As summer ticks towards autumn, the flow of birds heading south for the winter grows in volume until it becomes a rushing torrent of migrants in September and into October. Millions of birds – hundreds of millions, in fact – will pass through the Northeast’s airspace during this time, as species that bred up north head to warmer locations. But this southbound river of migrating birds all began with a few drops as far back as early July, when a handful of shorebirds from northern arctic and subarctic regions started heading south. [Read more…] about Encountering Solitary Sandpipers On Their Way South
Arctic Circle
Needle Ice: A Weird Winter Phenomenon
On an early winter walk with my three-year-old in a local town forest, we heard our steps crunch on the frozen ground. The dirt of the trail had been pushed up on delicate columns of ice that looked like a pale sugar candy.
“Why is it like ribbon candy?” he asked. We were crunching through a forest of needle ice. [Read more…] about Needle Ice: A Weird Winter Phenomenon
The Rough-Legged Hawk: A Winter Visitor
In late autumn, cold air masses come barreling down from the Canadian Arctic like an atmospheric avalanche, bringing with them a visitor from the North: the rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus). [Read more…] about The Rough-Legged Hawk: A Winter Visitor
1925: Floyd Bennett & The MacMillian Arctic Expedition
It was a carnival-like atmosphere as the two ships in Donald Baxter MacMillan’s latest Arctic expedition were about to sail from Wiscasset, Maine.
School children released multi-colored balloons, the 5th Infantry Band played “Aud Lang Syne,” and thousands of well-wishers gathered to see him off shouted, “See you in September, Mac,” the Associated Press reported on June 20, 1925. [Read more…] about 1925: Floyd Bennett & The MacMillian Arctic Expedition
Surviving the Cold in a Polar Vortex
The new year ushered in an arctic blast that has only recently let up. This extreme plunge in temperature is referred to as a Polar Vortex. While it may seem that this is a new term, it has been in use since the 1800s. These periods of intense cold can impact the survival of many native and invasive species, including plants and pests. [Read more…] about Surviving the Cold in a Polar Vortex
Floyd Bennett: New York Aviation Legend
Among the rock-star personas of the Roaring Twenties were a number of aviators who captured the public’s imagination. Some were as popular and beloved as movie stars and famous athletes, and America followed their every move.
It was a time of “firsts” in the world of aviation, led by names like Charles Lindbergh, Richard Byrd, and Wiley Post. Among their number was an unusually humble man, Floyd Bennett. He may have been the best of the lot. [Read more…] about Floyd Bennett: New York Aviation Legend
The World of Owls
There are 234 species of owls all over the world. From tropical forests to deserts, even in the frigid Arctic, owls rule the night with specialized adaptations that make them keen hunters.
Their sight, hearing, and even the way they fly are specially tuned for their nocturnal lifestyle. Large, broad wings let them stay aloft at a slower, and therefore quieter, pace. Specialized feathers take soundproofing a step further. Comb like serrations on the leading edge of wing feathers and fringes on trailing edges reduce air turbulence and the noise they make as they fly. [Read more…] about The World of Owls
New Yorkers Serving in Alaska Territory, 1908-1910
While transcribing Alaska Territory records for the National Archives, I noticed two interesting men who were working with the native tribes. A little research revealed they were both from New York State. Here are their stories. [Read more…] about New Yorkers Serving in Alaska Territory, 1908-1910
Frederick Cook, Arctic Explorer
Frederick Cook (1865-1940) is a fascinating and controversial figure in the history of polar exploration. He was an explorer, skilled photographer, physician and ethnographer, creating breathtaking images of the polar region and the native Inuit. He is remembered today for his disputed claim of having been the first person to reach the North Pole. [Read more…] about Frederick Cook, Arctic Explorer
How Animals Stay Warm In Winter
To survive the cold of winter, some animals take advantage of protected habitats, such as wooded areas or under a blanket of insulating snow. Ruffed grouse, for example, fly into piles of loose snow and create roosting cavities to rest in when not foraging. Mice and other small mammals remain active in tunnels under the snow. [Read more…] about How Animals Stay Warm In Winter
After Icebergs: A NY Artist’s 1859 Arctic Adventure
The new edition of After Icebergs with a Painter A Summer Voyage to Labrador and around Newfoundland (Black Dome Press, 2022), by Louis Legrand Noble with an introduction by William L. Coleman, looks at an internationally renowned American artist of fame and fortune at the very peak of his powers.
A pastor and lauded writer with a sharp eye for revealing and humorous detail, Noble describes a journey fraught with danger and drama aboard the schooner Integrity to the latitudes where icebergs dwell with Hudson River School painter Frederic Church. [Read more…] about After Icebergs: A NY Artist’s 1859 Arctic Adventure
Psychrophiles: Cold Lovers of Frigid Temperatures
We humans tend to cringe at winter temperatures. We put on extra layers, crank up the thermostat, and wait impatiently for the tell-tale drip of spring thaw. However, there are plenty of tiny organisms all around us that aren’t just biding their time; they’re thriving in the bitter cold. If you could listen to as well as watch them under a microscope, you wouldn’t hear a single complaint about the temperature.
Psychrophiles, literally “cold lovers,” are organisms adapted to live at extremely cold temperatures. These are single-celled life forms, most often bacteria, but also blue green algae, yeasts, and fungi that can grow at temperatures as low as -13 degrees. [Read more…] about Psychrophiles: Cold Lovers of Frigid Temperatures
A Disastrous and Heroic Arctic Voyage
This week on The Historians Podcast, Buddy Levy author of Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk (Deckle Edge, December 6, 2022).
Levy, who lives in Idaho, is a go-to author for Arctic history. [Read more…] about A Disastrous and Heroic Arctic Voyage
James Hall: New York’s First State Geologist & Paleontologist
James Hall was born on September 12, 1811, to James and Susanna Hall of Hingham, Massachusetts. His father was a weaver trained in England who was making a comfortable living. One day he opened his newspaper and noticed a “help wanted” ad posted by a textile mill in Massachusetts.
The salary was far better than James Hall, Sr. could earn in England. [Read more…] about James Hall: New York’s First State Geologist & Paleontologist
Saranac Lake Scientist Headed to Antarctica
Lija Treibergs, research associate for the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI), is headed to Antarctica for three months starting in late November to support the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research project. [Read more…] about Saranac Lake Scientist Headed to Antarctica
James Eights: An Albany Artist-Scientist Who Explored Antarctica in 1830
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, there were a growing number of adventurers anxious to explore the sea, find new lands, chart new islands, and if they made their fortune while doing it, all the better.
There were also those just trying to get away from home and signing on to a whaling ship seemed the adventure of a lifetime. [Read more…] about James Eights: An Albany Artist-Scientist Who Explored Antarctica in 1830
Snowy Owls: Denizens of the North
Here’s a quiz for Harry Potter fans: What kind of owl played Hedwig in the movies?
If you guessed a snowy owl, you’re correct. With their bright yellow eyes, bulky-looking bodies, and white feathers that cover everything from their beaks to their large feet, these owls strike an impressive pose. And this winter, we may have a greater chance of glimpsing one of these amazing raptors from the far north. [Read more…] about Snowy Owls: Denizens of the North
Finding Historic Maps: Tips from the New York Almanack
Recently libraries, archives, and museums around the globe featured some of their favorite maps and map-related records using #ArchivesYouAreHere.
Maps, atlases, pocket maps, maritime charts and other cartographic materials contain a wealth of information about places in New York State.
Here are some tips on how to find them: [Read more…] about Finding Historic Maps: Tips from the New York Almanack
Henry Hudson & The Founding of Albany
In 1565, the Spanish settled 600 soldiers and civilians at St. Augustine, Florida. In 1607, the English established their first settlement in North America at Jamestown, Virginia, but after a series of floods, Jamestown was abandoned in 1699. Today Jamestown is a national park and archaeological site.
In 1602, the States General of The Netherlands granted a charter to a powerful group of Dutch merchants creating the Dutch East India Company and giving them the exclusive right to develop and conduct trade with the markets in the Far East which included the Spice Islands and China. Soon, these merchants began bringing exotic silk, clothing, ceramics, teas and spices back to the Netherlands. In their travels, the Dutch ship captains discovered the continent of Australia and named it “New Holland.” [Read more…] about Henry Hudson & The Founding of Albany
Santa’s Reindeer Hit Hard By Our Warming Climate
Reindeer have been soaring since long before Christmas came into being. For some reason, the fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), a lovely red-and-white polka-dotted ‘shroom bearing an uncanny resemblance to a Christmas ornament, is attractive to these creatures. It’s also hallucinogenic, and Comet, Cupid, and loads of other blitzed reindeer have been observed lurching about after munching the mushrooms (Santa’s sleigh makes more sense after you learn about this little reindeer game).
Regrettably, flights of any sort will become less frequent for these animals, as their population is in steep decline as a result of a warmer Arctic. [Read more…] about Santa’s Reindeer Hit Hard By Our Warming Climate