While tracking out behind my house, I settled in for a quick lunch half way up a gully overlooking a brook that was moving swiftly from the melting snow. As I stood up to seek a way through the thick laurel, I spotted clumps of hair poking through the leaf litter. Pulling back the leaves, I discovered a voluminous pile of hair and quills of a porcupine. As I probed the site, I discovered the skull a few feet away.

In examining it, I noticed the bones on the upper ridge of the nasal cavity had been broken. My forensic conclusion is that a fisher likely predated upon it. Fishers will attempt to corner porcupines and then lash out at their quill free faces. When the animal weakens from blood loss, they will sometimes then go for the throat. Eventually, the fisher will feed on the porcupine through the belly, which is also free of quills.

It’s been my observation that the folks who are drawn to outdoor adventure and education also desire to understand more deeply the world in which we play and live. I know that’s the case for me!

Thus, I submit to you, the amazing radio show and podcast Radiolab.

In each episode its hosts, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, take you on a fascinating journey during which you explore amazing and unexpected topics. In the words of its creators: “Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.”

Recent stories include: Kill ’em All, an exploration of the roles of mosquitoes in our ecosystems; An Ice-Cold Case, an examination of the most current data and hypotheses related to Otzi the Ice Man; and Brown Box, an inside look at an internet-shopping fulfillment center.

The content keeps coming, and  it’s getting better and better. You can download via iTunes, listen to it on MP3 players and smartphones, or simply stream it online.

Check it out; you won’t be disappointed!

During today’s staff meeting, when James mentioned seeing a Timber Doodle, we all looked at him with looks of confused skepticism. “What the heck is a Timber Doodle?” I thought. A fan of playful jokes and pranks, we all thought that he must be putting us on. In fact, he wasn’t!

As it turns out, ‘Timber Doodle’ is just another name for the American Woodcock, the only woodcock to be found in North America. And, Timber Doodles are also signs of spring, for the male bird puts on a beautiful courtship “falling-leaf” flight display, signaling to us in the north that warmer weather is on its way.

Keep a watchful eye while in, or when passing by, open spaces and field for these small, stocky, beautifully patterned birds.

For more information, visit the Wildlife Management Institute‘s site, Timberdoodle.org And, visit our website for more information on Adventure In, Adventure Out’s tracking course, The First Science: The Art of Animal Track and Sign.