Life List: A Birding Podcast

Our travels have recently spanned Costa Rica, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, and Tanzania, so it's high time for a catch-up! We swap favorite moments from the field, talk birds with many names (hello, timberdoodles), and updates from our homes, too. 

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.

Thanks to Kowa Optic...

George and Alvaro have an evening chat about the evolution of field guides with notable quirks in a few editions, Alvaro discusses how he used location-based evidence to theorize about gull hybridization, and more. 

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.

Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Wan...

George and Alvaro took some time during their Subantarctic Islands cruise to chat with Mike Bell, ornithologist for the Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust. Make sure to check out their website for more information on all the conservation work they're doing!

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.

We're catching up on our tales around the world and wondering...how close does birding get to a major sporting event? Join us in our usual banter. 

• The book that Alvaro thinks of is called Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl
• Have you seen a Nocturnal Curassow?

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your...

Welcome to our first episode covering our recent Subantarctic Islands cruise out of New Zealand. We're diving into the islands we visited, including Albatross Island and Pyramid Rock, and all about our travels on this world-class adventure. 

• Check out the whole trip report here. 

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifeli...

Hey there, we're back! Listen to us catching up on our recent travels throughout Asia in India, Thailand, and Japan. Are you tempted to join us in India next year? 

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.

Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George&apos...

It's our final episode...but only for this season, don't worry 😉

We're chatting about birding festivals near and far, the multinational process of declaring a species extinct, and (literal) nightmares about birding tours.

Don't miss out on: 

• Alvaro's upcoming tours
• Hillstar's newest tours and pelagics 
• Tours and articles on Nighthawk 
• All the great content on the Ladera Sur website

Jocotoco Conservation works in the field throughout Ecuador and the Galapagos to conserve birds, wildlife, and habitats. Today, George is digging into their efforts and goals.

Learn more about Jocotoco Conservation here. 

Topics in this episode include:

• Discovery of the Jocotoco Antpitta: Jocotoco Conservation's origin story
• Saving Spectacled Bears: Jocotoco's efforts to protect spectacled bear habita...

Welcome to our 100th episode! We're celebrating by chatting about some listener favorites - and ours! - as well as all that's changed in the birding world since we started Life List. 

Thanks for being a part of our podcast family!

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.

Thanks to Kowa Opti...

This week, we're not just talking about Amar's highly anticipated book, The Gull Guide—we're chatting about the discoveries and controversies that led to what we currently know about gulls, the unknowns that still exist, and how to fall in love with these mysteries birds along the way. 

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas ...

Alright, we're back! George and Alvaro talk about unusual sightings and behaviors they've seen so far this fall along with takeaways from afar from the AOS conference.

• If you haven't already, be sure to read The trials of John P. McCown by Steve Hampton. 

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast....

We're continuing conversations with our listeners on the air as we share updates from our home fronts. We have lots of links to share this week!

• Check out Ed Yong's account of his recent pelagic experience with Alvaro's Adventures in his newsletter
• While you're at it, make sure to read An Immense World by Ed Yong
• We get tons of questions about thermal scopes. This article by one of our listeners, Jonathan Ley, ...

George is just back from the Pantanal, and today, we're chatting about that. But first...

• The oldest photo in eBird? Looks like it's this (now extinct) Laughing Owl!
• And check out this illustration of the species on Birds of the World (sign-in required). 
• George has two trip reports from Brazil. Check out Safari Brazil: The Pantanal and Brazil's Atlantic Forest: Itatiaia National Park. 
• And peep the Spotted Bamboowre...

We're back with a listener question episode! 

• We mention Project Phoenix—check out the details here. 
• Subscribe to our newsletter and send us your questions below ⬇️⬇️

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.

Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out G...

This week, we're joined by Lillian Stokes and Matt Young to share in the laughs, research, and stories behind their jam-packed new book, The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada. Learn more and preorder it here before the book is published on September 17!

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com...

We're three busy birders this week with tales ranging from the backyard to the wonders of the deep oceans. Grab a drink and enjoy this classic Life List chat with us—tangents and all.

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.

Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Ch...

Phil's been there, done that, and has the stories to prove it. This week we chat about his recent oceanic expeditions and upcoming book.

• Have a taste of western Australia and the Lesser Sundas via Phil's recent eBird trip report
• Get notifications for Habitats of North America, coming out this winter
• Order Habitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists

Get more Life list by subscribing t...

Holly and Billi have spanned continents in their incredible career feats. Today, we're chatting about the challenges and adventures that they've had along the way.

• Meet Holly via Birds Caribbean and Instagram
• Meet Billi via Biodiversity Research Institute and Instagram
• Check out the beautiful Black Bee-eater that we talk about in the episode
• And yes, The Birding Co-op has announced its 2025 tour schedule! 

Get more Li...

Here's a story with some drama, discovery, and mysteries yet unsolved! Hear all about the background of discovering the Andean Storm-Petrel (Oceanites barrosi), straight from the source! Here's the paper that was published: Resolving the conflictive phylogenetic relationships of Oceanites (Oceanitidae: Procellariiformes) with the description of a new species

Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining o...