@jimrobbins19.bsky.social
Journalist based in Montana who writes about the human relationship to the natural world, for the New York Times and elsewhere. Author of The Wonder of Birds, The Man Who Planted Trees and other books. Intellectual pessimist, glandular optimist.
Pinned
This Wonder Bird Flies Thousands of Miles, Non-Stop, as Part of an Epic Migration
The more scientists learn about the Hudsonian godwit, the more they’re amazed—and worried
www.smithsonianmag.com
Posting my story on the incredible migration of the godwit, eight days and nights without pause.
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
Japan to Send Troops to Help Stop Bear Attacks www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...
Japan to Send Troops to Help Stop Bear Attacks
www.nytimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Japan to Send Troops to Help Stop Bear Attacks www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...
Jaguars roam from Arizona to Argentina and their population is in decline. There is only one jaguar in Arizona and a new border will may cut them off from the rest of the contiguous population. My latest.
e360.yale.edu/features/jag...
e360.yale.edu/features/jag...
As Jaguars Recover, Will the Border Wall Block Their U.S. Return?
Decades of conservation efforts in Central and South America are starting to pay off, with increased protections for jaguars and the corridors that connect them. But the construction of the border wal...
e360.yale.edu
October 17, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Jaguars roam from Arizona to Argentina and their population is in decline. There is only one jaguar in Arizona and a new border will may cut them off from the rest of the contiguous population. My latest.
e360.yale.edu/features/jag...
e360.yale.edu/features/jag...
A quirky little seabird that lives in the crowns of redwood trees in in trouble. My latest in today's Science Times. Gift article free to read. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/s...
A Tiny Seabird Faces Growing Threats in the Forest
www.nytimes.com
September 23, 2025 at 3:21 PM
A quirky little seabird that lives in the crowns of redwood trees in in trouble. My latest in today's Science Times. Gift article free to read. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/s...
One of the funnest story assignments I have had in a while. Aero-ecology, aka the ecology of the sky, is science about a forgotten and mysterious ecosystem above us. It is teeming with life. My latest in the September issue of Smithsonian.
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
September 3, 2025 at 10:12 PM
One of the funnest story assignments I have had in a while. Aero-ecology, aka the ecology of the sky, is science about a forgotten and mysterious ecosystem above us. It is teeming with life. My latest in the September issue of Smithsonian.
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
Humans are driving rapid evolution in more ways than one. Fishing Induced Evolution may be the most rapid of all. My latest in Yale's E360.
e360.yale.edu/features/hum...
e360.yale.edu/features/hum...
Shrinking Cod: How Humans Are Impacting the Evolution of Species
Biologists once thought that humans did little to affect the course of evolution in the short term. But a recent study of cod in the Baltic Sea reveals how overfishing and selective harvest of the lar...
e360.yale.edu
August 5, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Humans are driving rapid evolution in more ways than one. Fishing Induced Evolution may be the most rapid of all. My latest in Yale's E360.
e360.yale.edu/features/hum...
e360.yale.edu/features/hum...
You can read this article for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/s...
A Zoo in Denmark Wants to Feed Your Pets to Its Predators
www.nytimes.com
August 4, 2025 at 9:41 PM
You can read this article for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/s...
Mystery solved?
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Scientists say they’ve solved the mystery of starfish that turn to goo
Sea star wasting disease has killed billions of starfish and destroyed kelp ecosystems. In a study published Monday, researchers say they found the culprit.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 4, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Mystery solved?
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Reposted
Sawmills have been closing across the Pacific Northwest over the past 30 years. The region's lumber industry is hoping for a Trump bump.
The Pacific Northwest Lumber Industry Hopes for a Trump Bump
The president is calling for increased logging in national forests and raising trade protections against Canadian exports.
on.wsj.com
July 27, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Sawmills have been closing across the Pacific Northwest over the past 30 years. The region's lumber industry is hoping for a Trump bump.
Fascinating story on secret a geoengineering project off the coast of California.
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
Researchers quietly planned a test to dim sunlight. They wanted to ‘avoid scaring’ the public.
Hundreds of documents show how researchers failed to notify officials in California about a test of technology to block the sun’s rays — while they planned a much huger sequel.
www.politico.com
July 27, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Fascinating story on secret a geoengineering project off the coast of California.
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
A well deserved prison sentence.
Gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/w...
Gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/w...
Men Who Felled Sycamore Gap Tree Are Given Prison Sentences in U.K.
www.nytimes.com
July 15, 2025 at 5:25 PM
A well deserved prison sentence.
Gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/w...
Gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/w...
The chemistry of the oceans is rapidly becoming more acidic and it's affecting everything from coral reefs to crabs and oysters. My latest, from tomorrow's New York Times.
(This is a gift article and you can read it for free without a subscription.) www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
(This is a gift article and you can read it for free without a subscription.) www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
Increasingly Acidic Seas Threaten Oyster Farming
www.nytimes.com
July 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM
The chemistry of the oceans is rapidly becoming more acidic and it's affecting everything from coral reefs to crabs and oysters. My latest, from tomorrow's New York Times.
(This is a gift article and you can read it for free without a subscription.) www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
(This is a gift article and you can read it for free without a subscription.) www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
The chemistry of the oceans is rapidly become more acidic and its affecting everything from oysters to crabs to coral, which all use minerals to build their shells. My latest, from tomorrow's New York Times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
Increasingly Acidic Seas Threaten Oyster Farming
www.nytimes.com
July 7, 2025 at 8:31 PM
The chemistry of the oceans is rapidly become more acidic and its affecting everything from oysters to crabs to coral, which all use minerals to build their shells. My latest, from tomorrow's New York Times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
Posting the gift version of this article...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion.
www.nytimes.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Posting the gift version of this article...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
There are serious questions about this material that shouldn't be swept under the rug.
Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion.
www.nytimes.com
June 18, 2025 at 3:53 PM
There are serious questions about this material that shouldn't be swept under the rug.
Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly and dramatically changing conservation for good and bad. My latest. e360.yale.edu/features/art...
Out of the Wild: How A.I. Is Transforming Conservation Science
Artificial intelligence is being called a game changer for enabling scientists and conservationists to process vast troves of data collected remotely. But some warn its use could keep biologists from ...
e360.yale.edu
May 20, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly and dramatically changing conservation for good and bad. My latest. e360.yale.edu/features/art...
There's rare earths in them there toxic pits. My latest in today's New York Times. It's a gift article and you can read it for free. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/s...
A Toxic Pit Could Be a Gold Mine for Rare-Earth Elements
www.nytimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 12:26 PM
There's rare earths in them there toxic pits. My latest in today's New York Times. It's a gift article and you can read it for free. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/s...
Don't underestimate people's love for trees.
You can read this article free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/w...
You can read this article free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/w...
2 Men Found Guilty of Felling Britain’s Sycamore Gap Tree
www.nytimes.com
May 9, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Don't underestimate people's love for trees.
You can read this article free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/w...
You can read this article free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/w...
ICYMI: the extreme biodiversity crisis almost no one knows about. e360.yale.edu/features/fre...
With the Great Mussel Die-Off, Scientists Scramble for Answers
One of the most endangered animals in the world, freshwater mussels are threatened by pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species. But in the epicenter of their diversity — the South...
e360.yale.edu
May 5, 2025 at 4:38 PM
ICYMI: the extreme biodiversity crisis almost no one knows about. e360.yale.edu/features/fre...
A Coastal New England Town’s ‘Ornery’ Vandal: A Woodpecker www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/u...
A Coastal New England Town’s ‘Ornery’ Vandal: A Woodpecker
More than 20 vehicles in a town on Cape Ann, Mass., have been damaged by a woodpecker in mating season. “You still see him out here,” one resident said. “Peck, peck, peck, peck.”
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2025 at 4:10 PM
A Coastal New England Town’s ‘Ornery’ Vandal: A Woodpecker www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/u...
I am visiting the Stratosphere Giant, a redwood tree that was at one time the tales tree in the world. It has since been surpassed. But it sure is glorious.
April 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM
I am visiting the Stratosphere Giant, a redwood tree that was at one time the tales tree in the world. It has since been surpassed. But it sure is glorious.
The world's first de-extinction?
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/s...
Scientists Revive the Dire Wolf, or Something Close (Gift Article)
Dire wolves, made famous by “Game of Thrones,” went extinct some 13,000 years ago. Now, researchers have bred gray-wolf pups that carry genes of their ancient cousins.
www.nytimes.com
April 7, 2025 at 5:29 PM
The world's first de-extinction?
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/s...
A return to the past of resource extraction.
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump administration rolls back forest protections in bid to ramp up logging
President Donald Trump's administration has rolled back environmental protections around future logging projects on more than half of U.S. national forests under an emergency designation issued Friday...
apnews.com
April 7, 2025 at 2:57 PM
A return to the past of resource extraction.
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...