Tracking purple martins and other feathered friends

With the drama and attention around the gigantic purple martin roost at the symphony over the last two years, more of our eyes are on the sky and on our migrating feathered friends.

What is migration? Why is Nashville not only a stopping point for bachelor parties – but hundreds of thousands of feathered birds each year? And how can we be better hosts?

In this episode, we hear from three guests who have their own experiences with migrating species. Then, we pivot to talk a bit about resident game birds and raptors — birds we live with year-round.

But first, we get curious about a North Nashville bonsai tree. 

Guests:

• Damon Mitchell, former WPLN enterprise reporter

• Liz Cannon, North Nashville resident

• Laura Cook, bird research coordinator at Friends of Warner Parks

• Azia Tanks, Warner Parks intern

• Keith Paluso III, former park ranger and TikTok bird expert

• Roger Shields, wildlife biologist and Tennessee Wildlife turkey program coordinator

• Carolyn Pendarvis, operations manager at Walden’s Puddle