Mark Seth Lender

155 appearances on Living on Earth, from 2009 to 2026.

May 01, 2026: Snapping Turtle
Now that it’s spring in the Northern Hemisphere, before long snapping turtles will be laying their eggs. Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender shares this encounter with one old mother turtle.
February 20, 2026: Under Milkweed
One of the most heavenly scents on Earth is that of milkweed in bloom, says Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender. But fewer and fewer monarch butterflies are showing up to feed and lay their eggs on this vital plant that gives them a powerful toxic defense against predators.
January 16, 2026: Choosing Nonviolence: MLK and Nature
The nonviolent resistance preached by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was far from passive. It required peaceful confrontation and fierce courage to protect Black Americans from the constant threat of racist violence. Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender sent us this essay about an encounter in Yellowstone National Park years back that reminded him of a story he heard from one of Dr. King’s defenders.
December 12, 2025: The Unexpected"- Mallards Diving
Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender provides a refuge for hungry ducks during hunting season. He also observed something remarkable: these “dabbling” ducks have learned to dive for the seed he offers them.
October 10, 2025: Remembering Jane Goodall
Members of the late conservationist Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots youth organization and the Living on Earth crew share memories of her and gratitude for her enduring gifts to the world.
July 04, 2025: Sight": Caribbean Reef Shark
Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender has photographed animals all over the world, including under the sea. He shared this observation from a dive in the Bahamas where he was photographing Caribbean reef sharks.
May 30, 2025: After the Storm
Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender is keenly aware of the risks of living right on the Connecticut coast as sea levels rise and hurricanes strengthen. But being that close to Nature, in all her ferociousness, sure does inspire.
May 16, 2025: Countermeasures"- Dunlin
On the placid saltpans of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in coastal Massachusetts, the shorebirds known as dunlin are feeding. Then, just like that, they rise and fly in almost perfect unison to evade an intruder, Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender reports.
March 07, 2025: On the Greenland Ice
With its staggering volume of ice, the Greenland ice sheet is surely a sight to behold, and Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender brought back this memory from a visit to that otherworldly place.
February 28, 2025: Mother and Son: Sea Otter Bonding
Mother sea otters spend a lot of time grooming their young pups. It’s a bonding experience as well as a matter of survival. Clean and well-groomed fur keeps these sea otters afloat on the coastal waters where they spend their entire lives. Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender narrates a precious scene of an attentive otter mom and her young pup.
February 14, 2025: The Silence"- Lava Tubes of Iceland
Escaping the noise of the world can be hard these days, but not impossible. Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender has stumbled upon silent sanctuaries in Iceland and beyond.
December 27, 2024: FaceTime: Bumblebees
What’s going on inside the tiny, fuzzy head of a bumblebee? Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, says there might be much more going on than you may think.
November 29, 2024: Seal Island
The rocky coast of Maine is an ecological hotspot but to see a lot of its wildlife, you’ll have to venture out to sea. And that’s where Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender found himself not long ago.
October 18, 2024: Eagle!
Rise early in the morning and head out to a nearby national wildlife refuge, and you’ve got a good shot of being rewarded with the sights and sounds of all kinds of birds. And on this birdwatching trip, you might be watched back, Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender reports.
September 27, 2024: Tree Swallow Funnel
One of the smallest and most agile migrating birds is the tree swallow. Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender marvels at how these little fliers gather in huge airborne displays as they prepare for the fall migration.
August 09, 2024: Night
The vastness of space can provoke fear but the perspective it brings can also bring inspiration and even comfort. Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender recounts the impact on his consciousness of a star-studded sky, planets in full view, and shooting stars.
July 26, 2024: Water! Falls!
Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender muses on what waterfalls and volcanoes have in common, in transforming their elements of water and rock into something new.
May 10, 2024: Wake! Up!: Paper Wasp
Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender aids a paper wasp trying to get outdoors.
April 26, 2024: The "Green Flash
On rare occasions a green “flash” can appear on the horizon at sunrise or sunset. Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender has been lucky enough to catch it more than once.
March 15, 2024: Night
The vastness of space can provoke fear but the perspective it brings can also bring inspiration and even comfort. Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender recounts the impact on his consciousness of a star-studded sky, planets in full view, and shooting stars.
January 26, 2024: In Defense of Little Foxes
Living on Earth Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, describes his internal conflict when a red fox who’s a welcome visitor to his backyard pursues a familiar squirrel.
December 01, 2023: Bacon Bear
Smell is an ancient and powerful sense, and for Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender, it evokes potent memories and an encounter with a hungry polar bear.
October 20, 2023: The Impala Imperative
Prey species have evolved many ways to confuse their predators, from a zebra’s stripes to an impala’s back side. Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender explains.
August 04, 2023: Wishful Thinking: Leopards of the Olare Orok River
Young leopards may look like formidable hunters, but they still have a lot to learn. In the Maasai Mara savannah, on the banks of the Olare Orok River, Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender tracked one young leopard’s learning curve.
July 28, 2023: Slip-Sliding Away
River otters tend to avoid human contact, but Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender shares a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the elusive creatures.
June 30, 2023: Oh, Say Can You See?": Kingfisher on Long Island Sound
The fourth of July is a time for Americans to feast on hot dogs, veggie burgers and corn on the cob. But as Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender observers, the kingfisher has its own version of an Independence Day picnic.
April 21, 2023: Connecting With Ancient Sharks
Though humans and sharks are separated by 420 million years of evolution, Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender was awestruck by just how similar we are on a recent shark encounter with no cage in the Caribbean.
March 03, 2023: Cliff Hanger
Along the east coast of the Falklands, an agile cormorant soars and dives among the cliffs. Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, reflects on the empire of this majestic but much-maligned bird.
December 16, 2022: I’ll Take Menhaden
Menhaden fish once gathered in schools several miles long and were a common food for predators like sharks, sea birds, and bass. But after humans turned them into everything from supplements to fertilizer their numbers plummeted by roughly 90 percent. In Long Island Sound they’re finally bouncing back and Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, witnesses their return.
November 25, 2022: Living on Earth Gives Thanks
To celebrate Thanksgiving, the cast and crew of Living on Earth shares the things we’re grateful for this year.
November 25, 2022: LOE Gives Thanks
To celebrate Thanksgiving, the cast and crew of Living on Earth shares some of the things in life that we’re truly grateful for.
October 21, 2022: Wishful Thinking: Leopards of the Olare Orok River
Young leopards may look like formidable hunters, but they still have a lot to learn. In the Maasai Mara savannah, on the banks of the Olare Orok River, Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender tracked one young leopard’s learning curve.
August 26, 2022: Captive Audience
Cooperative hunting among birds is rare but Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, shares an unexpected instance among yellow-billed storks in Kenya.
July 22, 2022: Big Dog, Soft Mouth
An elephant seal could easily crush most any bird but Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, watches as one instead gives repeated warnings to two irritating petrels.
July 08, 2022: Saved By the Natural World
Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender reflects on how he and his wife Valerie have felt saved by their connection to nature during the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 24, 2022: Gotta Getta Fish!
Living on Earth's Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, shares the story of a juvenile osprey striking out on his own to find his first meal not delivered from his parents' beaks.
May 27, 2022: “Trust”: Great Blue Heron
The long-legged, broad-winged Great Blue Heron gathers in colonies to breed. Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender shares his observations of one mating pair sharing the duties of parenting at a rookery inland of the Connecticut River.
May 20, 2022: Beautiful Mountain Bluebird
Springtime means migratory birds have returned to the North and are preparing to nest and raise their chicks. Mark Seth Lender is Living on Earth's Explorer-In-Residence, and he shares his observations of Canada's mountain bluebirds in the spring.
March 11, 2022: The Impala Imperative
Living on Earth's Explorer-In-Residence Mark Seth Lender shares the secret of how impala antelope living on the African savanna confuse predators.
January 28, 2022: “To Fly, To Live:” Osprey of Long Island Sound
Experience the first flight of young ospreys, a species of hawk known for their elegant dive as they snatch fish from the surface of water. Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender narrates the awkward stretch of their wings and their first, sublime leap outwards.
January 07, 2022: Adiós Al Color
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender shares his encounter with a herd of elk galloping over the cliffs in Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park.
November 26, 2021: LOE Gives Thanks
To celebrate Thanksgiving, the cast and crew of Living on Earth shares some of the things in life that we’re truly grateful for.
October 29, 2021: Vultures in Love
Vultures are not exactly the most charismatic or cuddly of animals but they do have their charm, observes Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender. In East Africa, he watches a mated pair of vultures preening each other with ground termites to keep parasites at bay.
October 22, 2021: King Penguins Entering Surf
On the coast of South Georgia Island in the Antarctic Ocean, Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender watches as a colony of King Penguins plunge single-file into the surf to feed.
October 01, 2021: The Agreement: Maasai Giraffe in the Highlands of Kenya
Healthy ecosystems tend to seek balance and in the highlands of Kenya, this dynamic plays out in a tacit agreement between giraffe and their leafy diet. Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender brings us this commentary.
August 13, 2021: Bottlenose Whales in the Arctic
Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender describes a pod of bottlenose whales as they swim through Hudson Strait above the Arctic Circle, and his impulse to join them.
August 06, 2021: Sea Lion Cave
Sea lions can be extremely friendly and inquisitive but as Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, reports it’s still best to keep your distance.
July 09, 2021: Mother and Son: Sea Otter Bonding
Mother sea otters spend a lot of time grooming their young pups. It’s a bonding experience as well as a matter of survival. Clean and well-groomed fur keeps these sea otters afloat on the coastal waters where they spend their entire lives. Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender narrates a precious scene of an attentive otter mom and her young pup.
July 02, 2021: Coyote On The Beach
Through a combination of gestures, pitch and volume, herring gulls are able to “speak.” With each variation of visual and linguistic components, these gulls are able to vocalize “phrases,” communicating alarm calls and signals. Take a listen as Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender narrates a scene of herring seagulls taking a stand against a coyote.
June 11, 2021: Backup: African Elephant and Chacma Baboon
Near dawn at a waterhole in Motobo National Park, Zimbabwe, a young elephant makes the mistake of bothering a band of baboons. Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender relives the encounter.

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