NaturallyScott
At least once a week, I’ll bring you the very best of America’s spectacular world of nature — from birds to mammals, to reptiles and amphibians. From soaring mountains to endless plains, from rugged coastlines to rivers and streams.
Each episode will feature an expert guest — a ranger, a researcher, a birder, or an adventurer — someone who has seen what we want to see and been where we want to go.
NaturallyScott
E10 Ted Cheeseman – Tracking Whales, Citizen Science & the Birth of HappyWhale!
This week on NaturallyScott, Scott Harris sits down with Ted Cheeseman—naturalist, explorer, and co-founder of HappyWhale. From his childhood growing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains to decades of guiding Antarctic expeditions, Ted has lived a life surrounded by wildlife. In 2015, he and Ken Sutherland launched HappyWhale, a citizen science project that uses photographs to identify and track individual whales around the globe.
👉 Subscribe for more: naturallyscott.kit.com/5fd12c6752
In this conversation, Ted shares:
- The family safari company that shaped his passion for nature
- His formative years exploring East Africa and Antarctica
- First-hand accounts of witnessing whale populations rebound after whaling
- How HappyWhale connects everyday whale watchers to groundbreaking research
- The future of oceans, tourism, and the role of citizen science in conservation
Whether you’re a birder, diver, or just ocean-curious, this episode reveals how one snapshot of a whale’s tail can contribute to global science and inspire deeper stewardship of our seas.
👉 Learn more or submit your own whale photo: HappyWhale.com