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PODCAST

The Old Naturalist

Brandon Brywczynski and Eric Durbin

Brandon is a teacher. Eric is a retired real estate title examiner. What do they have in common? A shared love for the natural history of Northwest Ohio. In The Old Naturalist you"ll learn about some of the luminaries of Toledo area conservation, some current trends in environmental news, whether Eric can remember the birds, bees, or butterflies, and occasionally what beer or whiskey they would recommend you try. The Old Naturalist is a light hearted, easy listen for any nature lover.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

00:10:58

Ruby on the Hot Seat!

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/09/15

A couple months ago the boys decided to quiz Brandon's youngest daughter Audrey on her nature knowledge. Now, we'll see if his oldest daughter Ruby can beat Audrey's score of 4/5. Not to be outdone, you the listener can play along as well!

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00:08:18

Fantastic Fritillaries!

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/08/18

In this month's installment of The Old Naturalist the usual suspects take a backseat to butterfly enthusiast John Michael Durback. John Michael will teach you how to identify the 3 most common fritillaries in our area. He does a great job breaking down the differences so tune in to learn how to differentiate between these beautiful orange butterflies.

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00:12:57

Audrey on the Hot Seat!

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/07/21

Here's a call back to Season 1 of The Old Naturalist. The boys are doing a quiz, and their victim is Brandon's youngest daughter Audrey. Play along with Audrey and see if you can pass the quiz!

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00:50:14

The Old Naturalist on Safari

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/06/16

In previous episodes Eric has teased listeners with scant details about a hunting trip to South Africa he took with his friend Jerry. Well, in this episode you get the rest of the story. Watch on Spotify or listen on Apple to the Old Naturalist on Safari!

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00:47:33

Venomous NOT Poisonous

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/05/16

The Old Naturalist may get his vocabulary tangled up from time to time, but he does know a thing or two about the world's most dangerous snakes. Join Brandon as he learns about some of those serpents from Eric's world travels.

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00:35:42

Birding Then and Now

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/04/14

The natural world is always changing. The lives our backyard birds are no exception. In this episode, Eric takes Brandon on a tour of the natural history of some of our more common backyard birds. And to match the theme of the episode, the boys decided to record at a great place to watch the birds: Secor Metropark's Window on Wildlife.

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00:39:55

The Lost World

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/03/17

In this month's episode Eric regales Brandon with stories from the tropics. Specifically, the spotlight will be on the country of Venezuela and The Old Naturalist's many trips there. Eric also shares the source of his wanderlust for exploration...something that began when he was a young boy.

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00:21:26

Two Faces for Radio

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/02/17

Brandon and Eric make their radio debut, streaming live from the campus of Bowling Green State University. With BG in mind, Brandon crafted a little quiz for Eric that is fitting for the city that serves as the seat of Wood County Ohio. Listen in (or watch on Spotify) to see if you can match the Old Naturalist's score. Pictures provided by photographer and friend Brian Zwiebel were much appreciated.

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00:27:01

Eric and the Hippo

The Old Naturalist ·

2025/01/20

Happy 2025 everybody. Brandon and the Old Naturalist are kicking off the new year with a tail from Africa. As a reminder, we'll be doing video podcasts this year so the best way to follow us will be on Spotify. Our Apple Podcast listeners will still be able to listen in, but you won't be able to see us...which is probably not all bad.

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00:12:17

The Final Exam

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/12/31

It all comes down to this. Will the Old Naturalist pass the quiz in our final episode of the year? Tune in for that and what the plan is for 2025. Thanks again to our friend Brian Zwiebel for the episode art. Happy New Year everybody!

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00:24:50

The GRWA Christmas Count

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/12/26

Well the Christmas Bird Count season is in full swing, so the boys decided to have their pal Tom Kemp stop by to talk about one of our favorite counts: The Grand Rapids Waterville Christmas Bird Count. Learn about the history of what for many is a wonderful winter pastime.

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00:27:16

The Northwest Ohio Bucket List

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/12/19

The Old Naturalist dug up an old TNA publication he'd like to share with all of you! People tend to take for granted the great experiences that are right in their own backyard. Listen in to hear about some of the 111 places you should visit in the Toledo area.

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00:13:52

Baleful Stares with Beady Red Eyes

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/12/12

As we near the Christmas Bird Count Season, Brandon thought it would be fun to quiz Eric over birds that have been found at a hot spot within the Toledo Christmas Bird Count circle: the Bayshore Power Plant. With an assist from friend Greg Links, Brandon challenges the Old Naturalist to finish the year on an intellectual high note. Thanks to our friend Brian Zwiebel for the episode art.

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00:15:36

The Gull Whisperer

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/12/05

If you live in Northwest Ohio and you're in to birds, there's a pretty good chance you've heard of Tom Kemp. Mr. Kemp has been birding in our area for well over a half century! He's kind of expert on any local bird species, but gulls are his specialty. With that in mind, Eric and Brandon decided to spring a pop quiz on their birding buddy.

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00:19:50

Nature Trails with Jim Nessle

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/11/28

In today's episode Eric enlightens Brandon with a biography of Jim Nessle. Mr. Nessle was a Toledo area radio and TV personality who's love for nature was infectious for kids of all ages. Listen in to learn about someone who really excelled at the Toledo Naturalists' mission in "promoting popular interest in the study of natural history."

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00:16:03

Mouse or a Bird?

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/11/21

In November's edition of three for Thursday Eric's knowledge of local area bird records is once again tested by Brandon, the grand inquisitor. One of the species launches Eric down memory lane, to a night in June in the year 1980 at Irwin Prairie with friends Chris Manzey and Elliot Tramer.

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00:36:55

You Been Smokin' Somethin'

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/11/14

Yes...that episode title is misleading. But we promise it will make sense when you listen to the Old Naturalist breakdown the differences between our local owls. Thanks to our friend Brian Zweibel for the episode art.

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00:11:07

Snowflakes and Sea Parrots

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/11/07

Eric continues to be inspired by the ongoing discussion regarding the changing of bird names. In this episode he quizzes Brandon with another set of old bird names. Play along and see if you can get all three! Thanks to our friend Rick Nirschl for his image that we used for the episode art.

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00:23:01

The Old Naturalist Goes Down in Flames

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/10/31

He's fine. Only some minor injuries to his pride. In this episode Brandon and Eric kick it up a notch with a considerably harder butterfly quiz submitted by listener and friend John Michael Durback. Lets see how well you know your butterflies and skippers!

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00:19:42

Was that a Furtive Longspur?

The Old Naturalist ·

2024/10/24

Friend and professional bird namer Greg Links stops by again to chat with the boys about possible edits to your next edition of the Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds. And if you didn't know what the word furtive meant before, you will know what it means by the end of this episode. (Episode art obtained from Wikicommons)

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