On The Bird Banter Podcast #134 Mike Resch and I talk about his multi-decade quest to see >200 bird species in every continental U.S. state. He achieved this goal recently on a trip to Montana, as well as reaching another target goal of 15,000 total ABA state and province ticks. (listen to hear what a “tick” means) Besides being a realty nice guy, avid and accomplished birder, and inveterate state birder, Mike has visited places and seen beautiful places most of us have never heard of or seen...
Aug 16, 2022•34 min•Ep. 149
On this episode Dan Casey, a top Montana birder, and I talk about his birding story, birding in Montana, ebird, bird records committees, and I really enjoyed hearing from a birder from an area I do not know well, and who has a wonderfully balanced and holistic approach to birding his state. I hope you enjoy hearing from Dan as much as I did. You can contact Dan by email: danielcasey55 -at-gmail- dot-com Here is Dan's eBird Profile Be sure to check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more rel...
Jul 21, 2022•44 min•Ep. 148
On this episode Matt Aeberhard and I talk about his remarkable carreer and experiences as a world-class wildlife videographer, his birding story, his new project Birds of America: How Birds Can Save Us . You can see lots more about Matt on his website , or follow him on Instagram @mattaeberhard . As always check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more links, and in this case some embedded video by Matt. Thanks for listening. Good birding!...
Jun 28, 2022•43 min•Ep. 147
On The Bird Banter Podcast #131 I talk with Marcos Trinidad, the Center Director at Debs Park in Los Angeles, an avid birder, a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion in the environmental movement. We talk about Marco's experiences in finding ways to have cell phones and technology provide positive experiences in nature, how to appreciate the urban nature around us, and his personal birding and life experiences. You can reach Marcos at the Debs Park Audubon site , on Instagram @huskynatura...
Jun 14, 2022•43 min•Ep. 146
On this episode Bill Young and I talk about his lifelong birding passion and experiences, and focus especially on his interest and work with bird bahavior, as well as his focused birding at Monticello Park in Arlington, VA. Bill and his friend Ashley Bradford have developed and maintained the website MPNature where incredibly detailed and useful information about the park can be found. I find this a fabulous example of what can be learned and shared by really paying attention and focusing on a s...
May 30, 2022•45 min•Ep. 145
On this episode we talk about COASST, the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, with Jackie Lindsey, the Science Director and Charlie Wright, the Data Verifier as guests. I learn about the COASST programs, hear stories of interesting and unusual dead bird discoveries, and enjoy hearing about the program and more from Lindsey and Charlie. You can find more about COASST at their website. On their website you can find about their research publications, how to volunteer or donate, and buy a f...
May 16, 2022•46 min•Ep. 144
On this episode I report on birding the Great River Road, and various places nearby, from Memphis to Davenport, Iowa and then on to Omaha. Overall a great experience, seeing new states, new roads, and getting an appreciation for the great river. Highlights were great looks at Sedge Wren, some fabulous National Wildlife Refuges, and of course the Mississippi River and all it entails. For more details, photos and related information see the blog posts under Ed's Birding Notes on the Bird Banter we...
May 06, 2022•28 min•Ep. 143
On this episode I fill in between episodes with guests. On the first week of my planned 3 week road trip up the Mississippi from New Orleans to Iowa, Marian and I bird around New Orleans, venture south to see the destruction, rebuilding and birds of Grand Isle, and head north as far as Memphis. We bird in 4 states, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee. For listeners this will be a different episode, and I hope you enjoy it, but if not my more typical episodes with guests will return af...
Apr 23, 2022•27 min•Ep. 142
On this episode Alex Marine and I talk about birding Missouri, his birding story and his 2021 Missouri birding big year. Alex also helps me learn about birding in Missouri along the Mississippi river area in preparation for a road trip I'll be taking soon. You can reach Alex on Facebook or Instagram . As always learn more about the details and things mentioned on this episode on the Bird Banter Blog. Until next time. Good birding and good day!...
Apr 18, 2022•27 min•Ep. 141
On this episode I talk with Raphael Fennimore about his 2021 King County, WA big year, his experiences with marine mammal research, his scuba diving, his photography experience with a new mirrorless camera and more. I hope you enjoy. Reach Raphael at Raphael.Fennimore - at- gmail - dot- com or via his Instagram Feed @RaphaelFennimore See more details and hopefully interesting information on the BirdBanter.com blog . Please leave a rating and review. Thanks for listening....
Apr 06, 2022•51 min•Ep. 140
On this episode Dr. Klem and I talk about one of the leading and least well publicized causes of bird mortality in the world which is collision with glass surfaces. Birds simply don't see glass as a barrier, try to fly through it, and die in startling numbers. Hear the facts, learn what you can do, and be able to make informed decisions about the ways you can help reduce this tragedy. Dr. Klem is a professor of ornithology at Muhlenberg College . He recently published a book, Solid Air: Invisibl...
Mar 26, 2022•46 min•Ep. 139
Do you know anyone who does not love Bird Note, the 2 minute immersion into bird life and lore on NPR radio? I sure don't. My guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #125, Nick Bayard, is the Executive Director of Bird Note. I learned that Bird Note is so much more than the NPR Bird Note Today show. Listen, enjoy and learn. Hear Bird Note Daily here . Support Bird Note here Subscribe to Bird Note email list-serv here Read more about todays episode on the Bird Banter Blog here. Until next time, Good bir...
Mar 14, 2022•31 min•Ep. 138
On this episode Michael Todd, the top eBird lister in Tennessee and I talk about birding his home state, his birding story, his mentors, and more. Michael mentions several top Mississippi River floodplain hotspots in Tennessee on the episode. Here are some eBird links to those areas. Ensley Bottoms Maxxon Wastewater Lagoons Tennessee NWR Big Sandy Unit It was really fun to hear about a new place and from a birder who really knows the area well. As always check out the blog post about the episode...
Feb 28, 2022•35 min•Ep. 137
On this episode David and Dee Simpson talk about their Florida birding, their company Birding with David Simpson , Dee's blog Dee at Eight AM , and their birding stories. Dee posts a photo and an educational poem about where she is and what she sees every morning on her blog. David does bird guiding in Florida and beyond, and is an avid state and county lister in Florida, with over 150 species seen in every one of Florida's 67 counties. David has a passion for teaching visitors about everything ...
Feb 14, 2022•48 min•Ep. 136
On The Bird Banter Podcast #122 Tiffany Kersten talks about her record breaking Lower 48 United States birding big year, seeing 726 species while raising awareness for the safety of women in nature. It's a great story and Tiffany tells it well. You can see Tiffany's blog here. Read more about the year on The Bird Banter blog and find other big years on the podcast prior epsodes #121 Will Brooks and Jason Vassallo , #4 Christian Haganlocher , #5 with Dorian Anderson and his Biking for Birds Big Y...
Feb 02, 2022•40 min•Ep. 135
On this episode I talk with two young Washington State birders who are good friends, who met in an unusual circumstance, and who undertook big years in 2021. Jason saw the 9th highest total species list ever seen in the lower 48 states, while documenting every sighting by photo or audio means, and did so while maximizing the fun, adventure and wonderlust experience of the year. Will broke the Washington State big year record by 6 species in a year when arguably the top vagrant location was close...
Jan 21, 2022•56 min•Ep. 134
On this episode Bob and I talk about his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, his birding story and stories and more. How many birders have birded in Area 51? My guess is not many. His career path involved working at many of the great U.S. National Wildlife Refuges including the Loxahatchee NWR in Florida, the Wheeler NWR in Alabama , Kern NWR , Stillwater NWR in Nevada, and the Ridgefield and Columbia NWRs in Washington. Bob encouages birders to ask their senators Here are contacts f...
Jan 02, 2022•54 min•Ep. 133
On The Bird Banter Podcast #119 with Michael and Paula Webster we talk about their 5-year birding adventure in South America. They travelled in a Toyota pop-top camper van, had wild and harrowing experiences and saw remote and wonderful places, people and birds that are almost beyond belief. They are real, as you can see by watching many of their videos on the You Tube Channel The Condors Feathers. Michael and Paula decided after careers in business for Michael and as a math teacher for Paula to...
Dec 20, 2021•44 min•Ep. 132
On this episode Jim Danzenbaker and I talk about his experiences leading wildlife safaris to the Antarctic region, his pelagic birding experiences, his birding story, career, about Christmas Bird Counts and more. Enjoy. Find a CBC in Washington here . See the 2021 CBC report from Natioinal Audubon here . Check out the blog post on the BirdBanter.com blog here. Until next time, good birding and good day1...
Dec 10, 2021•50 min•Ep. 131
On this episode Joe Morlan and I talk about his multifaceted birding career and experiences. Joe taught birding classes at the College of San Francisco for year, served as member, chair and now as webmaster of the California Bird Records Committee, is an author, and is a really good storyteller. You can reach Joe from his website. Read more on the BirdBanter.com blog post about this episode. Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day....
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 130
On this episode Charlie and I talk about his early birding years, his time on remote Alaskan Islands and on research vessels, and his local birding especially at a new Tacoma hotspot Dune Peninsula Park. Charlie was an early adopter and volunteer reviewer for eBird and is the data reviewer for COASST. I'm really excited to have Charlie as a guest and think you'll enjoy hearing his story. Thanks for listening. As always read more about the episode on the BirdBanter.com blog post. Good birding and...
Nov 20, 2021•47 min•Ep. 129
On this episode I talk with Iván Lau, the birding guide I used on a recent brief trip to Medellin, Colombia. Iván was really top notch, and we got in a lot of birding in the 3 days I had available. Medellin was beautiful, the birds were spectacular, and the experience was great. You can contact Iván at on Instagram @ivanlaulovera or by email at ivanlaulovera@gmail.com Check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com with more information if you are interested. Thanks for listening. Good birding and goo...
Nov 12, 2021•31 min•Ep. 128
On The Bird Banter Podcast #114 I talk with Zach Poland, a top Oklahoma birder who I heard about from Pete Janzen of Episode #112. Zach talks about his birding story, birding in Oklahoma, how his training in geology influences his birding strategies and more. Enjoy. See the blog post on Birdbanter.com for additional information. Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!...
Oct 27, 2021•54 min•Ep. 127
There are few nuances of birding that cause more confusion and frustration than molt. Birds have to replace their feathers every year to survive, and understanding this process called molt can bring a not just a better understanding of birds and bird ID, but make looking at the details of plumage of each bird we see a little more fun. I'm certainly no expert on molt, but hearing about the process from the perspective of a non-expert who enjoys the subject may help listeners wrap their brains aro...
Oct 01, 2021•18 min•Ep. 126
On The Bird Banter Podcast #112 with Pete Janzen we talk lots about Kansas birding. Pete wrote books about birds and birding in Kansas as well as a detailed work on the Birds of Sedgewick County, Kansas. He wants you to know about the best place in the ABA area to book Lesser Prairie Chicken lek viewing with the Gove County group that manages these. You can contact Jim Miliensifer at jhmillensifer@gmail.com Here is their web site. Be sure to check out the blog on BirdBanter.com for more details....
Sep 17, 2021•41 min•Ep. 125
On The Bird Banter Podcast #111 I talk with Mason Maron, a young birder who is studying at Washington State University, is beginning a research project on Gray-crowned Rosy Finch diet changes over the last 60 years, and was a lot of fun to talk with. You can find his photography on his website Mason Maron Photography and on his @masonmaronphotography Instagram site. Read more related information on the BirdBanter.com blog post for more information. Until next time, good birding and good day!...
Sep 06, 2021•42 min•Ep. 124
On The Bird Banter Podcast #110 with Andy Stepniewski we talk about his passion and interest in the shrub-steppe habitat that remains near his home in Yakima County, WA, his birding story and some of his birding experiences. Andy was mentored by Jim Lane, of bird finding site guide fame, and he was a primary contributor to The Birder’s Guide to Washington . For more detailed information see the blog post on BirdBanter.com . Until next time. Good birding and good day!...
Aug 28, 2021•57 min•Ep. 123
On The Bird Banter Podcast #109 with Jason Vassallo we talk about his 2021 ABA Big Year, his birding story, and other things birding. Jason is a very talented young Washington birder, and it was fun to get to know him better. I also enjoyed hearing about some of the places he has visited this year. I'm just itching to visit some of them myself. Here is a link to Jason's Intagram page @jason2021bigyear Be sure to check out Bird Banter's blog to see more details related to the episode. Thanks for ...
Aug 16, 2021•45 min•Ep. 122
England has a great collection of bird observatories, mostly spaced around the coastline, some on islands, some on the main island. Sophie Wickham, my guest on this episode is the warden at the Holme Bird Observatory in Norfolk County. We talk about her job there, the observatory and the system of observatories in England, the birds seen there and British birding in general. Here is a like to the Holme Bird Observatory website and here is the Norfolk Ornithologists Association site. See the blog...
Aug 05, 2021•35 min•Ep. 121
David Waters, the driving force behind the project to reintroduce Great Bustards to England, is my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #107. I first met David when my wife and I visited his home to see his captive Great Bustards (injured birds) and to hear his story of the project. We also got to see some of the reintroduced birds on the Salisbury Plains. You can learn more about this project at The Great Bustard Project Homepage or on my blog post with more information about this episode. Until ne...
Jul 28, 2021•58 min•Ep. 120
