Bird Banter

On this episode I talk with Tim Lenz, a longtime back-end developer for eBird, member of record-breaking Team Sapsucker big days, and now the creator of BirdingApp, a new phone app that offers messaging, route planning, real-time rare bird alerts and more.  Check it out. 

As always contact me with suggestions for great guests, or any questions or comments. 

If you are unfamiliar with eBird, check it out here. 

On the blog on BirdBa...

Eric Hope is my guest for this episode of the podcast. I met Eric while chasing a couple of rare shorebirds at the Mouth of the Cedar River hotspot in southern King County, WA and thought at the time he might be an interesting guest. In the next few days he continued to find great shorebirds there, and I was sure I wanted to talk with Eric. I hope you enjoy. 

As always suggestions for future guests are helpful. Contact me here. 

Ch...

On this episode Ron Weeks, a top Texas birder, veteran of multiple record big days, author of books on regional birding in Texas and elsewhere, and active speaker at bird festivals and elsewhere is my guest. We talk about his birding experiences, big days, and lots more. Enjoy.

Bird Banter Blog to see more details on this episode.

Contact Ed about guest recommendations or anything else you like.

Until next time, good birding and go...

Zac Cota and I talk about his adventure as a traveling nurse exploring the country, birding, working and visiting as many as possible of what he estimates to be 1508 federally preserved natural areas, including National Wildlife refuges, National Parks and Monuments, National Forests and lots more. Hear about this quest, as well as his birding story and a little about life as a travelling nurse. Enjoy.

Here is a link to the Instagr...

On this episode Dr. David Mann talks about HaikuBOX, a small device that can record and identify bird calls and songs nearby, and send these recordings and IDs to a smart phone app for you to check anytime. It is pretty cool, and yet one more way for birders or researchers to monitor birds in an area.  I find especially interesting, besides the device itself, the background story of how it was conceived, produced and marketed.  It ...

How do birds fly anyway?  Well, in an incredible number of ways, adapted to their needs and circumstances. Birds have evolved from dinosaurs, some have evolved to not fly, others to fly in so many different habitats, circumstances and ways that to understand all of this is beyond human comprehension, but my guest on this episode, Dr. Peter Cavanagh, has set out to help readers understand a lot of what is understood, in a way that a...

Rick Szabo is a birder, birding guide, and participant on the current NBC series Destination X, a reality TV competition where Rick's superpower is his knowledge of the range and distribution of the birds of most areas of the world. He remains in the competition at the time this episode drops, so watch to see if he can win the competition. Rick and his wife also make birding and travel videos you can watch on his You Tube channel a...

On this episode I Suzy Buttress, the host and creator of The Casual Birder Podcast, talk about her birding story, her podcast, and her community of birders that she has nurtured around her podcast audience.  It is a good story of advocacy, ambassadorship, and enthusiasm for birding, and I admire her work. 

Just prior to recording this episode, Suzy and I talked with me as her guest for her podcast, so that was a different experienc...

Dr. Erick Masias and I talk about his relatively recent and intense start as a birder, and his involvement in the Chicago birding community, the BIPOC birding community, the local birding scene in Chicago, and about his upcoming move to the central California Bay area for residency.  I really enjoyed hearing his story and stories.  I hope you do too.

Paper on the breeding and migration of high Arctic breeding Sabine's Gulls. 

The J...

I met Gabriel Willow when his trip and the western Colombian Andes trip I took with Molly Brown and Hillstar Nature Tours overlapped.  I learned about common experiences I share with Gabriel, growing up in small towns in Maine, birding in and around NYC (admittedly much less for me) and was excited when Gabriel agreed to talk for the podcast.  Check out Gabriel's NYC area and other tours on his website. 

See more links on the Bird...

The American Birding Association is an organization I as a birder sometimes take for granted. I love getting Birding magazine, and especially North American Birds regularly, but wanted to really learn a lot more about the organization I've been a member of for years, but never really looked at carefully. Wayne helps a lot, by educating me about what the ABA does, and for me, better understanding why I should continue to support the...

In case the masquerade ball thumbnail is not enough, David, the creator of Birdiegame, the very popular daily bird ID photo quiz, chooses to remain anonymous.  I had a blast talking with David, and the game is one of my joys each morning. Check it out. Birdie Game

We talk about the game, but also about a number of other things. One of David's personal passions is seeing and finding owls. I mention a prior episode with the Urban Bir...

On this episode I talk with Jason Zolle, a birder I know from Washington who recently moved to Colorado.  Jason and I talk about his birding story and experiences, as well as his work as a non-partisan counsel to the WA legislature, his travels and his art.  Enjoy.

Jason's Art Website is here.

Information about the Rebecca Heisman episode and the book I recommend, Flight Paths is here.

Here is an article about Suciasaurus Rex, Wash...

It;s great tio be back.  After a long hiatus to attend the birth of my first two grandchildren in Costa Rica, and then a birding trip to Colombia, the podcast is back.  On this episode Bruce LaBar (remember episode #3) and I recap our Colombia trip.  It was a terrific trip with Hillstar Nature Tours, and leader Mollee Brown and Yessenia Tapasco.  

Check out my trip report on eBird where lots of photos from many of the participants ...

As I mention in the introduction, some of my best times recording episodes for the podcast is when I just talk birding with another birder, like myself who just loves to talk birding with a fellow birder. No other agenda, just having fun.  Keith Corliss is my guest on this episode, a North Carolina birder who perfectly exemplifies a fellow birder enjoying taking an hour to chat about birding and meeting a new friend.  Enjoy

See Kei...

On this episode Alex and I talk about how he has enjoyed birding in Eastern Washington as a Washington State University student, after birding in the Seattle area for most of his early birding days.  We also talk about his mammal WA big year in 2022, his birding story, and more.

Enjoy. 

Reach Alex by text, his phone number is on his eBird profile, or by email sowersalexander1- at- gmail- dot - com 

On the Birdbanter.com blog post a...

On this episode we talk about slow birding, as Joan Strassmann writes about in her book. Slow Birding: The Art and Science of Enjoying Birds in Your Own Backyard.  Joan also talks about her work at Washington University in St. Louis, and how her teaching there has led to using birding in the area as a means of teaching students observation skills. In her book she goes into beautiful detail about places and birds she sees and visits...

On this episode Melissa and I talk about her new book, Dare to Bird: Exploring the Joy and Healing Power of Birds as well as her recent travels. Melissa was a guest on Episode #105 in July 2021 where you can hear more about her background and birding story.  

Find her new book whereever books are sold. Here you can find it on Buteo Books. 

You can read more about Melissa's experiences and the book in an article in Audubon Magazine....