Cornell visits Buffalo)
May 7: Nature over the Airways (High Quality Programs on Radio)
April 30: Bugs in Our System (The Original Computer Bug and Others)
April 23: Electrical Currents (Ocean Waves Provide Another Clean Energy Source)
April 16: Bluebirds (Support for our State Bird)
April 9: A Golf Course Improves its Environment (Modifications Produce Some Positive Results)
April 2: The Blush Spider is on the Loose (Check your Toilet Seats!)
March 26: North Country Odyssey (Nature Conservancy in Action)
March 19: Farmers' Adversity (Foot-and-Mouth Disease the Latest Threat)
March 12: Here They Come! (Migrating Bird Arrival Dates)
March 5: Entomological Storyteller (Gilbert Waldbauer Visits Buffalo)
February 26: Marcy's Woods (A Unique Canadian Refuge under Threat)
February 19: Robot Reptiles at the Buffalo Museum (Snake Expert Harry Greene to Speak)
February 12: The Fourth Great Backyard Bird Count (A National Inventory of Winter Birds Just Before Spring Migration)
February 5: House Finch Decline (A Newcomer Runs into Serious Health Problems)
January 29: A Foreign Invasion (Alien Plants and Animals Wreck Havoc)
January 22: Midnight Whistlers (Unusual Song from an Feisty Little Owl)
January 15: Thanks to Last Year's Correspondents (Readers Had Much to Offer)
January 8: Autism (Some Psychologists Make Matters Worse for Families)
January 1: Calendar Change Proposals (Don't Bet on Implementation)

2000 Columns

A Christmas Eclipse (Only a Partial Eclipse but a Rare Event Nevertheless)
Len Rusin: Natural History Artist (Animal Portraits are Different from Those of Humans)
Books for the Holidays (A Wealth of Nature Texts)
First Snowfall (The Onset of Winter on the Niagara Frontier)
A Burrowing Crayfish (A Newcomer to Western New York)
The Living Wild (Conservationists Speak Out Beside a Photographer's Spectacular Pictures)
The European Giant Hornet (A Gentle Giant Visits Grand Island)
West Nile Virus Reprise (The Virus Spreads Across New York State)
The Halloween Ladybug (An Alien Lady Bird Beetle Brings Tricks as Well as Treats)
The Buffalo Museum of Science Distinguished Lecturer for 2000 (Niles Eldredge Speaks on Evolution and Extinction)
Finishing the Finger Lakes Trail (I Achieve an End-to-End!)
Beechdrops (A Nondescript Woodland Parasite Has Few Admirers)
Associates (The Partnership of Giant Swallowtails and Hop Trees)
Ragweed (A Punishing Plant)
Hostile Hummers (Ruby-throated Hummingbirds Fight Over Sugar Water)
Systematics (Kingdoms All Over the Place)
Flying Squirrels (A Remarkable Adaptation for a Beautiful Animal)
Joseph Merritt (A Mammologist for All Seasons)
Chipmunk (One-on-one with a Denizen of the Forest)
Whobbies (My Favorite Loon Story)
Hotspots (Aiming Conservation Where It Will Do the Most Good)
Buzz Words (Insects Invade our Language)
The Buffalo Tree Survey (A Basis for Urban Beautification)
Highway Hiking (Tough on the Feet But Not Too Bad in Other Ways)
West Nile Virus (Crows Monitor This Dread Disease)
Summer Natural History Reading (Books for Relaxation)
Ox-eye Daisies (A Welcome Sign of Summer)
The Asian Longhorned Beetle (An Alien Insect Monster on the Loose)
A Day in the Adirondacks (A Visit to Spring Lake Bog)
Wading the Finger Lakes Trail (Enjoying an Outing Despite the Elements)
Bats 'R' Us -- Almost (Remaking Ourselves as Bats)
Bats and Rabies (New York Health Authorities Attack Our Most Beneficial Animal)
Atlas 2000 (State Birders Begin Work on a Second Breeding Bird Atlas)
Lark Bunting (An Unusual Appearance on the Niagara Frontier Brings Back Memories)
Medical Research with Animals (Some Concerns about P.E.T.A.'s Latest Escapades)
Vernal Pools (As Important as They are Ephemeral)
Earth Day 2000 (Beginning to Get Our Act Together)
la Fontaine's Fables (Anthropomorphism Turned on Its Head)
Voodoo Science 2: Homeopathy (Another Example of People Hoodwinking Themselves)
Voodoo Science 1: Vitamin O (April Foolishness Comes Early This Year)
Llamas (These Gentle Animals Are Becoming Popular Pets)
Winter's End? (Celebrating the Good Weather in the Field)
Another Possible Y2K Glitch (February 29, 2000 May Create Problems)
Asteroid Visit (NEAR Space Vehicle Arrives at Eros on Valentine's Day)
Tornado Alley (Monster Storms of the Great Plains)
Sumac Warehouses (Staghorn Sumac Serving as Seed Retainers)
Porcupine (Adventures with Quill Pigs)
Two Responses to Cabin Fever (Keep Up Your Spirits)
Gardener's Latin (An Aid to Scientific Nomenclature for Botanists)
Birdbrains (Birds aren't so Dumb After All)
Thanks to 1999 Correspondents (A Selection of Letters from Readers)

1999 Columns

The Blizzard of '77 (Storm of the Century for Western New York)
Mistletoe (Some History and a Warning)
Mickey Mouse Bugs (Moth Flies Invade Our House Again)
Books for Holiday Reading and Giving (Some of the Best I Found in 1999)
Identifying Wildflowers in Winter (It isn't so hard after all.)
Genetic Modification (A Wonderful Tool or a Demon Let Loose?)
Profanetary (The Buffalo Ornithological Society's Lampoon Issue)
Milkweed Pods (A Fall Ritual)
Giant Water Bug (A Toe Biter on the Loose)
Raven Encounter (A Bird Proves Too Smart for Me)
Bad Beetles (Attacks by Alien Coleopterans)
Autumn Leaves (New York Fall Colors Seem Normal Despite Our Long Drought)
Children's Logic (Are We Adults Holding Our Own?)
Cliff Ecology (Pre-Columbian Trees Found along the Niagara Escarpment)
Crows (Smart Birds Pose Problems)
Creationism Kansas Style (Creationism Poses a Problem for Religion as well as Science)
Dogs (Quotations about a Long Term Association)
Triple Point (A Height of Land Overlooking Three Major Watersheds)
Human Insect Attraction (Do We Really Differ in Our Problems with Insects?)
Georg Wilhelm Steller (A Russian Naturalist on the Bering Expedition to Alaska)
Insect Songs (Katydids and Allies Enhance our Dog Days)
Giant Hogweed (A Dangerous Monster Invades Upstate New York)
Bears Can Be Dangerous (Some Warnings Derived from the Black Bear Attacks Reported in 1998)
Chautauqua Nature Pilgrimage (An Early August Program at the Chautauqua Institute)
Rare Butterfly (A Mystery with an Instructive Solution)
Children's Logic (Are We Adults Holding Our Own?)
Cliff Ecology (Pre-Columbian Trees Found along the Niagara Escarpment)
The Kirtland's Warbler (A Rare Bird in the Michigan Jack Pines)
Books for Vacation Reading (Beasts, Bugs, Birds and a Seneca Statesman)
Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies to Your Garden (Hummingbird Feeders and Plants for Hummers and Butterflies)
Good Kids (The Other Side of the Delinquency Coin)
Ten Easily Identified Butterflies (A Beginners List of Common Species)
Kettle Falls (A Hotel Deep in the Minnesota Canoe Country)
Dogs (Quotations about a Long Term Association)
Triple Point (A Height of Land Overlooking Three Major Watersheds)
Migration Remains a Mystery (Birds Have a Scenario of Their Own)
Alabama Blues (Blue Birds at a Blue Time)
Weasels Reprise (Readers' Experiences with Weasels)
Missing Charles Sibley (A Fine Avian Systematist and Good Personal Friend is Gone)
Cherry Blossom Festival (Our Nation's Capital Bathed in Pastels)
Our 30th Earth Day (A Time to Think about Individual Responsibility for the Environment)
Journey to Planet Earth (An Outstanding Ecological Television Mini-Series)
Mite vs. Mite (Research Botanists Find Another Way to Protect Our Orchards)
The Baltimore Case (A New Look at a Miscarriage of Academic Justice)
Uninvited Guests (Insects that Visit Our Homes in Winter)
Weasels (The Villain in the Woodpile)
Sunset Ordinance (Buffalo Considers a Measure to Quit Using Toxic Pesticides)
Sea Ducks (A Seemingly Empty Lake Ontario is Well Populated)
Applied Science (Applied To Myself, That Is)
The 2nd Annual Backyard Bird Count (The Cornell Ornithology Lab Invites Amateurs to Contribute to Science)
Shackleton in Antarctica (There are Worse Things than Cabin Fever in Buffalo)
Winter Robins (Caught after an Easy Fall by a Harsh January)
Giraffe (A Zoo Visit and a New Book)
Snow (Some Properties and a Recommended Student Project)
New Year's Day Birding (Starting a 1999 Year List)
Nature in the Dark (Conversation with a Horned Owl)

1998 Columns

Readers in 1998 (Thanks to 1998 Readers and an Update on Columns)
The Spiders' Christmas (A Polish Christmas Story)
19th Century Bird Nest Paintings (A Remarkable Family Story)
Gift Books for the Holidays (Seven New Books that I Especially Enjoyed Reading)
Charles Ebert on Disasters (How We Respond to Today's Catastrophe and Yesterday's -- What Was It?)
Benjamin Franklin Talks Turkey (Turkey yes, Eagle no)
Down Time (End of a Spectacular Summer)
The Cell from Hell (Science Fiction or Science Fact?)
Bull's Birds of New York State (A Fine Addition to the Literature of Ornithology)
Groundskeeper (Changing a University Monoculture)
Fall Bird Banding (Some Identification Problems Are Simplified with the Bird in Hand)
Miscellaneous Notes (On WNY Wildlife Viewing, Fall Webworms, the Entomopter, and Goose Dogs)
Cats and Wildlife (Our Most Destructive Carnivore)
My Life in the Circus (Working for Coast-to-Coast Charlie)
Tiger Beetles (An Entomological Tiger Hunt)
The Case of the Bald Birds (An Ornithological Detective Story)
Second Outing on the Seaway Trail (Cruising by Moped)
Scientific Names (Taxonomists Have a Sense of Humor Too)
Manitoulin Island (A Too Brief Visit to a Canadian Wonderland)
Revolutionary War Ghost Story (A Tale to Tell around the Campfire)
Cormorant Kill (A Serious Crime and Even More Serious Problems)
Winter Wren (Delightful Songster of the Northern Forest)
Stalking Science (A Syracuse University ESF Course for School Science Teachers)
Summer Reading (Three Books for Vacation Reading)
Save Your Money (Butterfly Boxes and Bug Zappers Do Not Do Their Job)
Wilderness Sometimes Wins (Tough Times in the Early Virginia Colonies Caused by Drought)
Griffis Sculpture Park (A Remarkable Art Exhibition in a Natural Setting)
13-Year and 17-Year Periodical Cicadas (This Year a Few Counties in Missouri and Oklahoma Have Both)
Relaxing in Alabama (With a Little Excitement Thrown In)
Mandrake (No, Not the Magician but a Wildflower with Magical Properties)
Fishing Derby (Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge National Fishing Week Program for Kids)
Trail Angels (Illness While Hiking Underscores Safety Measures)
A Federal Land Giveaway ("Solving" One Problem by Creating a Worse One)
Opossum (Not Much To Look At But A Most Remarkable Beast)
Home in the Country (Another Threat to the Peaceful Life)
Dumpster Dive (University Students Show the Way toward Recycling)
Mammals Object Lesson (How to Capture the Attention of Elementary School Students)
Two Birds (A Rare Beauty and a Starving Beast)
Pussy Willow (Early Spring Favorite)
Was the Titanic Sinking Foretold? (Another April Fool Example of Pseudoscience)
Arbor Day (Nebraska Gets the Ball Rolling)
A Visit to Merritt Island, Florida (Some Differences between Northern and Southern Birding)
The 1998 Allegany Nature Pilgrimage (Advance Information about the late-May Event)
Amelia Island in Winter (A Walk along a Florida Barrier Beach)
Route 20 in Winter (A Drive Through Some of New York State's Finest Scenery)
Bernd Heinrich on Forest Ice Damage (From His New Book: The Trees in My Forest)
Ice Palace (Ice Storm Damage to Forests of the Northern Adirondacks)
Amherst Ambrose (Our Neighborhood Woodchuck Meets Mrs. Rising)
A Visit to Allenberg Bog (Winter Surveying Adventures)
Oprah on Trial (Mad Cow Disease in a Texas Courtroom)
The Hamlin Lake Watch (Over 300,000 Waterfowl on Lake Ontario)
Experiences on Four Local Christmas Bird Counts (Enjoying Winter Birding)

1997 Columns

Correspondents 1997 (A Salute to Readers of "Nature Watch")
Planets March Across the December Sky (Astrology Confronts Astronomy)
Two More Local Nature Stores (Census of Outdoor Sports Underscores Interest in Wildlife Watching)
Outstanding 1997 Natural History Books (My Suggestions for Holiday Giving)
Kid Science (Children Explain Scientific Concepts)
Wild Turkey Reprise (Return from Near Extinction)
BirdWatch (Don and Lillian Stokes on TV)
Two Mice and a Shrew (How to Identify Three Home Invaders)
North American Explorer Andre Michaux (A Lewis and Clark Precursor)
Pale Horse, Pale Rider (A Devastating But Seldom Mentioned Plague That Swept the Earth)
A Chipping Sparrow with Two Heads? (A Bizarre Discovery with a Final Twist)
Autumn on the Seaway Trail (Slackbiking Along the Lake Erie Shore)
Cherokee Lands (Some Thoughts about the Early History of Alabama)
Kudzu (Will This Vine Conquer the South?)
Naturalist Superstars (Eisner and Fowler Visit Buffalo)
Beach Sweep Reprise (A Remarkable Local Volunteer)
Mullein (Common Weed or Magic Wildflower?)
A Visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake (Biking along the Niagara River to Lake Ontario)
Northern Minnesota Cabin (Easy Days Along the Gunflint Trail)
Birding Contest (A National Competition for Middle and High School Students)
Potato Blight (Reprise of the Irish Potato Famine?)
Spider Bite (A Frightening Experience with a Suspected Brown Recluse Spider Bite)
Hail (The Harder They Fall)
Mayflies (Two Months Late in 1997)
Summer Reading for 1997 (Books to Take on Vacation)
Clepsydra (Sailing the Carolinas on the Intracoastal Waterway)
The Lost World (A Jurassic Park Rip-Off)
Blackflies (The Bad Bugs of June in the North Woods)
Rhubarb (The History of a Remarkable Plant)
Those Stolen Days (Thomas Pyncheon Recreates the 18th Century)
Banding Station (Non-Professionals Contribute to Science)
Growing Degree Days (Is This Really Spring?)
Glen (Warblers vs. Bulldozers)
Appalachian Trail Through Hikers (Good Kids on the Trail)
Baltimore Oriole (Return of an Aristocrat)
Backpacking Equipment (Getting Better)
Cardinal (Cheering Our Spring)
Wood Frog (Spring Quacker)
Firefly Light (Earning Your Way Into Extinction)
Mead Misfortune (Samoan Hoax)
Comet Hale-Bopp Reprise (Magnitude and Comet Names)
Bug in the House (A Newcomer on the Niagara Frontier)
Burdock (Villain or Hero?)
S.P.C.A. (Some Fortunate Animals)
Neutral Colors (The End of Winter, The Beginning of Spring)
Comet Hale Bopp 1 (Morning Pass in February)
CBC Feeder Birds (In Decline?)
Tarantella (And Tarantulas?)
Math Land (Isle Royale Moose and Wolves)
A Brother (Turtles and a Model)
Two Books (Second Thoughts on Conservation Matters)
Cottontail (A Tough Life)

1996 Columns

1996 Readers (Responses to Many Contacts)
Christmas Star (What and When Was It?)
Urquhart at 85 (Monarch Man)
Tree Conditions (What Trees Have to Offer)
Little Rock City (Spectacular Geology Hidden in the Woods)
Owl Calling (Some Tongues Don't Twist the Way They Should)
Angels and Insects (A Book and a Film Both Do It Right)
Isle Royale Backpack (Into the Wilderness)
The Penn-Dixie Quarry (A Remarkable Paleontological Site)
Rare Hummingbird (A 3000 Mile Sidetrip?)
Tower Kills (Migrating Birds Killed by the Radio and Television Towers South of Buffalo, NY)
Wellsville Marathon (They Run; I Hike)
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (A Place for Naturalists as Well as Hunters)
Weather Modification (Playing God?)
Shoreline Activities (Hurricane Fran Brings Rare Birds)
Succession (Nature is About Change)
Catskills (Experiences in Rip van Winkle Country)
Peterson Reprise (A Remakable Ornithologist Dies)
Feeding Hummingbirds (Charging Tiny Batteres)
Presqu'ile (Visiting a Canadian Refuge)
Rats (A Serious Problem Spreads)
Rough-legged Hawks (Winter Visiting Raptors)
The Mars Effect (More April Foolishness)
Comet II (Threat from the Skies)
Comet Hyakutake (Close Approach)
Doouble Standard (Some Collectors Pose a Problem)
Sitting on Go (Can't Wait for Spring)
Ice Bridge (Niagara Falls Frozen)
Bird Houses (Build Your Own)
Shrike (A Winter Episode)
Sycamore (A Stark Presence in Our Woodlands)
Harry Clar (An Extraordinary Trail Steward)
Woodpeckers: 2 (Tough on the Head)
Woodpeckers: 1 (Tree Drillers)
Ernst Both (A Leader Will Be Missed)
1995 Correspondents (Readers Write)

1995 Columns

Captain Cook (Explorer and Cartographer)
Coon Hunt (Into Alabama Swamps with Coon Hounds)
Dear Gary Larson (Scientists' Reactions)
Farside 1 , Farside 2 , Farside 3 , Farside 4 , Farside 5 ,
Farside 6 , Farside 7 , Farside 8 , Farside 9 , Farside 10
Captain Cook (Explorer and Cartographer)
Coon Hunt (Into Alabama Swamps with Coon Hounds)
Goldenrod (Our Common Fall Flower))
Ichneumon (Superwasp)
Red Squirrel (Chatterbox at Work)
Ross's Gull (Welcome to the Niagara Frontier?)
Screw-worm (How Not to Save Money)
Skunk Cabbage (Early Spring Hothouse)
The Tent Makers (A Troublesome Little Beast)
Tidelands (Atlantic Shores)

Vernal Equinox (The Perfect Twelve Hour Day?)

1994 Columns

Grebe Fallout (Birds in Snowbanks)
Lek (Dancing Grounds)
Fireflies (Caleb Murphy Chases the Lights)
Milk Snake (A Benign Visitor)
Winter Insects (On a Visit to Deer Run Nature Preserve)
The Seven Sleepers (Snoozing Through the Cold Weather)

1993 Columns

James Bond (The Real 007)
Albinism (Some Animals, Especially Birds, Lack Pigmentation)
Reinstein Woods (A Remarkable Suburban Sanctuary)
Praying Mantis (Nature Lessons Don't Always Turn Out as Expected)
Lake Effect (Early Winter Great Lakes Storm Systems)
Birds vs. Buildings (Artificial Obstructions)
South Mountain (Hiking in Civil War Country)

1992 Columns

Spiderweb (A Garden Spider at Work)
Frog Songs (Marsh Sounds)
Tundra Swans (A Special Springtime Treat)
Insect Antifreeze (Insects Defend Themselves Against Cold)
Arborvitae (The Tree That Saved Cartier's Crew)
Roger Tory Peterson (A Remarkable Ornithologist from Jamestown))
Maple Syrup (Sugaring Off)
Martha's Vineyard (Historic Barrier Island)
Alfred Wegener (The First Proponent of Plate Tectonics)
Honored Friends (Harold Axtell and Joe Taylor)

1991 Columns

October 28: Charles Darwin (Should We Continue to Degrade a Remarkable Scientist?)
September 16: Mole (Sometimes Home Remedies Are Best)
August 12: Wind Birds (The Shorebirds Come Through)
May 13: Endangered Species (The Legal System Makes Things Difficult)
May 6: Hawk Watch (Hundreds of Raptors over Hamburg)
April 29: Hike Log (Southern Tier Expeditions)
April 22: Algonquin (Late Winter Visit to the Far North)
April 15: Saw-whet Owl (Our Tamest Owl)
April 8: Hummingbirds (Tiny Jewels)