It's cold outside and that calls for some hot birding takes. We've collected some for another edition of Take It or Leave It, the discussion panel for the most opinionated birders. This time we welcome Chris Sloan and Martha Harbison to talk about mentorship in the internet age, whether birders underappreciate Canada, and what would it take to get back to the old rarity phone trees. Also, the ABA is not the only organization with a Bird of the Year in 2025. Let's celebrate some more! Subscribe t...
Jan 16, 2025•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Modern optics give birders the opportunities to feel as though they are up close and personal with the bird we watch, but nothing we experience through binoculars compares to the experience with birds that wildlife rehabbers get to enjoy. Rehabilitators not only get to know birds on the individual level, but they get broader insight into the impacts of humans on bird populations as well. Tim Jasinski is a Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Villag...
Jan 09, 2025•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast 2025 is the year of the Common Loon here at the American Birding Association! Our 2025 Bird of the Year artist, Sam Zimmerman , gets to appreciate these birds frequently from his home in northern Minnesota. He is an artist, author and educator whose work explores the landscapes and creatures of the western Great Lakes, with an eye towards capturing and preserving stories from his Ojibwe heritage. His Common Loon art is featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of Birding magazine. He joins us t...
Jan 02, 2025•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thanks for another great year here at the American Birding Podcast. To close out 2024 we host another This Month in Birding panel featuring Jennie Duberstein, Mikko Jimenez, and Brodie Cass Talbott who join Nate to talk about bird brains, CBC memories, and old albatrosses. Plus, we make our predictions for what to look forward to in the bird world in 2025. Links to items discussed in this episode: World's oldest known wild bird is expecting again, aged 74 Experiments show backyard birds learn fr...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Roughly a quarter of chocolate sales in the US and the UK occur around the holidays at the end of the year. And if you are listening to this podcast, you are statistically almost certain to be participating. What does that have to do with birds? Well, like coffee before it, chocolate now comes in a bird friendly version. It's the subject of a recent article in Birdwatcher's Digest by Bryony Angell a Washington based birder and writer on birding culture. She joins us to talk about what that certi...
Dec 12, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's the Birding Book Club's biggest meeting of the year!. We're back again to do our annual Best Bird Books of the Year episode for 2024. There’s no better time to give the gift of bird books to the birder in your life. And why not something for yourself while you’re at it? Nate Swick is joined by 10,000 Birds book reviewer Donna Schulman and Birding magazine media and book review editor Rebecca Minardi to talk about what we loved this exceptional year in bird books. Links to out lists can be f...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast The humble Rock Pigeon can provide some interesting insights into how natural selection is impacted by the urban environment. That is the work of Elizabeth Carlen, a former PhD candidate at Fordham University in New York City and the lead author of a recent article in Evolutionary Applications that looks at genetic connectivity of Rock Pigeons populations in various cities in the Northeast United States. She joins host Nate Swick to talk about the unique issues with studying urban Rock Pigeons. ...
Nov 28, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Birding editor Ted Floyd is back for another episode of Random Birds. Ted and Nate talk turkey, and lots of other birds, with the help of a random number generator and a big list of birds. Also, Slender-billed Curlew has been declared extinct . What does it tell us about bird conservation? Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it! And don’t forget to join the ABA to supp...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast On Veteran’s Day, here in the United States, we commemorate military veterans of the US Armed Forces, and this Veteran’s Day we at the American Birding Podcast commemorate the work done by the Department of Defense to protect and conserve out national natural heritage. People might not realize that the US Department of Defense is one of the largest land-owners in the country, and on that land live a number of birds of conservation concern that are monitored and protected by US military personnel...
Nov 14, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast The friendly and familiar chickadees are endearing yard birds in nearly all parts of the ABA Area, but there is more than meets the eye for these feeder friends, especially in places where two species interact. Chickadees and chickadee hybrids are allowing researchers to ask some fascinating questions about hybrid fitness, evolution, and climate change. Drs Amber Rice of Lehigh University and Scott Taylor of the University of Colorado-Boulder are exploring some of these questions with Carolina, ...
Nov 07, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's spooky season for birders and for this month's TMIB panel we've assembled a most terrifying group of birders to discuss this month's birding and ornithology news. Jason Hall, Nick Lund, and Purbita Saha join host Nate Swick to talk Canad Geese, vagrancy science, and couples costumes for birders. Links to items discussed in this episode: Offshore vagrancy in passerines is predicted by season, wind-drift, and species characteristics Love island: Bird's refusal to leave resort life leads to ge...
Oct 31, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s probably no group of birds on the planet that an ilicit such a wide range of reactions than gulls, and no other group of birds that some birders won't even try to identify. Amar Ayyash, who has, through his writing and photography, established himself as one of the continent’s top gull guys, wants everyone to appreciate these fascinating birds and his new book, The Gull Guide , is a one-stop shop for gull love. Also, two more North American species get the de-extinction treatment, but is...
Oct 24, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast The reintroduction of the Bald Eagle in North America is justifiably counted among the world’s great conservation success stories. Ravaged by DDT, the Bald Eagle was on the brink of extirpation in the United States by the 60s. As a young college student, Tina Morris played a large role in bringing this impressive bird back to the eastern United States, nursing young birds in upstate New York. Her memoir Return to the Sky: The Surprising Story of How One Woman and Seven Eaglets Helped Restore the...
Oct 17, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Sibley hardly needs an introduction to birders in North America, and his Sibley Guide to Birds is on the shelves of nearly every bird-curious person on the continent. He's also a frequent collaborator with the Dean of Cape May, Pete Dunne, and their latest project, The Courage of Birds , written by Pete and illustrated by David, is out at the end of October. He joins us to talk about winter birding, Cape May in the old days, and how art has changed in the age of photographs. Also, Californ...
Oct 10, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Last month saw the passage of Sandy Komito, perhaps the ultimate Big Year birder. Not only did he set records twice, but his second attempt, along with Al Levantin and Greg Miller, was the subject of Mark Obmascik's book, The Big Year. That book because a movie of the same name, where an exagerated version of Komito was played by Owen Wilson. While a great deal of artistic license was taken in the underhanded behavior of Wilson's character, the drive, passion, and charisma was recognized by thos...
Oct 03, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for This Month in Birding, our monthly roundtable discussion on birderly and ornithological topics. For September 2024, we welcome Jennie Duberstein, Gabriel Foley, and Ryan Mandelbaum ( check out their newsletter ) to talk about chickadee hybridization, lost birds, and what's so great about birding in fall. Links to topics discussed in this episode: Scientists Made a List of Lost Birds and Now They Want Us to Find Them Chickadees Show...
Sep 26, 2024•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast The enigmatic and nomadic finches are among the most beloved groups of birds on the continent. From the widespread and familiar American Goldfinch to the bizarre honeycreepers of Hawaii, these birds can teach you just about anything you'd want to know about taxonomy, evolution, and ecology. Prolific natural history author Lillian Stokes and Matthew Young of the Finch Research Network have joined forced to celebrate these birds in their new Stokes Guide to FInches of the United States and Canada ...
Sep 19, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s hard to find a more dramatic groups of birds than cranes with their massive size, spectacular breeding dances, and impressive migrations celebrated by human civilization for millennia. But even with the advantage of awareness 10 of the world’s 15 species of crane are threatened with extinction including one, famously, in North America. The International Crane Foundation has been on the forefront of efforts to protect these birds all around the world, and its President Dr. Rich Beilfuss, has...
Sep 12, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Birding editor Ted Floyd joins us for another random number inspired trip down birding memory lane with Random Birds. This time around Ted and host Nate Swick discuss the least of these, flycatchers and sandpiper, along with bitterns, warblers, and whatever else pops up. Thanks to our friends at FeatherSnap for sponsoring this episode. Feathersnap is a smart bird feeder with AI bird identification capabilities that send photos of the birds visiting your yard. Capture every moment with FeatherSna...
Sep 05, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's the end of the month and time for This Month in Birding, our monthly panel with birding friends discussing the month's birding and ornithology news. For August 2024, we have a panel of Jody Allair, Tim Healy, and Sarah Swanson talking vultures, bustards, and the winners of the birding Olympic games. Links to articles discussed in this episode: How do birds communicate? Network science models are opening up new possibilities for experts The COVID19 confinement revealed negative anthropogenic...
Aug 29, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast The flamingo phenomenon last summer was one of the more exciting birding events in recent memory, but American Flamingo has long been an intriguing species in the ABA Area. Amy Davis and José Ramirez-Garafalo are the authors of an article in the most recent issue of the ABA's North American Birds that looks at the past, present, and future of these incredible pink birds in the ABA Area. Also, some new insights into Dodos from old sources . Thanks to our friends at FeatherSnap for sponsoring this...
Aug 22, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Break out the oven mitts because it's time to welcome a panel of birders to tackle the hottest birding takes we can find in Take It or Leave It. This time around we welcome ABA colleagues Michael Retter, editor of Birding special editions and North American Birds , and Jennie Duberstein, wildlife biologist and ABA Young Birder liaison to offer opinions on the scope of bird banding, eBird's tightrope between bird science and listing repository, and whether or not having multiple bird taxonomies i...
Aug 15, 2024•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Birders and books are inseparable. And so from time to time we like to welcome some auspicious bird book enthusiasts for we call the Birding Book Club. This time around a panel consisting of Birding magazine editor Frank Izaguirre and 10,000 Birds book reviewer Donna Schulman tackle the most bird rich continent, which ironically seems to the most bird book depauperate continent, at least until realtively recently. We cover guides to South America and all the tagential discussions that they inspi...
Aug 08, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Kaeli Swift knows crows. And she’s watched them do some pretty extraordinary things. In fact all corvids-the family that includes crows, jays, magpies, and others-have a well deserved reputation for intelligence and fascinating social behaviors. Dr. Swift’s research has provided insights into how crows interact with us, with their dead, and with each other. She joined host Nate Swick from Denali National Park where she is working with Canada Jays to talk about corvid culture and cognition. A...
Aug 01, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's This Month in Birding for July 2024 with Stephanie Beilke, Martha Harbison, and Mikko Jimenez the aeroecologist! The panel discusses recent bird news including AOS splits and lumps, bird intelligence, and bird regalia, but that's hardly all. Join us for another great conversation about birds, science, and, for some reason, the Insane Clown Posse. Links to articles discussed in this episode: AOS Checklist Redux 2024 Birds barcode food to map stashes These crows have counting skills previousl...
Jul 25, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast The incredibly diverse and unbelievably photogenic landscape of British Columbia is on display in photographer and birder Melissa Hafting's new book, Dare to Bird , and with it, the birds that make this part of the continent so special and inspire Hafting’s effort to spread the joy of birding and photography around the province, across Canada, and beyond. She joins host Nate Swick to talk about it, along with rare bird recordkeeping, young birders, and more. Also, new hope for Hawaiian birds in ...
Jul 18, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Birding with Benefits , a new book by author Sarah T Dubb , is a unique new addition to the birding canon. While we shouldn’t be too surprised that all the new attention paid to birding has seen it turn up in surprising places, but the pages of a romance novel certainly seemed like a stretch. To help discuss birding's introduction into the romance genre, host Nate Swick turns to his own birding adjacent relationship and beach read enthusiast to talk about this unlikely intersection. Also, SpaceX...
Jul 11, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Birders around North America look forward to midsummer every year for the publication of the AOS North American Classification Committee’s Taxonomic Supplement, the splits and lumps that affect our life lists. And for this conversation we turn, as we have since the very beginning of this podcast, to our own taxonomy guru Dr Nick Block of Stonehill College to talk shearwater splits, gull confusion, redpoll DNA, and everything else in the 2024 list of proposals . Don’t forget to donate to the ABA’...
Jul 04, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast The summer solstice marks another turn of the seasons to nesting and post-breeding dispersal, and, in some cases southward migration once again. And the end of the month means turn to This Month in Birding, our roundtable discussion with some birding friends. We welcome back Nick Lund, Jordan Rutter, and Brodie Cass Talbott for a wide-ranging discussion that includes polyamorous shorebirds, Giga-geese, and birder "would you rathers". Links to articles discussed in this episode: Tiny New Zealand ...
Jun 27, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast When birders talk about the importance of a bird-friendly yard, they often mean insects even if they don't mention them explicitely. And so people that want to attract birds need to get comfortable with bugs. Colorado birder David Leatherman is a fan of bug-bird interactions and in his piece The Importance of Native Plants and Insects Amid the Reality of Modern Bird Habitats , in the April 2024 issue of Birding magazine, he encourages birders to familiarize themselves with living bird food. He j...
Jun 20, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
