Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I got to bring in our next guest. He is
a naturalist, He is an author. He is a guy
that is a general expert on anything outdoors, and he
is joining us on the phone line. My friend, Ken Keeffer, Ken,
how you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Buddy there? I'm great. How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
I cannot complain? Can't complain. What's your home state? Do
you remind me?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I am in Indiana these days, but I was born
and raised in Wyoming.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
All right, Wyoming, That's what I thought. Now you're you're
born in Wyoming. I just we had a conversation about
which states would be perfect for an AI governor, and
Wyoming was number one. You have any thoughts on that?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Number one on the list for an AI governor? Is
it because they've got like the crypto they're like leaning
into the crypto stuff.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
There, he's got it.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yeah. Ken Caffer is not just a natural expert. He
he's a guy who knows a thing or two about cryptocurrency.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I guess I might have been tuning in I heard
you talking.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
All right, there we go. Hey, fair enough, Hey, Ken,
I want you on the show. We've talked several times
to the last fear years because you are just an
excellent educator on all things nature and birds. And I
saw you post on your social media today you holding
an oriel feeder, and that is something that is near
and dear to my heart because Baltimore Orioles were the
first bird that you help me get in my backyard
(01:14):
several years ago when I got my first house. So
tell me about right now, April fifteenth, what's the significance
of the oriole feeder?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
So yeah, I mean, I always think tax Day could
be kind of a bummer, so I like to put
a positive spin on it. And it's about the right
time of the year for hummingbirds, for orioles, it's kind
of the kick off of some of the songbird migration.
And so rather than get all depressed about taxes, I
get excited about birds and spring migration. So you're right, orioles.
(01:42):
Every time I see an oriel, I think of you, buddy,
because of that first, you know feeder we got just
set up with, and such a cool bird, brilliant, bright orange.
It looks like as you live in the tropics, and
it does for much of the year, but it gets
to nest here in kind of you know, North America
and Central Plain States and we get to see them
at feeders for just a couple of weeks generally, and
(02:04):
so you've got to be real excited. You got to
be ready for them. Get your oranges out there, get
your grape jelly out there, you get your dried meal
worms out there, and hopefully the orioles signed you. All right.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So last year is a bit tougher for me to
get them at my house because, you know, the Omaha
move people in my neighborhood though they were seeing them.
They said, there's a ton of them in the area.
So let's say somebody listening to this is they have
to be around me. How do I attract them? What
would be the easiest way? Is there like tips or
tricks for them to kind of get on the radar
for the orioles as they're moving through town.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, certainly it's a bird that will key in on
that orange coloration too, so you can add a splash
of orange in your yard and maybe get their attention.
It was a tough year for us the orioles last
year too. I think part of it is is kind
of these birds are migrating, they're moving, they're on this
big journey and if the winds are pushing from the
south to the north. Sometimes they'll just keep cruising north
(02:56):
and they might blow bias and not have as much
stopping and hanging out in our yards for as long.
A couple of years back when I first moved to Bloomington,
I think the winds had shifted overnight, and that year
I had eight orioles in my feet are at one time,
and I think the winds just sort of shut migration down.
And so I had an incredible year and I was like, man,
(03:17):
this is the best yard ever for orioles. And then
I saw one the next three years and so part
of it. So you know, just kind of year to
year variations. So don't give up on them.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Ken Cafer joining us. You can find him. Just google him.
You can see all the great things that he's written.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
The thing about the oriols, I think that made me
fall in love with them is not just because how
cool they look, but it is kind of a challenge.
I mean, you do have to be pretty into it
to be dedicated to seeing them. But you mentioned other songbirds.
I went and hiked and camped last weekend, and man,
I was just having a fun time on my Merlin app.
Just trying to identify songs and figure out what I
(03:53):
was seeing. Tons of woodpeckers, by the way, redheaded woodpeckers
in the Indian k State Park area. But what are
some of the birds that people will be seeing now
and what are the birds that you have the most
fun identifying this time of the year.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah, certainly you know that Merlin app is a wonderful
tool for people that don't know it basically can listen.
It's like Shazam for bird calls. Right. It listens to
what's out there and will tell you the birds that
are hearing. And so it's a great way to kind
of reinforce and help you learn the different bird calls
and stuff. Yeah, I mean yellow bellied sapsucker. You mentioned woodpeckers.
The sapsucker is kind of a special type of woodpecker
(04:30):
and it's moving through right now. It's kind of April
is the best time of year kind of to see
it in Omaha. And it's gonna look kind of black
and white like some of the downy and hairy woodpeckers,
but it's gonna have a big white stripe on its wing,
and so it might just look a little different. So
pay attention. You know, you think like, oh, I know
my woodpeckers. You're like that one's not quite the same.
You might have yourself a yellow bility sapsucker this spring,
which would be awesome. WHOA for me? I really love
(04:52):
the warblers or these little tiny insect eaters, right, and
so they are the bright yellow ones, the orange ones,
those types of birds, and so I'm a little bit south,
so I'm getting them right now. I had six species
of warblers yesterday when I was out and about listening
and watching, and so I'm really excited for warbler migration
this year.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Warbler, I love it. I also saw my first white
breasted nuthatch of the season.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
And they have a really cool call. Also, there was
like these swallows that were in near the cave. I
don't they make these like weird little wat waint waint sounds?
What is it like? How do they make a sound
like that? You know, like the blue jays like they
caw and it's like so majestic you can hear from
blocks away. When we got next to this cave, We're
just hearing.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
This wait wait wait wait wait wait wait.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
With all these swallows like just you know, circling around.
What is it about the sounds of these birds and
why are they so different?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean like sometimes birds will have like
a beautiful song to either establish a territory or maybe
to attract a mate. Sometimes they're just doing these little
like contact notes. So it's basically like, you know, a
way to say communication on the km over here, and
sort of that chatter is just sort of keeping each
individual bird in touch with the other birds around it,
So it's more more of just a conversation and not
(06:09):
that big beautiful song perhaps.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Oh okay, so it's good to know, you know, I
still like watching them fly around. They're pretty crazy. Also,
I think you'll be proud of me. Using the app,
I was able to locate a Carolina wren and multiple
tufted tit mouses.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Is that.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Ice? Yeah? So they are those like birds you could
get in your backyard like a cardinal and these house
sparrows and stuff like if you had the right food out.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Certainly, yep, those are some backyard birds. The Carolina wren
is a great one. It's got a little ice stripe
on it, and all those wrens are kind of known
to their big boisterous vocalizations. House wrens are the common
one too. They just kind of chatter on and on constantly,
So it's kind of fun to key in on that.
Even sometimes hiding in the bushes with the harder to
see but no one they're out there is really cool.
(06:58):
And the wrens, they'll they don't eat the seed as much.
They like to eat things like dried meal worms or
I've had them in on my like sewet nuggets, my
little like you know, kind of little stewet nuggets treats,
and so those softer foods they'll eat on those. They'll
also eat things out of the shell, so they'll eat
like sunflower chips out of the shell.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah, that's cool. Interesting, So so smaller things. Remember that
you message me something about you chimney swift stories in
the Omaha and Lincoln area. And for anybody who's thinking
chimney swift, that doesn't sound like anything nature wise, but
that's actually a bird.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Right indeed it is. Yeah, So I mean, the chimney
swift is a bird that I'm really going to be.
I'm gonna make it the year the chimney Swift for
me personally. You know this is a bird that's pretty common.
It's pretty widespread, and everyone ignores it. It's it's you
mentioned swallows. It's kind of related to the swallows. It's
similar to the swallows. It's got this really rapid wing beat.
(07:55):
It kind of flutters. It almost looks like a bat
flying through the air. And what they do is they
roost in chimneys, right and so. And they used to
roost in hollow trees and things, kind of natural cavities
and stuff. But as buildings have changed, chimneys are less available,
and so they're putting out like artificial nest towers for
(08:16):
chimney swifts. And it's a bird that you'll have them,
you'll see them around. I think I want you to
challenge yourself to find them this year, to buddy, because
they're going to be flying around, especially at the evening time,
and they make this almost chatter. It sounds like a
bag of marbles that you're kind of shaking. It sort
of clangs together a little bit in real raspy chatter,
and they're flying around. And then if you find that
(08:36):
tower that they're going to all roost in for the night,
they just come in by the dozens and just disappear
down the tower. Such a cool thing. And yeah, I
think there's a tower they just put in on campus
there in Lincoln and I think it was a middle
school maybe in the area that has some as well.
So it's kind of a cool thing. But it makes
just it makes me appreciate the nature that people kind
of overlook. And I'm going to take those moments this
summer to appreciate every chimney swift.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I see a chimney swift also as the cigar bird,
and if you look up pictures of this, it is
a very unique looking bird. So I'm going for it.
That is That's really cool, Ken, this is awesome. I
love talking to you. I know a lot of people
are listening to this, just like, Man, how do I
get more of this guy? Well, lucky for them, you've
actually written a lot of things. How can people find
out more about what you've done?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah, Ken, kaffer Nets is the place for all that action,
and I want you going to be one of the
first to know. I got a new bird book I'm
working on. It won't be out for a couple of years,
but I'm excited for it.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
I'm excited for it as well. Oh Man, ken Caffer,
We're gonna have to do this again soon. Man, Thanks
so much for the information to have some fun watching
all those birds.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Cheers, Buddy, ken Kaffer.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
That's a k E N K E F f E
R dot net and you can check out his entire
catalog of awesome stuff. Always a blast talking to that
guy two forty eight. When we come back, got more
fun stuff to talk about with you here on news
Radio eleven ten.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Kfab Emrie Sunger.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
I'm just gonna go aha and say there's nothing nerdy
about bird watching or birding as many people call it.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Have you done it? Have you done it?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Have you gone out with the soul intent just to
be observant of the birds.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Not what necessarily the sole intent. But I do enjoy birds.
I like seeing them, I like hearing them. It's a
wonderful time of year and when they come back and
hear their calls. So I suppose I haven't done that
with the express intent to do so. But you know
what I say, it's nothing wrong with being a nerd.
It's kind of cool to be a nerd.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, I mean, don't think about what other people are thinking.
You know what we should do? You know, I'm trying
to get a certain number of steps I'm working on,
like eight thousand a day here, that's a goal of
mine every day. You know, it would be another good goal.
Fifteen minutes, no screen, no nothing. You go outside, even
in your backyard, and you sit and you just listen. Now,
maybe you live in a busy area and listening is
(10:50):
just more cars than anything. Maybe once a week you
give yourself thirty minutes at a park somewhere near the woods,
place like Fontanelle Forest or Elmwood Park, our name your
tree laden place here, Chalco Hills Lake, Cunningham, whatever, and
just breathe that clean nature air. Listen to the birds,
(11:12):
look for them, see if you can't identify them with
your eyes as well, which is fun. It's fun to
hear the birds. And then the Merlin app will tell
you who what the bird is.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
That's cool.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
And then when it tells you what the bird is,
now you can see what you're looking for. And then
I'm like trying to like use my ears to see
where it's at and then try to find it with
my eyes. That it's rewarding, but it's also calming and
it makes me happier. It really does, and there are
studies that hey, nature sounds, bird sounds, and you just
like exposing yourself to that regularly, it is good for
(11:46):
your mental health.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
You ever, try the Merlin app and do a little
whistle yourself and see if you can.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
It doesn't work, No, No, although it did. It did
think that it did identify, Like I heard a tree
nearby our campsite that was creaking because one of the
limbs is a little loose, I think, yeah, and you
could hear it was a pretty obvious creek creek, right,
and it identified it as some bird I've never heard
of before, and it's just like, that's probably not right.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I had one look at I took one video or
one sound recording. Look at all the different birds that
caught in this one sound recording. Wowo in one sound recording. Yeah,
it was a couple of minutes. I just sat there
and let it run. I got an American robin, a
morning dove, a black capped chickadee, a blue jay, a
brown headed cowbird, redheaded woodpecker, a downy woodpecker, affiliated woodpecker,
(12:36):
a tufted tit mouse, and a great egret, which I
am surprised by the great egret, because do we see
egrets around here? I've seen the other birds. Let me
see here great egret. Yeah I suppose yeah, first arrival,
first third of April, so yeah, a great egret.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
I didn't see it, but cparently my phone the Merlin
app heard it, so I bet. Pretty cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Man.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
It's great find a bird that you really love, see
if you can't attract it to your backyard or go
look forward out in nature. There's so many different cool things.
Like Ken said, maybe chimney swifts. So maybe that's where
we start this year. But that'll be a lot of fun.
Three o'clock hour coming up, we'll get to the news
of the day and another fun conversation at the three
o'clock hour and another keyword for one thousand dollars coming
up on news radio eleven ten kfab
I got to bring in our next guest. He is
a naturalist, He is an author. He is a guy
that is a general expert on anything outdoors, and he
is joining us on the phone line. My friend, Ken Keeffer, Ken,
how you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Buddy there? I'm great. How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
I cannot complain? Can't complain. What's your home state? Do
you remind me?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I am in Indiana these days, but I was born
and raised in Wyoming.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
All right, Wyoming, That's what I thought. Now you're you're
born in Wyoming. I just we had a conversation about
which states would be perfect for an AI governor, and
Wyoming was number one. You have any thoughts on that?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Number one on the list for an AI governor? Is
it because they've got like the crypto they're like leaning
into the crypto stuff.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
There, he's got it.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yeah. Ken Caffer is not just a natural expert. He
he's a guy who knows a thing or two about cryptocurrency.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I guess I might have been tuning in I heard
you talking.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
All right, there we go. Hey, fair enough, Hey, Ken,
I want you on the show. We've talked several times
to the last fear years because you are just an
excellent educator on all things nature and birds. And I
saw you post on your social media today you holding
an oriel feeder, and that is something that is near
and dear to my heart because Baltimore Orioles were the
first bird that you help me get in my backyard
(01:14):
several years ago when I got my first house. So
tell me about right now, April fifteenth, what's the significance
of the oriole feeder?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
So yeah, I mean, I always think tax Day could
be kind of a bummer, so I like to put
a positive spin on it. And it's about the right
time of the year for hummingbirds, for orioles, it's kind
of the kick off of some of the songbird migration.
And so rather than get all depressed about taxes, I
get excited about birds and spring migration. So you're right, orioles.
(01:42):
Every time I see an oriel, I think of you, buddy,
because of that first, you know feeder we got just
set up with, and such a cool bird, brilliant, bright orange.
It looks like as you live in the tropics, and
it does for much of the year, but it gets
to nest here in kind of you know, North America
and Central Plain States and we get to see them
at feeders for just a couple of weeks generally, and
(02:04):
so you've got to be real excited. You got to
be ready for them. Get your oranges out there, get
your grape jelly out there, you get your dried meal
worms out there, and hopefully the orioles signed you. All right.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So last year is a bit tougher for me to
get them at my house because, you know, the Omaha
move people in my neighborhood though they were seeing them.
They said, there's a ton of them in the area.
So let's say somebody listening to this is they have
to be around me. How do I attract them? What
would be the easiest way? Is there like tips or
tricks for them to kind of get on the radar
for the orioles as they're moving through town.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, certainly it's a bird that will key in on
that orange coloration too, so you can add a splash
of orange in your yard and maybe get their attention.
It was a tough year for us the orioles last
year too. I think part of it is is kind
of these birds are migrating, they're moving, they're on this
big journey and if the winds are pushing from the
south to the north. Sometimes they'll just keep cruising north
(02:56):
and they might blow bias and not have as much
stopping and hanging out in our yards for as long.
A couple of years back when I first moved to Bloomington,
I think the winds had shifted overnight, and that year
I had eight orioles in my feet are at one time,
and I think the winds just sort of shut migration down.
And so I had an incredible year and I was like, man,
(03:17):
this is the best yard ever for orioles. And then
I saw one the next three years and so part
of it. So you know, just kind of year to
year variations. So don't give up on them.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Ken Cafer joining us. You can find him. Just google him.
You can see all the great things that he's written.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
The thing about the oriols, I think that made me
fall in love with them is not just because how
cool they look, but it is kind of a challenge.
I mean, you do have to be pretty into it
to be dedicated to seeing them. But you mentioned other songbirds.
I went and hiked and camped last weekend, and man,
I was just having a fun time on my Merlin app.
Just trying to identify songs and figure out what I
(03:53):
was seeing. Tons of woodpeckers, by the way, redheaded woodpeckers
in the Indian k State Park area. But what are
some of the birds that people will be seeing now
and what are the birds that you have the most
fun identifying this time of the year.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah, certainly you know that Merlin app is a wonderful
tool for people that don't know it basically can listen.
It's like Shazam for bird calls. Right. It listens to
what's out there and will tell you the birds that
are hearing. And so it's a great way to kind
of reinforce and help you learn the different bird calls
and stuff. Yeah, I mean yellow bellied sapsucker. You mentioned woodpeckers.
The sapsucker is kind of a special type of woodpecker
(04:30):
and it's moving through right now. It's kind of April
is the best time of year kind of to see
it in Omaha. And it's gonna look kind of black
and white like some of the downy and hairy woodpeckers,
but it's gonna have a big white stripe on its wing,
and so it might just look a little different. So
pay attention. You know, you think like, oh, I know
my woodpeckers. You're like that one's not quite the same.
You might have yourself a yellow bility sapsucker this spring,
which would be awesome. WHOA for me? I really love
(04:52):
the warblers or these little tiny insect eaters, right, and
so they are the bright yellow ones, the orange ones,
those types of birds, and so I'm a little bit south,
so I'm getting them right now. I had six species
of warblers yesterday when I was out and about listening
and watching, and so I'm really excited for warbler migration
this year.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Warbler, I love it. I also saw my first white
breasted nuthatch of the season.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
And they have a really cool call. Also, there was
like these swallows that were in near the cave. I
don't they make these like weird little wat waint waint sounds?
What is it like? How do they make a sound
like that? You know, like the blue jays like they
caw and it's like so majestic you can hear from
blocks away. When we got next to this cave, We're
just hearing.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
This wait wait wait wait wait wait wait.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
With all these swallows like just you know, circling around.
What is it about the sounds of these birds and
why are they so different?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean like sometimes birds will have like
a beautiful song to either establish a territory or maybe
to attract a mate. Sometimes they're just doing these little
like contact notes. So it's basically like, you know, a
way to say communication on the km over here, and
sort of that chatter is just sort of keeping each
individual bird in touch with the other birds around it,
So it's more more of just a conversation and not
(06:09):
that big beautiful song perhaps.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Oh okay, so it's good to know, you know, I
still like watching them fly around. They're pretty crazy. Also,
I think you'll be proud of me. Using the app,
I was able to locate a Carolina wren and multiple
tufted tit mouses.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Is that.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Ice? Yeah? So they are those like birds you could
get in your backyard like a cardinal and these house
sparrows and stuff like if you had the right food out.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Certainly, yep, those are some backyard birds. The Carolina wren
is a great one. It's got a little ice stripe
on it, and all those wrens are kind of known
to their big boisterous vocalizations. House wrens are the common
one too. They just kind of chatter on and on constantly,
So it's kind of fun to key in on that.
Even sometimes hiding in the bushes with the harder to
see but no one they're out there is really cool.
(06:58):
And the wrens, they'll they don't eat the seed as much.
They like to eat things like dried meal worms or
I've had them in on my like sewet nuggets, my
little like you know, kind of little stewet nuggets treats,
and so those softer foods they'll eat on those. They'll
also eat things out of the shell, so they'll eat
like sunflower chips out of the shell.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah, that's cool. Interesting, So so smaller things. Remember that
you message me something about you chimney swift stories in
the Omaha and Lincoln area. And for anybody who's thinking
chimney swift, that doesn't sound like anything nature wise, but
that's actually a bird.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Right indeed it is. Yeah, So I mean, the chimney
swift is a bird that I'm really going to be.
I'm gonna make it the year the chimney Swift for
me personally. You know this is a bird that's pretty common.
It's pretty widespread, and everyone ignores it. It's it's you
mentioned swallows. It's kind of related to the swallows. It's
similar to the swallows. It's got this really rapid wing beat.
(07:55):
It kind of flutters. It almost looks like a bat
flying through the air. And what they do is they
roost in chimneys, right and so. And they used to
roost in hollow trees and things, kind of natural cavities
and stuff. But as buildings have changed, chimneys are less available,
and so they're putting out like artificial nest towers for
(08:16):
chimney swifts. And it's a bird that you'll have them,
you'll see them around. I think I want you to
challenge yourself to find them this year, to buddy, because
they're going to be flying around, especially at the evening time,
and they make this almost chatter. It sounds like a
bag of marbles that you're kind of shaking. It sort
of clangs together a little bit in real raspy chatter,
and they're flying around. And then if you find that
(08:36):
tower that they're going to all roost in for the night,
they just come in by the dozens and just disappear
down the tower. Such a cool thing. And yeah, I
think there's a tower they just put in on campus
there in Lincoln and I think it was a middle
school maybe in the area that has some as well.
So it's kind of a cool thing. But it makes
just it makes me appreciate the nature that people kind
of overlook. And I'm going to take those moments this
summer to appreciate every chimney swift.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I see a chimney swift also as the cigar bird,
and if you look up pictures of this, it is
a very unique looking bird. So I'm going for it.
That is That's really cool, Ken, this is awesome. I
love talking to you. I know a lot of people
are listening to this, just like, Man, how do I
get more of this guy? Well, lucky for them, you've
actually written a lot of things. How can people find
out more about what you've done?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah, Ken, kaffer Nets is the place for all that action,
and I want you going to be one of the
first to know. I got a new bird book I'm
working on. It won't be out for a couple of years,
but I'm excited for it.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
I'm excited for it as well. Oh Man, ken Caffer,
We're gonna have to do this again soon. Man, Thanks
so much for the information to have some fun watching
all those birds.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Cheers, Buddy, ken Kaffer.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
That's a k E N K E F f E
R dot net and you can check out his entire
catalog of awesome stuff. Always a blast talking to that
guy two forty eight. When we come back, got more
fun stuff to talk about with you here on news
Radio eleven ten.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Kfab Emrie Sunger.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
I'm just gonna go aha and say there's nothing nerdy
about bird watching or birding as many people call it.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Have you done it? Have you done it?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Have you gone out with the soul intent just to
be observant of the birds.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Not what necessarily the sole intent. But I do enjoy birds.
I like seeing them, I like hearing them. It's a
wonderful time of year and when they come back and
hear their calls. So I suppose I haven't done that
with the express intent to do so. But you know
what I say, it's nothing wrong with being a nerd.
It's kind of cool to be a nerd.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, I mean, don't think about what other people are thinking.
You know what we should do? You know, I'm trying
to get a certain number of steps I'm working on,
like eight thousand a day here, that's a goal of
mine every day. You know, it would be another good goal.
Fifteen minutes, no screen, no nothing. You go outside, even
in your backyard, and you sit and you just listen. Now,
maybe you live in a busy area and listening is
(10:50):
just more cars than anything. Maybe once a week you
give yourself thirty minutes at a park somewhere near the woods,
place like Fontanelle Forest or Elmwood Park, our name your
tree laden place here, Chalco Hills Lake, Cunningham, whatever, and
just breathe that clean nature air. Listen to the birds,
(11:12):
look for them, see if you can't identify them with
your eyes as well, which is fun. It's fun to
hear the birds. And then the Merlin app will tell
you who what the bird is.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
That's cool.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
And then when it tells you what the bird is,
now you can see what you're looking for. And then
I'm like trying to like use my ears to see
where it's at and then try to find it with
my eyes. That it's rewarding, but it's also calming and
it makes me happier. It really does, and there are
studies that hey, nature sounds, bird sounds, and you just
like exposing yourself to that regularly, it is good for
(11:46):
your mental health.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
You ever, try the Merlin app and do a little
whistle yourself and see if you can.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
It doesn't work, No, No, although it did. It did
think that it did identify, Like I heard a tree
nearby our campsite that was creaking because one of the
limbs is a little loose, I think, yeah, and you
could hear it was a pretty obvious creek creek, right,
and it identified it as some bird I've never heard
of before, and it's just like, that's probably not right.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I had one look at I took one video or
one sound recording. Look at all the different birds that
caught in this one sound recording. Wowo in one sound recording. Yeah,
it was a couple of minutes. I just sat there
and let it run. I got an American robin, a
morning dove, a black capped chickadee, a blue jay, a
brown headed cowbird, redheaded woodpecker, a downy woodpecker, affiliated woodpecker,
(12:36):
a tufted tit mouse, and a great egret, which I
am surprised by the great egret, because do we see
egrets around here? I've seen the other birds. Let me
see here great egret. Yeah I suppose yeah, first arrival,
first third of April, so yeah, a great egret.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
I didn't see it, but cparently my phone the Merlin
app heard it, so I bet. Pretty cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Man.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
It's great find a bird that you really love, see
if you can't attract it to your backyard or go
look forward out in nature. There's so many different cool things.
Like Ken said, maybe chimney swifts. So maybe that's where
we start this year. But that'll be a lot of fun.
Three o'clock hour coming up, we'll get to the news
of the day and another fun conversation at the three
o'clock hour and another keyword for one thousand dollars coming
up on news radio eleven ten kfab
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