By Seth Price of Binghamton University Formally described by none other than the famous British naturalist Charles Darwin, Darwin’s Fungus (Cyttaria darwinii) is a real-life illustration of the complex ecological forces that can shape a species. In Spanish, the fungi…
by Oscar Psychas, of Middlebury College After we were sent home in response to the pandemic, we students find ourselves completing our online coursework in the quietness of our homes back in the States. For those of us who are…
Rob McManus of CSBSJU Two of the most prevalent things you can find almost anywhere in Patagonia are spikes and condors. During the moments we were not looking down at the ground trying to avoid the thorny neneo (Mullinum spinosum)…
by Oscar Psychas, of Middlebury College Every time we went down to the river for a game drive, I would look out for these this boisterous group of bachelor waterbucks. They always seemed to be having a good time with…
by Meghan Murphy, of University of Vermont Botswana student program – Spring 2021 The Okavango Delta hosts over 400 species of birds, and during our shortened stay I was able to pass the 150 mark. This vast diversity of avifauna…
By Maxwell King of University of Vermont Chucao Tapaculo (Scelorchilus rubecula) Like many species of birds in Chile, the common name of the chucao tapaculo is an onomatopoeic derivation from its song. The surprisingly loud “chu-chu-chu-caao” ringing out through the…
by Grace Horne, of Colby College We had many close encounters with wildlife during our time in Botswana. One night during dinner, Shayla walked to the kitchen tent to put her dish away. Her light illuminated a male hyena. Gen…
By Lewis Short of University of Vermont Arriving in South Africa en route to Botswana, the first thing I noticed were the birds – they were everywhere, singing their songs and waking me up from my winter hibernation in Vermont….
By Carrie Finkelstein of University of Vermont Upon arriving in Patagonia, the first species that I immediately connected with was Chile’s native bumblebee (Bombus dahlbomii). On the drive from Coyhaique to Cochrane, we stopped at a sustainable farmstead to get…
By Laura Schelling of University of Vermont It is said that he who tastes the fruit of the calafate always returns to Patagonia. The story is centered around an elderly Tehuelche woman. The Tehuelche are a tribe native to Patagonia,…
by Maddy Busacco, of University of Vermont When asked what I was most excited to see when in Botswana, not one insect, arthropod, or creature smaller than a bowling ball would have made the list. Instead, I rambled on about…
By Peyton Foster, of College of Saint Benedict / Saint John’s University This day was a rough one for everyone at Dizhana Camp in Mababe. As we all rose from our tents and set out to get ready for the…
By Meg Hall of University of Vermont As Gabe and I drove across Chacabuco Valley for a guanaco transect, he spotted many birds; from Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) to juvenile black-chested buzzard eagles (Geranoaetus melanoleucus). He pulled the truck over…
By Grace Horne of Colby College Today we went to an elementary school in Mababe, Botswana. My classmates and I had the opportunity to meet with the headmaster. He sat us around his table-sized desk and waxed lyrical about his…
By Kira Warm Lonsdale of Sarah Lawrence College After a day of driving, unpacking and setting up camp, we spent our first full day learning how to do transects. The instructors took us out to a flat area of the…
By Grace Horne, of Colby College Fieldwork is mostly an amalgam of unfortunate events. Because of all the dangerous wildlife, we have to drive around in trucks to complete transects and get anywhere (especially at night). The trucks sometimes have…
By Indira Palmer of University of Vermont Botswana Student Program – Spring Semester 2020 My 5:45 AM alarm beeps from the watch tightly wrapped around my right wrist and wakes me up from a night of the strangest malaria pill-induced…
By Laura Schelling of University of Vermont Our journey began on the sunny morning of March 11, when Max, Seth, Anna, and I, along with our two instructors, Diana and Gabe, packed up from base camp and prepared to head…