Story Archives of 'FP Wildlife Series'

Tonight on the Front Porch: We're pulling back the curtain on Pigeons. Most city people don't seem to like pigeons. They call them, "Rats with Wings" and other derogatory names. But it wasn't always that way. Pigeons used to be celebrated -- even worshipped by some cultures. And don't forget the crucial role of Homing Pigeons during World War One. Join us for a look at the love-hate relationship between man and bird.

Our guest is Andrew Blechman, author of the book, Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird.

***This interview origninally aired November 30, 2006***

New Hampshire Audubon will release a group of rehabilitated hawks this Sunday at Pack Mondadnock Observatory. On tonight's program, we'll talk about the state of hawks and other raptors in New Hampshire, how reintroducing them in the wild takes place, and what the migration patterns of raptors are like. We'll also look at how the reproduction efforts of Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and Osprey fared in 2006. Some species were adversely affected by the spring's heavy rains; others did surprisingly well. Our guests are Eric Masterson, Vice President for Development and Chris Martin, Senior Biologist at New Hampshire Audubon.

Tonight on The Front Porch, We’ll take a look at two local rivers and the lives of the people they impact.

The Epsom community is faced with what to do with the Suncook River now that it has straightened out and gone off of its man-made course, impacting businesses and wildlife along the way. Some say the river should keep its new, natural path, while others want it moved back to the way it was. We'll talk with Wildlife Biologist Eric Orff about the situation. He's the vice chair of the group New Hampshire Friends of the Suncook River.

We'll also talk with writer Charles Fish about his new book, In the Land of the Wild Onion: Travels Along Vermont's Winooski River. Fish takes us down the Green Mountain State's second-largest river and uses it to show just how interconnected the ecosystem is. He uses his book to examine the river not only through his own eyes, but through those of scientists, farmers, trappers and power plant operators.

Tonight on The Front Porch: New Hampshire gets a special visitor! No, it's not another coy presidential candidate, it's someone a lot more uncommon in these parts -- the Canada Lynx. Trackers have found evidence of a recent visit by the endangered animal, and we'll talk with one of them about their find. Mark Elbroch is lead tracker for a New Hampshire Audubon Society project that's looking at animal/human relations in the Jefferson Route 2 area.

We'll also talk with Yankee Magazine columnist Edie Clark about her new book, "The View From Mary's Farm". It's a collection of essays she's written for the publication about her life on an old farm that she bought in the Monadnock Region.

And we're going to take a quick trip to Maine, where the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies has spent the past 30 years documenting the people who make up a big part of the state's fabric. Today we're going to meet cosmetologist Margo Hubbard. She works at the 75 State Street retirement community in Portland. Radio Producer Julie A. Shargel takes us into the beauty parlor there, where most of the customers are over 80, and where Margo provides much more than just another haircut. This piece comes to us by way of the the Public Radio Exchange. You can click here to listen to the story again and to comment on it at the PRX site.

Today we talk to a playwright who offers a twist on the traditional Christmas story. Chris Cote's The Innkeepers explores what may have been going on in that famous inn that had no room for Mary and Joseph. The Gamaliel Theater Company is producing the show, which is running now.

We also check in with our resident naturalist Iain MacLeod of the Audubon Society to talk about the organization's annual Christmas Bird Count. It began yesterday and ends on January 5.

NHPR's Lisa Peakes talks with William Saturno at the University of New Hampshire. He discovered the oldest known Mayan mural at the San Bartolo site in Guatemala. You can hear Lisa's conversation with him here as well.