Wild With Nature

The owl and the leafcutter ants

01 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

April 2025, western Montana, USA. Sounds of spring in the forest… A male Williamson’s sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) taps on a shrubby junipe...

El tecolote y las arrieras

01 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

abril de 2025, al oeste de Montana, EU. Los sonidos de la primavera se escuchan en el bosque… Un carpintero elegante macho golpetea el tronco de un...

A familiar voice a long way from home

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dusk at the end of March in the pines of Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte. An American robin sings to the twilight and I ache with homesickness. The mountains ...

Una voz familiar muy lejos de mi tierra

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Un anochecer a finales de marzo entre los pinos de la Sierra Norte de Oaxaca. Un mirlo primavera (Turdus migratorius) canta al crepúsculo y me duele ...

Fall migration

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s story is about the wonder of fall migration. The southward movement of billions of birds across the North American continent is so vast...

Las aves y la migración del otoño

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Esta historia se trata del asombro de la migración otoñal de las aves. El movimiento de miles de millones de aves hacia el sur a lo largo del contin...

The silence before the cuckoo's song

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I hear it as soon as I step out of the car, that resonant, knocking cucucu that I’ve been listening for all across Montana this summer. Black-billed...

El silencio antes del canto del cuclillo

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lo escucho inmediatamente al bajar del carro, ese cucucú resonante que he estado buscando por todas partes de Montana este verano. ¡Un cuclillo pico...

How to not find black-billed cuckoos

02 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It was the possibility—slim though it was—of black-billed cuckoos (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) that brought me to the Marias River. In 2021, while A...

Cómo no encontrar a un cuclillo pico negro

02 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fue la posibilidad—aunque pequeña—de un cuclillo pico negro (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) que me trajo hasta el Río Marias. En 2021, mientras Anna ...

Birds in the wheat: industrial agriculture and declining birds

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

4:49 a.m. It’s time to start counting birds. This is my seventh year doing this Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) route, one of over 4000 routes across the...

Aves en el trigo: la agricultura industrial y las aves en declive

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ya son las 4:49 a.m. Es hora de contar aves. Es mi séptimo año de hacer esta ruta del Conteo de Aves en Reproducción, una de más de 4000 rutas a l...

Pileated woodpeckers and reciprocity

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This story is the third and final in a series about pileated woodpeckers—a series that touches the earth of Oaxaca, Mexico, that invites us to immer...

Los picamaderos norteamericanos y la reciprocidad

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Esta historia es la tercera y final en una serie sobre los picamaderos norteamericanos—una serie que toca las tierras de Oaxaca, México, que nos in...

Immersed in the spring forest: watching a pileated woodpecker nest

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As spring arrives in full force across the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, I invite you to take a few minutes to immerse yourself in the...

Sumergirnos en el bosque: observando la anidación de los picamaderos norteamericanos

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mientras la primavera viene llegando con fuerza a través de las regiones templadas del hemisferio norte, te invito a pasar unos minutos sumergiéndot...

Journey to the pileated woodpeckers: earth connection in a critical time

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The hot March winds buffet the jet as we thunder skyward, shattering the quiet of the dry tropical forest below and spewing hot gases of ancient sea l...

Viaje hacia los picamaderos norteamericanos: encontrando calma bajo estrés

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Los vientos calurosos de marzo golpean el avión mientras subimos hacia el cielo, rompiendo la tranquilidad de la selva baja caducifolia por abajo y e...

The song of the tall dogbane: fibers at the riverbank

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s an afternoon in late April along the Clark Fork River near Missoula, Montana, USA. The song of the tall dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) isn’t o...

El canto del cáñamo americano: conociendo un mundo vegetal

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Es una tarde a finales de abril cerca del Río Clark Fork unos kilómetros afuera de Missoula, Montana, EU. El canto del cáñamo americano (Apocynum ...

A soft-winged world: why moths matter

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do moths have to do with owls? Just ask Mat Seidensticker. After nearly a decade spent studying owls across Montana and Alaska, Seidensticker foc...

Un mundo por alas suaves: por qué importan las polillas

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

¿Qué tienen las polillas que ver con los búhos? Pregúntale a Mat Seidensticker. Después de pasar casi una década estudiando búhos a través de ...

Mystery of the twilight: birds at dusk and sustainable agriculture

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A simple whistle, ascending at the end, easy to imitate. It's the hour when the light departs, converting the trees into silhouettes, and the evening ...

El misterio del crepúsculo: las aves y la agricultura sustentable

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Un silbido simple, ascendiendo al final, fácil de imitar. Es la hora cuando la luz se va, convirtiendo los árboles en siluetas, y el azul se va desa...

Bridging the distance: two countries and a Cassin's kingbird

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In July, a Cassin’s kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans) calls from the edge between grassland and pine in Montana, USA. Three months later, I’m among C...

Atravesando la distancia: dos países y un tirano chibiú

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

En julio, un tirano chibiú (Tyrannus vociferans) llama desde el borde entre la pradera y el bosque de pino en Montana, EU. Tres meses después, estoy...

Among the redcedars: finding stillness in the rain-drenched forest

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Immerse yourself in a quiet forest of western redcedar on a morning in late May, as varied thrushes (Ixoreus naevius) and Townsend’s warblers (Setop...

Entre las tuyas gigantes: encontrando tranquilidad en el bosque lluvioso

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sumérgete en un bosque tranquilo de tuya gigante (Thuja plicata) una mañana a finales de mayo, mientras mirlos cinchado (Ixoreus naevius) y chipes d...

Waiting for rain: making it through climate change

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a child, spending my summers with my dad in Idaho, USA, I don’t remember a year when the wildfire smoke was bad. Now, 20 years later in the neigh...

Esperando la lluvia: sobreviviendo el cambio climático

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mientras yo era niño, pasaba los veranos con my papá en el Estado de Idaho, EU, y no recuerdo ningún año con una mala humarada de los incendios fo...

Sandhill cranes and Baird's sandpipers: Lake Helena part 3

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“As the sun rises over the mountains in a peachy orb, the cool air erupts with crane music. One group after another flaps heavily into the air and t...

Grullas grises y playeros de Baird: agosto por el Lago Helena

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Mientras el sol se eleva sobre las montañas en un orbe color durazno, el aire fresco estalla en la música de las grullas. Un grupo tras otro alet...

Of bitterns and bank swallows: Lake Helena part 2

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s podcast is the second in a three-part series about deepening in connection with a special place in nature through the seasons. The plac...

De avetoros y golondrinas ribereñas: el verano por el Lago Helena

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

El podcast de este mes es el segundo en una serie de tres partes que se trata de profundizar en el conocimiento de un lugar especial en la naturaleza ...

Nature at Lake Helena, part 1: shorebirds to the Arctic

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s podcast is a portrait of a wetland in May. Some of you know the wetland: Montana’s Lake Helena, a site where Arctic shorebirds stop o...

La primavera por el Lago Helena: playeros hacia el Ártico

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

El podcast de este mes es un retrato de un humedal en mayo. Tal vez conozcas al humedal: el Lago Helena de Montana, EU, un lugar donde los playeros ha...

A hopeful sign for a bird in decline: helping Montana's tree swallows

02 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This story is about tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), common North American birds that appear to be declining in many parts of their range. It’s ...

Las golondrinas bicolores de Montana: revirtiendo un declive

02 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Esta historia tiene que ver con las golondrinas bicolores (Tachycineta bicolor), aves comunes en Norteamérica que parecen estar en declive por muchas...

Finding nature near Missoula: walking through fall at Kelly Island

18 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I wrote this portrait of one of my favorite natural areas near Missoula, Montana in the fall of 2022—and just finished translating it to Spanish, wi...

Encontrando la naturaleza en Missoula: el otoño por Kelly Island

18 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Escribí este retrato de una de mis áreas naturales favoritas cerca de Missoula, Montana, EU en el otoño de 2022—y ahora lo acabo de traducir al e...

Learning from starlings: urban ecosystems and weedy species

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast is about observing our familiar, invasive, and much-despised European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). More broadly, it’s about urban ecol...

Aprendiendo de estorninos: ecosistemas urbanos y sus especies

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Este podcast se trata de observar los estorninos pintos (Sturnus vulgaris), aves comunes, invasoras y muchas veces menospreciadas que se encuentran a ...

Moscas para el almuerzo: adoptando la perspectiva de un ave

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Esta historia empezó con una pregunta simple: ¿a cuáles invertebrados están cazando las aves en los cerezos silvestres (Prunus virginiana)? Desde ...

An explosion of voices: listening to the birds and the Huatulco River

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The voice of every bird—of every creature—has a story. This episode focuses on these voices and these stories. We find ourselves along the Huatulc...

Una explosión de voces: escuchando a las aves y al Río Huatulco

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

La voz de cada ave—de cada criatura—tiene una historia. Este episodio se enfoca en estas voces y estas historias. Estamos por el Río Huatulco don...

Connection, wonder, and the birds that span a continent

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode includes many threads: of the birds, of the diverse landscapes that their migrations connect, of a conversation with a Oaxacan biologist,...

La conexión, el asombro y las aves que abarcan un continente

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Este episodio contiene varios hilos—de las aves, de los diversos paisajes que sus migraciones vinculan, de una conversación con una bióloga oaxaqu...

Crossing the wall: from Montana to Oaxaca

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Migratory birds connect us. I’ve been in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, for almost two months now. This is a story of exchange, of our int...

Cruzando el muro: desde Montana hasta Oaxaca

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Las aves migratorias nos conectan. He estado casi dos meses ya en el estado de Oaxaca, en el sur de México. Ésta es una historia de intercambio, de ...

Hidden world in the aspens: getting to know voles and more

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Voles, mice, and other small mammals are around us all the time—but we rarely see them and often forget to appreciate them. This story takes a dive ...

Los roedores entre los álamos temblones

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Los topillos, ratones y otros mamíferos pequeños siempre están alrededor de nosotros—pero pocas veces los vemos, y a menudo se nos olvida aprecia...

A naturalist journey through Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a story of nature in fall, high in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia’s Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. It’s a vast landscape where ...

Un viaje naturalístico por el Parque Provincial Kokanee Glacier

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ésta es una historia de la naturaleza otoñal, alto en las Montañas Rocosas del Parque Provincial Kokanee Glacier en la Columbia Británica de Canad...

A portrait of nature along the Niobrara River

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode celebrates the sounds, sights, and happenings of nature along Nebraska’s Niobrara River. A young great horned owl screeches in the nigh...

Un relato de la naturaleza cerca del Río Niobrara

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Este episodio celebra los sonidos, las vistas y los acontecimientos de la naturaleza a lo largo del Río Niobrara de Nebraska, Estados Unidos. Un jove...

Bonus: Niobrara River sleep sounds (sonidos de la naturaleza para dormir) - 10 hours of ambient nighttime audio with crickets, soothing water sounds, eastern screech-owl song - grillos y un tecolote

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

[EN/ES] 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep sounds featuring the autumn Niobrara River landscape depicted in Episode 76: A Portrait of Nature along the Ni...

Glimpsing the life of a songbird

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Songbirds are amazing. I’ve spent a number of years getting to know the birds of the region of the U.S. where I live, and it’s something that’s ...

Entreviendo la vida de un ave cantora

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Las aves cantoras son increíbles. Llevo varios años conociendo las de la región de Estados Unidos donde vivo, algo que me ha dado mucho placer y fr...

Getting to know Washington’s spiders

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are at least 970 species of spiders in Washington State. How the heck do so many spiders—generalist predators—manage to share the space? Joi...

Conociendo las arañas del Estado de Washington

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hay por lo menos 970 especies de arañas en el Estado de Washington. ¿Cómo entonces logran tantas arañas—depredadoras generalizadas—compartir e...

Solstice wanderings and the dance of the swallows

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I came to Spokane Bay on the summer solstice with no intention of writing something new. Paddling up central Montana’s Hauser Lake from my friend Ma...

El baile de las golondrinas al solsticio

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Vine a Spokane Bay al solsticio de verano sin ninguna intención de escribir algo nuevo. Remando por Hauser Lake, en la parte oeste de Montana, desde ...

Yellow-rumped Wanderers

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My newest podcast is about yellow-rumped warblers—but it’s not just for birders. It’s for your neighbor or friend who raises their eyebrows when...

Earth Song

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For most of us, song is something that permeates our lives on a daily basis. We find it on the radio, in concerts, in ads, and from music services. Bu...

Finding healing in the midst of climate chaos

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I woke up this morning with a gnawing sense of depression, the wildfire smoke blurring the mountains into gray shapes and biting at my nose. Wildfire ...

Encontrando sanación en medio del caos climático

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Me desperté esta mañana con un sentido persistente de depresión, el humo de los incendios forestales mordiendo mi nariz y desdibujando las montaña...

Unusual chickens: the dance of the sharp-tailed grouse

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The bird display begins as the sun is nothing but a faint bluish glow on the eastern prairie horizon. Upland sandpipers give their raucous whistles ov...

Gallinas extrañas: el baile de los gallos de la pradera rabudos

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

La exhibición empieza mientras que el sol aún se ve sólo en la débil luminosidad azul al horizonte este de la pradera. Los zarapitos ganga (Bartra...

Bizarre and vibrant: getting to know Montana's cuckoo wasps

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The tiny wasp shimmered between my fingertips, its hard exoskeleton glittering green and blue under the strong June sun. Nearby, along the base of the...

Extraños y brillantes: conociendo a las avispas cuco de Montana

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

La avispa minúscula brilló entre las puntas de mis dedos, su exoesqueleto duro reluciendo con verde y azul bajo el fuerte sol de junio. Cerca, en la...

Frigid survival: how American white pelicans overwinter in the cold

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

They’re like a flurry of snow in the Montana summer. American white pelicans breed among the prairies, deserts, and forests of the western North Ame...

Sobreviviendo: los pelícanos blancos americanos en el frío

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Son como una ráfaga de nieve en el verano de Montana, EE.UU. Los pelícanos blancos americanos (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) pasan la estación reprodu...

Spring in Seattle and an Anna's hummingbird mystery

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I’m with a few other birders, walking slowly, when we see an Anna’s hummingbird doing something that surprises me. She’s hovering near a sprawli...

La primavera en Seattle y el misterio de un colibrí cabeza roja

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Estoy con algunas personas, andando despacio, cuando vemos un colibrí cabeza roja haciendo algo que me sorprende. Ella se cierne en el aire cerca de ...

How to grow a bird-friendly garden in western Montana

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When you compare the birds of a manicured lawn with those that inhabit a grove of chokecherries, the difference is stark. The lawn might support a few...

Cómo cultivar un jardín para las aves en el occidente de Montana

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cuando comparas las aves de un césped cortado con las que viven en un parche de capulines (Prunus virginiana), la diferencia es fuerte. Talvez el cé...

The surprising lives of western Montana's Lewis's woodpeckers

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to deny that Lewis’s woodpeckers (Melanerpes lewis) are stunning birds. Seen in good light, their glossy green backs contrast with their...

La vida inesperada de los carpinteros de Lewis en Montana

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Es difícil negar que los carpinteros de Lewis (Melanerpes lewis) son aves espectaculares. Cuando se los ve en buena iluminación, sus espaldas verdes...

Where have all of the hawks gone?

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pastures, hayfields, and streams: the area around Drummond, MT looks like a great place for winter hawks. But few of them are here. Why?

¿Dónde están las aguilillas?

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pasturas, campos y arroyos: el entorno de Drummond, MT, EU parece un buen lugar para aguilillas invernales. Pero sólo hay pocas acá. ¿Por qué?

A porcupine wandering through the frozen-dessert section

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"If you see a porcupine, it's like finding a unicorn," biologist Jessy Coltrane told me. She was referring to the part of Montana west of the Continen...

Un puercoespín deambulando por la sección de postres congelados

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"Si ves un puercoespín, es como encontrar un unicornio," me dijo la bióloga Jessy Coltrane. Se refería a la parte de Montana al oeste de la Divisor...

Chasing rumors of spring in the Mission Valley

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The prairie falcon perches on a power pole in the light rain drizzle, tearing apart a vole. Its talons glow faintly, a rich yellow against the gray sk...

Persiguiendo rumores de la primavera en el Valle Misión

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

El halcón mexicano (Falco mexicanus) se posa en un poste de electricidad en la llovizna ligera, desgarrando un topillo. Sus garras brillan débilment...

Well-hidden wanderers: searching for Montana's long-eared owls

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“They make it their profession to blend in,” says Beth Mendelsohn. She’s talking about long-eared owls – and specifically, the male long-eared...

Nómadas bien escondidos: los búhos cara canela de Montana

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“Lo hacen su profesión camuflarse,” dice Beth Mendelsohn. Está hablando de los búhos cara canela (Asio otus) – y en concreto, el búho cara c...

An abundance of overwintering raptors

11 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do you count up overwintering hawks and eagles? And, just as importantly, who cares?  Raptors are hunters. Our smaller birds mostly feed on i...

Una abundancia de aves rapaces del invierno

11 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Una rodaja fina de la luna menguante cuelga en un cielo parcialmente nublado esta mañana. La curva azul de montañas que nos rodea sigue en sombra. E...

Death by eagle? The world that artificial intelligence can't touch

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A soft gray tuft of feathers, a spot of blood along the trail... a death has occurred near Hauser Dam. What happened here?

¿Muerte por águila? El mundo que las Inteligencias Artificiales no pueden tocar

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Encontramos una muerte misteriosa, un ave en la nieve cerca del Río Missouri. ¿Qué es? Y ¿qué nos pueda enseñar?

A mossy mystery nest in the hawthorn

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The nest sits in the middle of the hawthorn in front of us, silent and inscrutable. We contemplate it, tucked securely among thorny branches, at the e...

Counting the birds of LaValle Creek in the fog

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Missoula, Montana's LaValle Creek is an area with a diverse mix of habitats, from grassland and hawthorn thickets to aspen groves and conifer forest. ...

Winter chickadees and nuthatches on the Upper Swan Valley Christmas Bird Count

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Western Montana's Swan Valley is wild and forested. It's also the location of one of over 2600 Christmas Bird Counts that take place across Canada, th...

The Fort Missoula Ponds: a hotspot for biodiversity

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Once the site of a gravel quarry, Missoula, Montana's Fort Missoula Ponds have become a magnet for ducks, shorebirds, and many other creatures. In fac...

Missoula's winter ducks in the teeth of the Hellgate wind

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Even as the Hellgate wind blasts Missoula, MT with its icy breath, we spot goldeneyes & mergansers along the river on this winter walk with Five V...

Groundwater - seeing into the underground river

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It turns out that a stream doesn't just end at its banks. It continues underground: a slow-moving world of water, percolating through the sands and gr...

Ducks, raptors, and more at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The ponds and marshes at Lee Metcalf NWR, in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, were mostly frozen on this frigid day in late November. But nevertheless, we...

Finding winter fruits, birds, and more in Greenough Park

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Missoula, Montana's Greenough Park is an urban natural space near the edge of the city: an interesting mix of wild and domesticated, native plants and...

A hidden community - mayflies and more in Rattlesnake Creek

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The diversity and complexity of the life in a stream is mind-boggling. But it's also something all of us can see and learn about, kids or adults, what...

Hope for a dammed stream - watching Rattlesnake Creek change

20 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For thousands of years, Missoula's Rattlesnake Creek supported important spawning populations of bull trout, which would move upstream from the Clark ...