photos by Robin Song

Earth and Beyond host and producer Robin Song makes a visit to Saunders’ Field Crane Sanctuary in Trapper Creek, and shares the experience. Text follows audio. Audio runs 6 minutes.

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A spur-of-the-moment decision wound up paying off in a big way for me on May 12^th. I needed to make a trip to the store and while I was at the “Y” I decided to go see if there was any waterfowl at the Mile 101 lake. (more…)

 photos by Robin Song

On this Earth and Beyond segment, Natural Observations host and producer Robin Song tells about her experiences during the annual birdathon. Audio runs 7 minutes.  Text follows.

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As the first Saturday in May approached, birders in Talkeetna and Trapper Creek watched the weather with trepidation. Spring was passing with glacial slowness this year, and most ponds and lakes were still sleeping under  blankets of snow and ice. (more…)

Photos by Robin Song

Host and producer Robin Song relates the experiences of photographing the flocks of thousands of snow geese and Canada geese, along with cranes, swans, and ducks, feeding Palmer area fields in late April. Text follows audio.

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Spring, this year, is unfolding slowly. Cold nights have kept the snow from melting quickly and the hayfields at the ranch are still sleeping under an unbroken white blanket. (more…)

crepuscular rays

With the lengthening hours before sunrise and after sunset, Earth and Beyond host and producer Kathleen Fleming talks about the meaning  and usage of the word “crepuscular”, also Saturn in opposition, the cross-quarter day Beltane, (or May Day), a partial solar eclipse visible in Hawaii and Australia, and a meteor shower coming up. Audio is about ten and a half minutes.

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On this edition of StarDate Susitna, (nearing the end of its season), host and producer Kathleen Fleming covers the Lyrid meteor shower, La Luna near Spika, the full moon in a partial lunar eclipse, and a PanSTARRS update. StarDate Susitna is part of KTNA’s Earth and Beyond program. Audio is 10:30.

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Even as the night sky rapidly diminishes in length, host and producer Kathleen Fleming finds lots to tell us about the activities of the moon, planets, constellations, aurora, and Comet PANSTARRS. StarDate Susitna is a segment of KTNA’s locally produced Earth and Beyond program. Audio is 9 minutes 7 seconds.

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This image was used in an article on the universetoday.com website, credit  is given to the planetarium software “Stellarium”.

In this week’s Earth and Beyond program, KTNA volunteer Dan Harrell encourages listeners to run, bike or ski on the freeze-thaw hardened snowmobile trails in the area to explore places not otherwise easily visited. He introduces the terms “couch injury” and  “health junkie” and reports on this year’s Oosik, and a recent poker ski. Audio is 9:10.

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 photos by Robin Song

 This week’s Earth and Beyond program is about Talkeetna’s best known cat, Stubbs, who has a unique personality to go with his fame (and fortune!)  Robin Song writes and produces Natural Observations. Audio is 6:15.

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Talkeetna has a very unique “Mayor”. His coat is beige, he walks on all fours and he’s a cat. This year, on April 12^th, he will turn sixteen years old. (more…)

The Orion constellation, courtesy of NASA

In this week’s Earth and Beyond program about the night sky, host and producer Kathleen Fleming tells about the moon’s activities, the rapid loss of constellations as the setting sun moves along the western horizon, and gives an update on sighting Comet PanSTARRS.

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