Nature Connections for Kids

- there are 48 supspecies of fox.

- eyes adapted for night vision; pupils are vertical (like a cat’s pupils)

Tracking Urban Powerful Owls

A few images of putting GPS loggers on Melbourne’s urban powerful owls.

The process. The target bird identified at a roost. Caught!! (not pictured).  Then weighing, attaching tracker, sewing antennae on to tail feather, just before release, and finally the release.

‘I made this image in 2011, just as the rhinoceros horn issue was first coming to the fore. I had been shooting a lot of corpses and some terrible images of suffering animals who had survived brutal dehorning by poachers and been left to die. This was the first time I saw human compassion demonstrated towards the rhino and it blew me away to see these African men and the relationship they had together. I shot this in Kenya, at a place called Ol Pejeta, where they have three of the last six northern white rhinos in existence. This old boy is the last male of his species. Just imagine that, to be the last of something on this planet… that is truly to know loneliness. We are entering a huge wave of extinction now, magnificent animals like this rhino will go the way of the dodo, all because mankind is too ignorant and too arrogant to understand that all things need to be in balance. There are still great people who dedicate their lives to wildlife and in this image you see what is possible between people and animals when mutual respect is the rule.’ - Brent Stirton, Getty Images Reportage photographer

A seasoned photojournalist, Stirton has dedicated his recent work to highlighting issues surrounding endangered animal populations. This image of a white rhino was selected by Getty Images and Canon, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the EOS 5D camera series, as one of 10 iconic images that helped to shape the past decade.

The notorious death cap mushroom causes poisonings and deaths around the world. If you were to eat these unassuming greenish mushrooms by mistake, you wouldn’t know your liver is in trouble until several hours later. The death cap has been spreading across California. Can scientists find a way to stop it? Here’s the latest from @kqedscience‘s Deep Look! 

We are The Bug Chicks, entomologists who specialize in fun, accessible, educational content. We’ve made over 50 videos to teach people about the amazing world of arthropods—insects, spiders and other animals with exoskeletons.

Sometimes when inspiration strikes you think why didn’t we think of this 5 years ago? It’s so simple– it makes so much sense! Our latest project is a perfect blend of nature, education and the power of social media.  

We had an idea, to film America’s awesome bugs while promoting strong female role models and positive science programming. On our epic road trip, we’re bringing a vintage, green velvet couch and placing it into diverse ecosystems across the states, inspiring people to “get off the couch” and explore America’s backyard wilderness. You don’t have to visit the Amazon or Borneo to see cool animals – there is an amazing world to discover here in the United States!

Nature programming has been leaning toward fear and myth lately, and we find it alarmingly sad. The natural world is mind-blowing; we don’t really need to embellish it. We want to inspire wonder in the natural world. Also, where are all the women on television/web who are smart, funny and kind to each other? We have been told that we are great role models for young girls and boys (we’re best friends and real people who are in turns funny, smart, capable, silly and passionate about our work).

When we teach, we tell kids to look with their eyes, before they look with their iPhones. However, linking mobile technology with kids and nature seems like a no-brainer. Phones and hand held devices aren’t going anywhere, and if educators are going to compete with games and apps and the internet we have to embrace the change and use the technology effectively instead of fight it or take it away from kids. This is why our partnership with Project Noah is so exciting!

During our filming trip, people can follow along via Project Noah on a Bug Chicks Mission! They can upload photos of arthropods we might see along our route, ask questions and be a part of the show. We will be putting pictures and interactions into the final show, so this becomes a user-generated web series to some extent. The final show will air online in mid-November, on Project Noah’s website as well as NPR’s Science Friday blog. 

We never really understood that phrase ‘an idea whose time has come’ until this past week. Our project has caught the notice of many different groups with various interests from pro-girl organizations to famous bug-bloggers, national citizen science organizations and everyone in between. And just this week we signed an agreement with Honda. They are lending us a new 2014 Odyssey for our epic road trip vehicle. This is real. This is happening! Will you help us to make it as awesome as it can be?

Please consider supporting our efforts. If you support strong female role models, positive programming, science and fun educational content—this show is for you!

Feel free to share our Indiegogo link far and wide. We can’t wait to create this show and highlight the amazing diversity of America’s arthropods. 

The Bug Chicks