Bird Banter

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #41 with Alex Wang

In this episode I talk with Alex Wang, a birder and conservation biologist living on the Big Island of Hawaii, who is home to visit his family in Tacoma.  His Dad, Art Wang was my guest on Episode #14 so be sure to check that out too. We talk about many conservation issues for birds on the Hawaiian Islands, the inclusion of Hawaii into the ABA area, and Alex's birding story.  Enjoy.  

This is a link to the Hawaii Birding Babe home page where you can likely find Alex to take you on a day of birding on the big island if you visit there.  https://www.facebook.com/Hawaii.Birding.Babe/

This is the Hawaii Audubon webpage where you can read about birding in Hawaii. http://www.hawaiiaudubon.org/birding-in-hawaii

Be sure to look for my post on BirdBanter.com for a blog post with photos Alex provided of many of the native Hawaiian birds, literally in his hand from banding work.  http://birdbanter.com/index.php/blog/

Wish me safe travels in Asia, and I hope to find great guests to talk with there for future episodes. 

Until then, Good Birding.  Good Day!

The Bird Banter Podcast Happy Thanksgiving wild Turkey Episode

Happy Thanksgiving. 

Let us give thanks for the wild birds we all love, for the time to see and study then, and for all our blessings. 

For more info on the history of Wild Turkeys in the U.S. see the associated post on The Bird Banter Podcast.

http://birdbanter.com/index.php/2019/11/28/wild-turkeys-in-the-u-s-here-almost-gone-and-here-again/

Until next time. Good birding. Good day. 

The Bird Banter Podcast from Kauai, Hawaii

In this episode I talk about the birding I've managed on my Kauai, Hawaii vacation.  Enjoy. 

Check out my blog on Birdbanter.com to see photos from the trip and some of this info in writing. http://birdbanter.com/index.php/blog/

Until next time, Aloha.  

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #40 with Isaiah Nugent

In this episode Isaiah and I talk about his 2019 Washington State Big year and his birding story.  Isaiah is a top young Washington State birder, and I hope you find his story interesting.  I also talk a bit about my upcoming vacation to Kauai and the issues with exotic species in Hawaii.  

You can contact Isaiah via the e-mail address available on his eBird profile page which also has up to date information on his WA big year progress and links to photos, etc. https://ebird.org/pnw/profile/MzA3NTU4/US-WA-073

Here is a link to Episode #26 with Tim Larson and the issues about house mouse eradication on the Farallon Islands off the California Coast.  https://birdbanter.podbean.com/mf/play/aen4nt/The_Bird_Banter_Podcast_Episode_26_with_Tim_Larson.mphttps://birdbanter.podbean.com/mf/play/aen4nt/The_Bird_Banter_Podcast_Episode_26_with_Tim_Larson.mp33

You can also reach out to Isaian on Facebook or Instagram.

Stay tuned for more about my upcoming Hawaii birding experiences.  

Until next time, good birding.  Good day!

 

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #39 with Rob Porter

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #39 I talk with Rob Porter, creator of The Songbirding Podcast.  On his podcast Rob takes listeners along with him on walks through birdy and otherwise quiet areas of Ontario, where he essentially gives a song-by-song narrative of the bird sounds he hears. You feel like you are out birding with a local expert who is teaching you about the birds you are hearing along with him. It is really cool.  Be sure to check it out on any of the top podcast feeds.  Here is a link to Songbirding Podcast on iTunes: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/preview-songbirding/id1480167042?i=1000449879933

here is a link to the Birding by Ear series I talk about in the intro to this episode.  This is the Eastern U.S. course, there is also a series for the Western U.S. birds.  https://www.buteobooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=BBBAO&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=11266

 

You can find more about this episode on my blog post at http://birdbanter.com/index.php/blog/

Thanks for listening. Until next time. Good birding. Good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #38 with Alex Israel

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #38 I talk with Alex Israel, a conservation activist with the Safe Flights program of the New York City Audubon Society.  The combination of human light at night in cities combined with glass exterior skyscrapers in major migratory bird flyways is a lethal one to many songbirds.  Listen to hear about this and more.

Here is a link to the New York Audubon Societies Safe Flights Program page:  http://www.nycaudubon.org/index.php/project-safe-flight

This is the article I mention on nocturnal calls and “supercollider” species that are especially at risk from nighttime lights and skyscrapers.  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190402215613.htm

Here is a link to info about The Central Park Effect documentary I mention on the episode.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2310157/

Here is the eBird details page on Central Park in NYC.  https://ebird.org/hotspot/L191106

See my blog post on Birdbanter.com for more  details.               

Until next time. Good Birding.  Good Day. 

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #37with John Pushcock

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #37 I talk with Alaskan Island expert and trip leader John Pushcock.  John has been able to lead trips to Attu in recent years using a seaworthy ship to transport birders from Adak to Attu, birding Attu by day, and sleeping on the boat at night.  He also has led trips to Adak, Utgiagvik (previously  Barrow), Alaska.  John runs a Seattle based birding tour company Zugunruhe Birding Tours, website Zbirdtours.com http://www.zbirdtours.com/ 

You can find John on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/john.puschock but the best way is via his website above.  

On the podcast we talk briefly about my experience on the 5-day Pelagic trip on the Searcher out of San Diego. The leader of that trip is John  McGrath, I could not recall his last name when we were talking. Here is a link to the trip site. https://www.bajawhale.com/wildlife-tours/pelagic-birding-tours/

We talk about Johns early birding days on the east coast, his time in California, and how he came to become a leading Alaskan island bird tour operator.  Enjoy.

Until next time, good birding. Good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #36 with Tasha DiMarzio

In this episode Tasha and I talk primarily about her work to support the endangered Steller's Eider in Alaska, but also about her birding story, her early experiences as a birder and as a field biologist, along with her work recently on Eastern Egg Island in Maine.  Be sure to check out all the links on The Bird Banter website at http://birdbanter.com/index.php/blog/

Here is a link to Tasha's Instagram account @featheredobsession https://www.instagram.com/featheredobsession/?hl=en

On the blog post you'll find lots of links to things we mention in the episode and more. 

Until next time. Good birding. Good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #35 with Dr. Ursula Valdez

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #35 Dr. Valdez and I talk about her birding story, and especially about her research in the Peruvian Amazon.  Her project in the Madre de Díos (Mother of God) mountains in southeastern Peru is documenting the amazing biodiversity there, working with local youth to provide paying jobs, increase environmental awareness and provide valuable data on the bird and other species diversity there.  A correction to the introduction, CECCOT is in the Tambopata region, not the city of Tambopata. It is near the city of Puerto Maldonado. Volunteer opportunities are available, and you can check them out at the Facebook page of @CECCOT (Centre de Educacíon, Ciencia y Conservacíon Tambopata)  Their website is also very informative.  

My blog post at http://birdbanter.com/index.php/2019/10/14/dr-ursula-valdez-and-the-bird-banter-podcast-episode-35/ has lots more detail and links to issues like illegal gold mining and her falcon research. 

Enjoy.  Good birging.  Good day. 

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #34 with Brad Waggoner

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #34 I talk birding with Brad Waggoner.  Brad is a top Washington birder, and an especially avid Kitsap and Clallam County birder.  He is the chairperson of the Washington Rare Birds committee, and one of the most respected Washington birders. Enjoy.

Here is a link to the Washington Rare Birds committee page on the WOS website:  http://wos.org/records/

Here is a link to Brad’s eBird list from 2 weeks ago when he had 99 species just in the town of Neah Bay:  https://ebird.org/pnw/view/checklist/S60044350 

Brad doesn’t make a profile on eBird public, but snooping around eBird shows his as a leader on these lists on an easy perusal:

Kitsap County, WA   #1 298 species

Clallam County, WA  #4 (really #3) 299 species

Washington State tie for #3 443 species

Be sure to follow @BirdBanter on Facebook, the Bird Banter blog at http://birdbanter.com/

Thanks to Ryan Merrill for the photo of the Blackburnian Warbler used for the thumbnail photo on this episode. This bird was found by Ryan and Brad on a recent trip to Neah Bay. 

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