Nicholas Bishop from Zoos SA explores why birds make sounds and how to tune your ear into the calls of songbirds around Australia. Nicholas Bishop has worked in the zoo world for 20+ years, specialising in birds and animal behaviour. He has combined his background as an actor/singer with academic pursuits in performance arts, applied ornithology and wildlife management. As the Animal Behaviour and Creative Programs Manager at Zoos South Australia, Nicholas supports the animal training and storyt...
Jan 03, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Get to know Australian river birds, like the White-faced Heron and Crested Shriketit, with John and Charlotte from the Werribee River Association. John Forrester joined the Werribee River Association after moving to Werribee in the 1980s. He was appointed as the Werribee Riverkeeper in 2013 and his role is speak up for the river using action, advocacy and education. One of John’s responsibilities is to conduct bird surveys where revegetation has been undertaken in order to see if bird numbers ha...
Dec 27, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Dr Jen Martin is here to help you improve your science communication and storytelling skills, embrace your identity as a bird lover. Jen Martin worked as a field ecologist before founding the University of Melbourne's 'Science Communication Teaching Program', which teaches scientists across all disciplines to be engaging and effective communicators. She also practises what she preaches: she’s been talking about science weekly on 3RRR radio for 18 years, hosts podcasts (including Let’s Talk SciCo...
Dec 20, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Why do female birds often look different to males? Dr Vicky Austin shares her appreciation of the appearance and behaviours of female birds, and the best times of the day to go birdwatching. Dr Vicky Austin is interested in bird behaviour and how birds interact with each other and their environment. She is particularly fascinated by the vocalisations of female birds. Vicky’s PhD at Western Sydney University focused on the vocalisations of female Superb Lyrebirds (such as mimicry) and how females...
Dec 13, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Discover the secrets of Australia's iconic Superb Lyrebird with ecologist Dr Alex Maisey from the Sherbrooke Lyrebird Study Group. Dr Alex Maisey has spent his life with lyrebirds. He started his volunteering life as a child with the Sherbrooke Lyrebird Study Group, a group he now leads as an adult. Alex has a long commitment to local forest restoration and conservation. He is a postdoctoral researcher in ecology at La Trobe University and his PhD research topic was the ecosystem engineering rol...
Dec 06, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Embrace your inner 'bird nerd' and the world of Australian bird conservation with the host of Grant Williams from Bird Emergency podcast. Grant Williams is the host of the Bird Emergency podcast. All his life he has been intensely interested in the birds around him. Studying horticulture and accounting seemed a perfect entre to the world of podcasting. His podcast and live streams feature researchers, conservationists and other bird-loving advocates. Grant gets to meet some of the heroes of bird...
Nov 29, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Learn about Yellow-faced Honeyeater migrations through the Blue Mountains and beyond, with experienced birdwatcher Carol Probets. Carol Probets’ 25-year career as a birding guide began in 1994 when she decided to turn her passion into a job teaching beginners birdwatching classes. Since then she has introduced hundreds of people to birdwatching and guided countless Australian and international birders around the Blue Mountains, Capertee Valley and throughout NSW. Now semi-retired, she works free...
Nov 22, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Discover the shorebirds that live on Australian beaches, such as the Red-capped Plover. Dr Kristal Kostaglou shares her research, including how parents communicate with their chicks. Dr Kristal Kostaglou is a birdwatcher and environmental scientist. She is passionate about filling knowledge gaps to improve the conservation of Australian animals and their habitats. Kristal completed her Bachelor of Environmental Science (Wildlife and Conservation Biology) at Deakin University. She then went on to...
Nov 15, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Learn more about wetland birds and how to birdwatch in this type of environment. Peter Murphy also shares his love of the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands in Melbourne. Peter Murphy was born and bred on the Mornington Peninsula. While he always had a love of animals and nature, his passion for birdwatching is quite new. Peter has a special affection for Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands. He is here to share his knowledge about birdwatching in this part of the world and how volunteering can help you level up ...
Nov 08, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Explore Sydney through birdwatching and art. Amy and Stephanie from the Sydney Bird Club are here to chat about their favourite birdwatching places, including the Centennial Parklands. Sydney Bird Club was founded by Stephanie Chambers and Amy Ranck to help people discover the magical world of Australian birds. With a Sydney-centric focus, they take casual bird-watchers through the steps to become full blown twitchers, with plenty of stops along the way for a pint. Tune in to hear them talk abou...
Nov 01, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The Powerful Owl is Australia’s largest owl. Scientist Nick Bradsworth explains how to identify them, what they eat, where they live and the importance of their nests in tree hollows. Nick Bradsworth is a PhD Candidate in Urban Ecology at Deakin University. His research has focussed on addressing a major scientific knowledge gap - the movement pathways and habitat available to the Powerful Owl. The Powerful Owl is Australia’s largest owl, with a wingspan of up to 1.4m. Nick is here to share his ...
Oct 25, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Discover the secrets of the Tawny Frogmouth, one of Australia’s most loved birds. Dr Marian Weaving shares their fascinating features, quirky behaviours and how we can help them thrive in the wild. 🎧 All links here - https://www.weekendbirder.com/podcast/09-tawny-frogmouths-with-marian 🎵 Tawny Frogmouth recording by Marc Anderson - licenced from https://wildambience.com 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/weekend.birder 🦆 More at - https://www.weekendbirder.com Bird illustration: Tawny F...
Oct 18, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 9
BirdLife Australia’s Sean Dooley explains how to join the Aussie Bird Count. This is the largest citizen science program in Australia, and all you need is 20 minutes outside. Sean Dooley is the National Public Affairs Manager for BirdLife Australia, author of The Big Twitch, and former holder of the Australian Big Year twitching record. For many years, Sean and his team have been working tirelessly to ensure that birds are protected and loved by Australians. That's why he is affectionately known...
Oct 11, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Australian Little Brown Birds can be really difficult to identify when birdwatching. Ricki Coughlan has got your back, with advice about how to use ‘bird topography’ to figure out the species. Ricki Coughlan is a bird guide and nature educator with a particular interest in the behaviour and ecology of the Acanthizids - “Little Brown Birds”. She runs courses and workshops for birders and nature lovers and facilitates the occasional citizen science project, including the Boat Harbour Shorebird Stu...
Oct 04, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Why do magpies swoop? How complicated is their language? Learn about the interesting world of Australian Magpies with Dr Mandy Ridley. Mandy Ridley is an Avian Ecologist and Associate Professor of the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Western Australia. Mandy's research on birds began at Cambridge University in the UK, where she completed her PhD on the evolution of birds' cooperative breeding behaviours. This research involved living in the Kalahari Desert for for at least six ...
Sep 27, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Learn how to use a pair of binoculars to zoom in on the birds around you. Anthony Overs is an experienced birdwatcher and has some great advice for you. Anthony Over's childhood love of wildlife led to an Environmental Management degree. In his spare time, he is an active member of the Canberra Ornithologists Group. Anthony has been running their 'Birdwatching for Beginners' trips since 2006 and gets enormous satisfaction from teaching others. So he is the right person for the job to teach us ho...
Sep 27, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Those little blue balls with legs are called Superb Fairywrens, one of Australia's favourite birds. Dr Holly Kirk shares her research and her love of Royal Park in Melbourne. Dr Holly Kirk is an urban ecologist working in the Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Group at RMIT University. Holly’s research investigates how animals move around their environment and how we can use this knowledge to improve things for both people and nature in cities. She works on several projects that aim to make ...
Sep 27, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Meet Georgia Angus, author of 100 Australian Birds. She chats about how some birds change their feathers with the seasons and the art of lazy birdwatching. Georgia Angus is an author and illustrator based in Naarm/Melbourne, living and working on the lands of the Wurundjeri people. Her first book '100 Australian Birds' was published in 2021. This book offers an introduction to birdwatching through illustrations, ecological information and anecdotal notes. Georgia wrote her book based on her own ...
Sep 27, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Dr Victor Hurley shares the story of Melbourne’s famous Peregrine Falcons who live at 367 Collins Street, and the community that loves them. 🎧 All links here – https://www.weekendbirder.com/podcast/02-peregrine-falcons-with-victor 🎵 Bird recordings by Marc Anderson licenced from – https://wildambience.com 📸 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/weekend.birder 🦅 More at – https://www.weekendbirder.com Bird illustration: Peregrine Falcon -- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...
Sep 27, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Thinking about becoming a birdwatcher? Merrilyn Smith shares how she began with listening and noticing birds, and what helped her improve her birdwatching skills. 🎧 All links here - https://www.weekendbirder.com/podcast/01-how-to-start-birding-with-merrilyn 🎵 Recording by Marc Anderson - licenced from https://www.wildambience.com 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/weekend.birder 🦆 More at - https://www.weekendbirder.com Bird illustration: Striated Thornbill -- Hosted on Acast. See acast...
Sep 27, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Discover what’s to come in Season 1 of the Weekend Birder podcast. This trailer introduces what the show is about, who it’s for, and how birdwatching can be fun, simple, and welcoming to everyone - no matter where you live or how much you know. 🦆 Website - https://www.weekendbirder.com 🎧 About your host - http://weekendbirder.com/about 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/weekend.birder -- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 20, 2022•2 min
