A Talk on the Wild Side Podcast: Season 1
Intro to the Podcast and our Team
(June 9, 2021)
Bobwhite Quail & Environmental Cues - S1E1
Research scientist and professor, Dr. Fidel Hernandez discusses environmental ques for quail on this episode of A Talk on The Wild Side.
(June 9, 2021)
Even Dolphins Do It! - S1E2
Dr. Dara Orbach, Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, discusses her research on dolphin functional anatomy and behavioral ecology, as well as the dolphin population in the Corpus Christi region of the Gulf of Mexico.
(June 25, 2021)
Horned Lizards, Coyotes, and Roadrunners! Beep, Beep! - S1E3
Dr. Scott Henke, Research Scientist at CKWRI, discusses his research on Texas Horned Lizards and his research on coyotes also.
(July 6, 2021)
Introducing... Introduced Bluestems! - S1E4
Dr. Megan Clayton, Associate Professor and Extension Range Specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Corpus Christi, tells us all we need to know about introduced bluestems in Texas.
(July 20, 2021)
Oodles of Nurdles! A Plastic Pollution Hurdle! - S1E5
Dr. Jace Tunnell, the Director of Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, discussed nurdles and their impacts on the Texas Gulf Coast and elsewhere.
(August 3, 2021)
Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas - S1Bonus
Mr. Mitch Lockwood, the Big Game Program Director for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department takes on the serious subject of Chronic Wasting Disease, CWD, and the latest information on its prevalence in Texas.
(August 10, 2021)
The Big Shooter! Photographer Wyman Meinzer - S1E6
Mr. WymanMeinzer, the State Photographer of Texas, takes us on a journey through his career. We talk about his favorite subjects, accomplishments, challenges, and some fun times!
(August 20, 2021)
White-tailed Deer Dating: There's not an App for that - S1E7
Dr. Randy DeYoung, Professor and Research Scientist at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, tells us all about white-tailed deer buck breeding strategies.
(August 31, 2021)
Pearls of Wisdom about Oyster Reefs - S1E8
Dr. Jennifer Pollack, the Harte Research Institute Chair for Coastal Conservation & Restoration, teaches us all about oysters, oyster reef restoration, and some cool tidbits about oyster and their various flavors!
(September 14, 2021)
To Cull or Not to Cull; That is the Question - S1E9
Mr. Donnie Draeger, Director of the Friedkin Ranch Properties, shares his wisdom about white-tailed deer management, deer density, nutrition, culling and more! Plus, he shares some valuable information about what young wildlifers should do to launch a successful career in wildlife management.
(September 28, 2021)
Snakes in a Blanket (Not as Good as Pigs in a Blanket)! - S1E10
Dr. Christopher Schalk, of Stephen F. Austin State University, discusses his research on snake entanglement in erosion control blankets and a project reporting roadkill on iNaturalist.
(October 12, 2021)
Houston, Wildlife has a SpaceX Problem! Part 1 - S1E11
Mr. David Newstead, Director of the Coastal Bird Program at the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, discusses impacts of SpaceX rocket testing and launching on wildlife and habitat in South Texas. We also discuss the draft PEA to launch larger rockets that is currently being considered by the FAA.
(October 26, 2021)
Houston, Wildlife has a SpaceX Problem! Part 2 - S1E12
Mr. David Newstead, Director of the Coastal Bird Program at the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, discusses impacts of SpaceX rocket testing and launching on wildlife and habitat in South Texas. We also discuss the draft PEA to launch larger rockets that is currently being considered by the FAA.
(October 26, 2021)
An Ocelot of Information about Wild Cats! - S1E13
Dr. Mike Tewes, of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, discusses his research on wild cats that has taken him all over the world, including his work right here in South Texas on the endangered ocelot.
(November 9, 2021)
The Native American Perspective On Wildlife Conservation--And Bears, Too! - S1E14
Dr. Diana Doan Crider tells us about Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), barriers for native people in wildlife education and careers, and her bear research in Mexico.
(November 23, 2021)
Big Science Comes in Small Organisms - S1E15
Dr. Jeffrey Turner, of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, discusses his research on bacteria and bioplastics in the Gulf of Mexico just off the Texas coast.
(December 7, 2021)
Kemp's Ridley Conservation--Like Turtley, Dude! - S1E16
Dr. Donna Shaver of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore discusses her career in conservation of Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle.
(December 21, 2021)
Come on Baby, Light my Fire! - S1E17
We interview Dr. Brian Oswald from Stephen F. Austin State University about fire’s role in the pineywoods of East Texas, prescribed burning, and wildfire.
(January 5, 2022)
Milking Snakes—Not as Easy as Milking Cows! - S1E18
Mark Hockmuller and Juan Salinas of the National Natural Toxins Research Center discuss their work wrangling and milking venomous snakes for research and development of antivenom.
(January 18, 2022)
Duck Detectives on the Case! - S1E19
Ms. Georgina Eccles and Dr. Bart Ballard discuss their research on waterfowl and their migratory movements in North America. Bonus—we get two Biology Blunders this time!
(February 1, 2022)
Oil and Sharks don’t Mix! - S1E20
In this episode, we talk about sharks in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and epigenetic effects in fish of oil in the Gulf with Dr. David Portnoy, of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
(February 15, 2022)
Little Fish, Big Impact! - S1E21
Dr. Carmen Montaña of Stephen F. Austin State University shares her research into native shiners and minnows of the East Texas tributaries.
(March 1, 2022)
Celebrating Women in Natural Sciences - S1Bonus
A highlight reel from the women we have interviewed in the first 9 months of our podcast. We celebrate their research, successes and challenges.
(March 8, 2022)
National Butterfly Center: Beauty and the Border - S1E22
Hear the story of the National Butterfly Center and challenges it has faced in recent years from the NBC Executive Director, Marianna Trevino-Wright.
(March 15, 2022)
What’s up with all these Wildfires? - S1Bonus2
Our host, Dr. Sandra Rideout-Hanzak, shares some insights into the current wildfire situation in Texas. We talk about weather impacts, preparing for wildfires on your property, and effects of wildfires on plant communities and wildlife.
(March 25, 2022)
Alligators: Actually Not Big Toothy Lizards! - S1E23
We interview Dr. Cord Eversole of Texas A&M International University about his work with alligators in Texas. He discusses nesting ecology, clutch quantity and quality, hatchling sex determination, Biology Blunders and more.
(March 28, 2022)
Mountain Life with Desert Bighorn Sheep! - S1E24
Go west with us in this episode! Froylan Hernandez of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shares his wisdom about Desert Bighorn Sheep of the West Texas mountains. We cover adaptations for surviving in the desert, traversing the mountains, threats to their populations, fun facts, and Biology Blunders.
(April 12, 2022)
Colorful Gifts of Coral Reefs! - S1E25
Dive into the fascinating world of coral reefs with us as we interview Dr. Keisha Bahr of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Learn about the role of coral reefs in marine ecosystems, the causes of coral bleaching, reef restoration, and more.
(April 26, 2022)
Restoration, Pipelines, and Cattle Panel - S1E26
Brianna Slothower’s swan song on ATOTWS. She and her master’s advisor, Dr. David Wester, discuss their work researching the best ways to restore rangelands affected by energy pipelines in Texas. And, we learn the worst way to try to straighten cattle panel.
(May 10, 2022)
Paint the Town Reddish (Egrets, that is)! - S1E27
Join us for a discussion with Dr. Clay Green from Texas State about reddish egrets. We talk about their natural history, the phenomenon of different color morphs within the same species of bird, and much more.
(May 24, 2022)