In this episode, Bill and Steve dive into a tiny, bustling world - a world that’s hiding on the feathers of the birds we see every day. Joined by Dr. Alix Matthews, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo, she reveals the strange lives of feather mites — how these barely-visible hitchhikers feed and get around, and whether or not they’re helping or hurting their avian hosts. It’s an episode that proves there’s a whole world hiding on every wing.
This episode was recorded on September 4, 2025 at Walton Woods in Amherst, NY.
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In this episode, Bill and Steve dive into a tiny, bustling world - a world that’s hiding on the feathers of the birds we see every day. Joined by Dr. Alix Matthews, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo, she reveals the strange lives of feather mites — how these barely-visible hitchhikers feed and get around, and whether or not they’re helping or hurting their avian hosts. It’s an episode that proves there’s a whole world hiding on every wing.
This episode was recorded on September 4, 2025 at Walton Woods in Amherst, NY.
Our six-legged celebration continues! In this second part, the guys wrap up their behind-the-scenes tour of the Cornell University Insect Collection with Jason Dombroskie, collection manager and director of the insect diagnostic lab, and THEN, Jason provides the guys with some eye protection and takes them out into the woods for some nighttime mothing!
The Field Guides
In this episode, Bill and Steve dive into a tiny, bustling world - a world that’s hiding on the feathers of the birds we see every day. Joined by Dr. Alix Matthews, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo, she reveals the strange lives of feather mites — how these barely-visible hitchhikers feed and get around, and whether or not they’re helping or hurting their avian hosts. It’s an episode that proves there’s a whole world hiding on every wing.
This episode was recorded on September 4, 2025 at Walton Woods in Amherst, NY.
