Critter Chat

About Critter Chat

Lifelong friends Susan Brandt & Marney Blair talk with experts about the amazing wild critters that live in the Sierra Nevada mountains and foothills.

Publisher

Critter Chat

Category

science · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Mar 2024

Latest episode

3 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

28 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Nov 2026

   Western Banded Glow Worm

   Glow worms are a female larval form of some species of beetles and in this episode we address the Western Banded Glow Worm, a California native in the family Phengodidae. We talk with biologist and commercial beekeeper Randy Oliver about his encounters with this luminous critter, their likely habitat and some of their mysterious behaviors around the Giant millipede. And, in thinking about the conditions that lead to Randy finding Glow worms in the Sierra Nevada foothills, we  talk with biologist Dave Herbst of Sierra Streams Institute about the weather and climate patterns and the future. Photo: Western Banded Glow Worm © Steve Kerr

2. 

   7 Oct 2026

   American Black Bears

   Over centuries, humans followed mammals like bear and caribou from Siberia into North America and back again to Asia and Europe several times. Our ancient myths cast bears as our teachers in understanding survival and spirituality. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are the great bears in the sky serving as magnificent pointers, celestial guides and symbolizing renewal of the seasons. With an expressive face, curious nature and flexible habitat, American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) are adaptable, intelligent and share some uncanny characteristics with humans. Is it any wonder we include the bear so deeply in our ancient myths and childhood fairytales? In this episode of Critter Chat, hosts Marney Blair and Susan Brandt bear witness to the omnipresence of the bear in our culture with a chat about the American Black Bear, and specifically the population living in the Sierra Nevada, with Arjun Dheer, the Statewide Black Bear Coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. To delve into a sliver of our ancient history together, we’ll hear some astronomical wisdom from Al Stahler, the host of KVMR’s award-winning series Soundings, about the big bear constellations in the sky that have served as our navigational tools and forecasters for centuries. Schoolteachers are encouraged to use Critter Chat in their classes with vocabulary words that include hyperphagia and rut. Critter Chat tells stories of Sierra Nevada wildlife featuring interviews with experts in the field. Critter Chat is locally produced in Grass Valley and is a project of Rational Animal, rational-animal.org (https://rational-animal.org/) Image: American Black Bear © Photo California Department of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, see critterchat.org (http://critterchat.org/) or Instagram: critterchat1

3. 

   4 Aug 2026

   Celebrating Cliff Swallows

   As one of the first North American birds to be described in our history books, the Cliff Swallow has something to teach us about adaptability and resilience. Migrating to and from South America every year, their long journey back to California in the springtime is celebrated by many. In the Sierra Nevada foothills, they seek horizontal cliff-like structures —man-made bridges and some buildings work just fine for many — as long as mud and water are nearby. A Cliff Swallow must take approximately 900-1200 trips with beak-fulls of mud to form one little nest. Raising their young together in colonies, these quick flying birds have wide mouths to gather as many insects as possible to feed their nestlings. In this episode of Critter Chat (https://rational-animal.org/critter-chat), we ponder the Cliff Swallow nests at Walgreens with biologist Emma Cox with The Institute for Bird Populations (https://www.birdpop.org/) and take a field trip to Lake Wildwood spillway with Rudy Darling, president of the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society. (https://sierrafoothillsaudubon.org/) Our special guest, Paule Castro of KVMR’s ZenTech (https://www.kvmr.org/show/zen-tech/) weighs in with his observations as a part of the newly formed Critter Corps. School teachers are encouraged to use Critter Chat in their classes with vocabulary words that include colonial, adaptability and migration. Critter Chat tells stories of Sierra Nevada wildlife featuring interviews with experts in the field. Critter Chat is locally produced in Grass Valley and is a project of Rational Animal, rational-animal.org Image: Cliff Swallow © Photo by Rudy Darling

Who has been a guest on Critter Chat

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Kaitai Liu
• Andria Townsend
• Roger Powell
• Maya Khosla
• Deren Ross

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

31,820

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 50 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

57

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

32

Contact Critter Chat

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Critter Chat