Michael Antonishak

There’s a Raccoon on My Log

Chasing Bats at Congaree – Episode 10

Over a month has passed since I’ve posted an update to my vlog. Lately, I’ve been very busy at work and on my free time. During the past several weeks, I’ve been in a hurry to capture canopy photos and survey vegetation plots throughout the study area before leaf-out. Spring arrived a few weeks early and shortened the timetable to complete this work. Searching for the next adventure, many of my off hours have been spent on the job hunt. Lately, I haven’t had much time to relax.

This hectic period certainly doesn’t mean that I wasn’t enjoying my time outdoors. My travels often took me to new places in the park and I watched Congaree come alive in the essence of springtime.

One of my favorite moments was a visit from a raccoon. I was sitting quietly on a log, consulting my notes, when I heard something walking towards me. Oblivious to my presence, a raccoon walked near. I stealthily employed my phone to capture some video of the close encounter. Certainly, I did not think that I would be sharing the log with this visitor!

Broken Peace, Reflections in the Water

Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Congaree National Park – East of Weston Lake

Lunchtime is on the banks of a swamp, east of Weston Lake. The sun shines and a breeze blows with temperatures in the 70s. Not a bad way to enjoy a January winter’s day. My job here at Congaree rarely feels like work. Most times are a stroll through the woods on a sunny and pleasant day, collecting data as I go.

Often the forest’s peace is broken by fighter jets flying above. Some days, they fly singly, every now and then. Other days are like an airshow with loud engines overhead as planes go this way and that way. I’m not used to such a commotion. I often seek peace while enjoying the woods; unless of course, a woodland creature decides to make its presence known. That obnoxious anthropogenic thunder of horsepower took a while to become a familiar part of my surroundings.

Once considered a nuisance, the jets remind me of my brother. Paul loved the military jets since he was a child. It was a fascination that I didn’t understand in my youth. However, sometimes they fly so low, I couldn’t help but to be intrigued. He would have loved to visit Congaree. Besides the planes, there are plenty of amphibians for him to harass. I remember family fishing trips where I was on a mission to catch the big one and he was content on getting the drop on a bull frog. Again, it was a fascination that I didn’t understand in my youth. However, sometimes he was successful and I couldn’t help but marvel over the creature.

Since his death, I find that I understand my brother more in these years.

In the sunlight, a green and a yellow butterfly dance together in the sudden stillness of the air. With an otherwise constant breeze today, they must have waited a while for that moment. Time passes, in another moment, a lone butterfly.

Watching the Floodplain Work

Friday, January 6, 2017
Congaree National Park – Kingsnake

I get a rainy day. Lately, the floodplain is inundated with water. This condition is making work more difficult yet exciting. For the first time, I could not survey certain cavity roost because the openings were nearly submerged. I had to reorganize the gear on my body so it would not get wet. Nothing is hanging from by waist anymore. Instead, everything is attached to my back and shoulders. With my 5’6” stature, I have to be cautious that my gear is not getting wet inside my pack, not because of the rain but because of the rising water that I’m wading through.

I am amazed with how much water the floodplain holds. I am seeing how the landscape buffers the river during a storm event. This is elementary knowledge but to observe the process is exciting. I love to watch it work in Congaree. Continue reading “Watching the Floodplain Work”

A Night on West Boundary

January 5th, 2015
Congaree National Park – West Boundary

The work day is over and I sit in the sunset at west boundary. I’m enjoying the last light of the day and the cool air settling in around me. It’s hard to leave the twilight. There is something appealing about this transition time – the day ends and the night begins. Some nights, however, are stranger than others. Continue reading “A Night on West Boundary”

Why Bats?

Chasing Bats at Congaree – Episode 9

For a while now, I wanted to do a “why bats” video. Not until I got half way through the first draft would I settle on a direction for this episode. My first thought was to make an educational piece. I began amassing content to talk about the order’s evolutionary adaptations, the ecosystem services that bats provide, and dispel many of the widely held myths. However, I decided to scrap that idea. You can google that information anyway! Instead, I wanted to share my experience and tell you why I like to work with bats.

Activating the Activist

Early in our careers, many of us in the field of natural resources have grand thoughts of sliding into our dream job. We imagine ourselves working somewhere secluded in the landscape without having to interact with anyone. Many of us aren’t people persons anyway. Hell, we often identify more closely to our work than the people with whom we choose interact. Some biologists actually start looking like their focal species after a while. I sure hope that I don’t look like a bat these days. What I can say with certainty, however, is that I would have never imagined that I would have become an activist.

Continue reading “Activating the Activist”

Sights, Sounds, & Netting for Bats

CHASING BATS AT CONGAREE – EPISODE 8

I write to you while sitting on the banks of the Congaree River in seventy degree weather. This was a week of extremes! Snowmageddon was a dud but it left us with temperatures in the twenties. Netting was canceled due to the inclement weather; therefore, I was not tracking bats this week. Instead, I was after random trees and checking roost-tree cavities. Ice formed on much of the water and I had an interesting time walking through the flooded areas of the park. The weather warmed as the week progressed, however. Through the week, along with my daily assignments, my eyes and ears were open for the sights and sounds inside the park. Friday was a beautiful night to net for bats. With the addition of Will, our roommate, Piper and I had extra help and I was able to shoot some video of us handling bats!

Continue reading “Sights, Sounds, & Netting for Bats”

High Water & Snowmageddon

Chasing Bats at Congaree – Episode 7

It’s always bittersweet leaving family and friends back home to embark upon adventure. The same was true after spending the holidays at home and returning to Congaree. I’m two out of five months into this assignment. I’m happy to report that I continue to be enriched by this experience.

It’s true, first week back after the holidays, I was greeted with high water and threats of Snowmageddon looming in the forecast. The heavy rains on my travel back down to South Carolina certainly foreshadowed the rise of Cedar Creek. The high water certainly keeps things interesting and adds additional challenge to the job but I’m having fun nonetheless. Snow was in the forecast and I enjoyed listening to the media insight panic among the populace. I couldn’t laugh too hard at the weather wimps of South Carolina because the same excitement happens back home in Pennsylvania with every snow event.

Continue reading “High Water & Snowmageddon”

Post-Holiday Update

The holidays were great! I was happy to be back home in Pennsylvania for the week and it was nice to spend time with friends and family. I was hoping to get outdoors and experience some elevation for a change but I was content with spending time in my own house in the company of Jill and Eli, outside of the occasional trip for food and drink with a friend. Jill and I invited our parents over on Christmas day and continued the festivities the following Friday with the addition of my sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. Sadly, we canceled our anticipated New Year’s celebration plans because Jill and I experienced a terrible allergic reaction to our Christmas tree. Nonetheless, we still had a good evening together, even if we were in bed before the ball drop. Continue reading “Post-Holiday Update”

Listening for Bats

Chasing Bats at Congaree – Episode 6

While walking around Congaree with antenna in hand, strangers often ask what I’m listening for. I tell them, Bats! Some understand how telemetry works and others don’t. A few thought I could hear their high pitched sounds with that grand ole antenna I was lugging. This episode aims to dispel the misconceptions and show you the cool tools we use to listen for bats.

Continue reading “Listening for Bats”