This morning I woke up, turned on my cell phone, and knew what the sunset looked like in Japan. I saw a European Robin in England, all puffed up against the cold. I looked in awe at snowy peaks in the Himalayas. All without getting out of bed.
Author: Erika Zambello
Erika is a 2015 MEM graduate with a concentration in Ecosystem Science and Conservation. She grew up in southern Maine surrounded by a beautiful environment, inspiring her to pursue conservation in her graduate work. Studying Government and Anthropology as an undergraduate at Cornell and working in the development department of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace between her undergrad and graduate studies has prompted her to bring multiple disciplines to her study of the natural world. She is a National Geographic Young Explorer, and currently works as a Marine Economic and Tourist Development Resource Coordinator, using ecotourism to strengthen conservation and restoration along the coast of Florida.
Birding Without Borders vs. Birding My Backyard
Recently an adventurous spirit has captured my attention. Every day around noon, I log on to the Audubon website and look for the daily update from Noah Strycker, a 28 year old birder who is trying to see 5,000 species of birds in one year. Given that there are around 10,000 species, that means he aims to see half of all bird species in just 365 days. Exhausting? Yes. Crazy? Yes. Impressive? Yes. And he has inspired me to continue my birding and up my game.
Citizen Science and eButterfly
I’m already an avid user of eBird, a website and app that allow birders from all over the world to record their data, while simultaneously providing a wealth if data to scientists and conservationists. Given it’s importance as a citizen science project, I was thrilled to discover eButterfly, a more recent project with the same goals. Over the winter break I took some time to identify a few of my butterfly photos, and record my first observation.
Maine Moose: An Unexpected Winter Sighting
Moose are an iconic species in Maine. They are the inspiration for thousands of stuffed animal variations, paintings, photographs, sculptures, even chocolate shapes. Yet, they can be difficult to see in the summer, and even more difficult in the winter. In fact, I had never seen a moose between the months of October and May. That is, until this year.
Searching for Snowy Owls Once Again
I ended 2014 and began 2015 in Maine, where temperatures shifted from the warm mid-forties to the bitterly cold single digits. Regardless of the weather however, Maine is always beautiful, and I was lucky enough to spend some time on the rocky coastline, searching for Snowy Owls.
To Historic Yates Mill County Park
Now that fall semester has ended, it is really hitting me that I only have one more semester at the Nicholas School. In addition to finishing my class requirements and Master’s Project, there are still local parks and preserves I want to cross off my proverbial list!
Searching for Snow Geese: Three Birders Journey to Lake Pocosin and Lake Mattamuskeet
What better way to celebrate the end of a long semester than with a birding trip to eastern North Carolina? That is exactly what two Nic School friends and I decided to do this weekContinue reading
Puppies in Perkins Library
I knew I was going to go the moment I saw the sign, “Puppies in Perkins Library.” December 10th, right in the middle of finals week. While I was not required to take final exams this semester, I had a plethora of projects with looming due dates. An opportunity to take a breather and pet some furry friends seemed like the best idea in the world.
Pushing My Limits at Linville Gorge
In life, it is important to be spontaneous. I am a planner by nature, but this past weekend decided to let my spontaneity fly when my fiance Brian suggested a camping trip to Linville Gorge.Continue reading
It Moves: Google Motion Charts and a New Way to Express Change through Time
I do not usually become excited about graphs. I’m normally the student in class who glazes over when complicated bar charts or diagrams appear in academic literature, a mix of boxes and lines and tiny fontContinue reading