Sea ducks stay warm at Sachuest
By     |    Mar 3, 2015
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Sea ducks stay warm at Sachuest

If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to “follow” Science and Nature for a Pie on Facebook. You’ll get photos, facts, and updates on the natural world: facebook.com/scienceandnatureforapie. It’s been the kind of winter where following statement will seem ludicrous: there was sunshine at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge for a recent Audubon bird walk. Not only that, but there was no wind. None. A coastal location […]

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Fly like an Eagle: The Surge of an American Icon

Fly like an Eagle: The Surge of an American Icon

Note one: Unlike my other stories, none of the photos here were taken by me. I have noted sources of each. Note two: This story originally appeared in the Winter 2015 edition of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Report. Along the Seekonk River, the wind sweeps bitterly cold air into the cloudy day. If it was chilly and breezy inland, it’s downright windy and freezing here. This is an […]

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Winter Walkabout: Try a Snowshoe Adventure
By     |    Feb 2, 2015
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Winter Walkabout: Try a Snowshoe Adventure

  Science and Nature for a Pie is on Facebook! Visit www.facebook.com/scienceandnatureforapie and click “follow” for photos, facts, and notices about new blog posts! Though winter is here, plenty of animals are still active. And not just the ubiquitous squirrels or sparrows, either. Fox. Owls. Turkeys. They’re still around, hunting for food, making a living; just trying to survive. They prowl the night, or hunker under a bush for shelter […]

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FEEDER FACTS AND FALLACIES Part Two of Two

FEEDER FACTS AND FALLACIES Part Two of Two

Last week, we covered bird feeder topics including choosing a feeder, what seeds work, and where feeders should be placed. If you missed it, check the archives. And don’t forget to follow SaNfaP on Facebook! 4. BREAD IS NOT GOOD FOOD FOR BIRDS. Sorry, but it’s true. Bread comes with several problems: it gets moldy, which is not good for birds at all. Second, like bread for humans, it’s really […]

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FEEDER FACTS AND FALLACIES: Part one of two

FEEDER FACTS AND FALLACIES: Part one of two

Science and Nature for a Pie is on Facebook! Click the “Follow” button  for photos, facts, and other goodies. http://facebook.com/scienceandnatureforapie . Local winters can seem like a photo of a parade from a century past: long lines of gray, slightly out of focus, and vaguely depressing. Leaves are long gone, flowers are a memory. Is there any life outdoors in winter? The answer is yes. One of the best ways […]

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Which hawk is that? Ocean State Bird Club workshop says behavior may hold key

Which hawk is that? Ocean State Bird Club workshop says behavior may hold key

At 65 mph, the car is zipping too quickly down route 95 to observe much, and overcast skies obscure most color. The car passes beneath a light pole. At the top, a bird roughly the size and shape of a football perches, eyes fixed on the grass below. There’s a black line, a “belly band”, across its middle. Nearby is an open patch of grass. Is it a pigeon? A […]

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REMOVING DAMS TO RESTORE NATURE

REMOVING DAMS TO RESTORE NATURE

It seemed like the right move at the time. Big factories like textile mills in the 18th and 19th centuries needed power, and when there was no such thing as electricity, there was one major source: water. Use the power at hand to make a factory generate products. Build a factory by a river. Dam the river, turn it, shape it, bend it to the needs and turn that enormous […]

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Recycling Tom
By     |    Nov 27, 2014
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Recycling Tom

  (Photo: http://naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/wattles-caruncles-snoods/) I don’t know how that turkey ended up dead on the side of the highway. It’s possible that his tiny mind was occupied with the pursuit of a female. (Human males are prone to similar, sometimes fatal distractions, of course, but that’s another story.) Perhaps he was particularly despondent and, lacking easy access to a nearby bridge, leapt out in front of a tandem trailer. Or perhaps, […]

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Farming Filtration in RI Waters
By     |    Nov 18, 2014
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Farming Filtration in RI Waters

  Do oysters cause disease? Or, can oysters be the magic bullet that cleans up polluted waters? Which is better for fish habitat: an oyster bed, or one of eel grass? Dr. Robert Rheault, Executive Director of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association (ecsga.org), discussed those questions in conjunction with the showing of the film “Shell Shocked: saving oysters to save ourselves” at URI recently. The event was sponsored by […]

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Symmetry and Artistry: RI Audubon Hosts Annual Bird and Wildlife Carving Exposition
By     |    Nov 10, 2014
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Symmetry and Artistry: RI Audubon Hosts Annual Bird and Wildlife Carving Exposition

  Note: SaNfaP is on Facebook! Go to facebook.com/scienceandnatureforapie and click on “Follow” to receive pictures, facts, and more about the natural world. Then suggest that your friends do the same. They’ll thank you.  -HM “I take everything away that isn’t a bird, and what’s left is a bird.” Hmmm… if that instruction on bird carving sounds a bit too simple to be true, that’s because it is. And champion […]

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