QuACK

QuACK

Welcome to Questions Asked by Curious Kids, or QuACK, a podcast from Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA). Join our educator Mickenzee as she gathers kids' questions about nature and explores the answers with a local expert in short, classroom-friendly episodes!

Episodes

November 4, 2025 16 mins

In this episode, we answer questions like "do animals cover their tracks?" and learn about how animals with bare tails handle winter weather with our tracks expert, Extension Senior Wildlife Outreach Specialist, Jamie Nack!

Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Make a donation to SoWBA


Episode Transcription with pictures and links availabl...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we talk about White Nose Syndrome and how it affects our Wisconsin bats with our bat expert Jennifer Redell, a conservation biologist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Be sure to return for part two!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Make a donation to SoWBA


Episode Transcription with pictures and links avail...

Mark as Played
October 7, 2025 10 mins

In this episode, we talk more with DNR Conservation Biologist Jennifer Redell about what scientists are doing to help bats with White Nose Syndrome and how they are working to prevent the spread of the disease.


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Make a donation to SoWBA


Episode Transcription with pictures and links available on our website! 

<...

Mark as Played
September 2, 2025 13 mins

In this episode, we answer questions like "How do monarchs know where to go on their migration?" and learn about the Monarch Butterfly mysteries still to be uncovered with our Monarch Butterfly expert Emma Pelton, conservation biologist for the Xerces Society.


See the work of the Xerces Society

Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Make a donation to SoWBA


...

Mark as Played
August 5, 2025 13 mins

In this episode we answer questions like "why do centipedes have so many legs?" and "do insects fart?" and learn about the ways that bugs view our world completely different than how we do with our Insect Anatomy expert PJ Liesch the director of the UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab!


See more of PJ's work here!


And follow him on X (Twitter) @WisconsinBugGuy

Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and acti...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we answer questions like “How can we identify hawks when they are flying so high in the sky?“ and learn about hawks use UV vision to their advantage when hunting.


Learn more about the Wildlife Center here!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Make a donation to SoWBA


Episode Transcription with pictures and links available on our website! 


Mus...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we answer questions like "how does a bird breathe in the egg?" and learn about "brood patches" and how important they are to keep baby birds warm with our Baby Bird expert Dr. Matt Reetz, the Executive Director at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance! Be sure to come back and check out part 2.


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!⁠


⁠Get out and explore nature with us! ⁠


⁠Make a donation to SoWBA⁠


Episode t...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we answer questions like "why do baby birds sometimes look different from their parents" and learn about "brood parasites" and their fascinating approach to parenthood with our Baby Bird expert Dr. Matt Reetz, the Executive Director at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance!

Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!⁠


⁠Get out and explore nature with us! ⁠


⁠Make a donation to SoWBA⁠


Episode transcription with pic...

Mark as Played
May 6, 2025 12 mins

In this episode, we answer questions like "why do robins lay blue eggs?" and learn about precocial and altricial young with our egg expert (egg-spert if you will) Carolyn Byers the Education Director at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.


See Carolyn's nest research on our Into the Nest page!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Make a donation to SoWB...

Mark as Played
April 1, 2025 8 mins

In this episode, we answer questions like "how and why do birds sing?" and learn about the differences and similarities between bird bodies and our own with our Bird Voices expert Dr. Anna Pidgeon, a professor and researcher at UW-Madison. Be sure to come back and check out part 2!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!⁠


⁠Get out and explore nature with us! ⁠


⁠Make a donation to SoWBA⁠


Episode transcription with picture...

Mark as Played
April 1, 2025 8 mins

In this episode, we answer questions like "do bird calls adapt to their habitats?" and learn about how large cities can impact bird calls and songs with our bird voices expert Dr. Anna Pidgeon!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Episode Transcription


Music: “The Forest and the Trees” by Kevin MacLeod

Mark as Played
March 4, 2025 7 mins

In this episode, we answer questions like "how do mushrooms grow?" and "how can you tell if a mushroom is poisonous or not?" with our fungi expert Megan Dudenhoeffer, a science technician at the US Forest Service in the Center for Forest Mycology Research.


Visit Megan's website and see her research and publications!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature w...

Mark as Played
February 4, 2025 14 mins

In this episode, we answer questions like “How do birds stay warm in cold weather?” and “How do birds get their colors?” and learn about how black eye markings on birds help reduce the glare of the sun with our feather expert Laurie Solchenberger, a teacher at Lincoln Elementary School.


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Make a donation to SoWBA


Episode Transcrip...

Mark as Played
January 7, 2025 11 mins

In this episode we answer questions like "Do birds ever nest in the winter?" and "How do birds protect their nests?" and learn about cavity nesters with our nest expert Carolyn Byers the Director of Education at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!⁠


⁠Get out and explore nature with us! ⁠


⁠Make a donation to SoWBA⁠


Episode transcription with pictures and...

Mark as Played
December 3, 2024 16 mins

In this episode, we answer questions like "why is it important to follow protocol?" and "how do scientists know that their not counting the same animals over again?" and learn about "closure and repeatability" and why it's so important to scientists with our research expert Dr. Jennifer Stenglein who is a Quantitative Wildlife Research Scientist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Mark as Played
November 5, 2024 12 mins

This episode was so fun and full of information it's in two parts! In this part, we answer questions like "How many trees are there in the world?" and why that's not such an easy question to answer with our tree expert Brian Wahl, the Urban Forestry Coordinator at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Mak...

Mark as Played
November 5, 2024 13 mins

In the second part of our trees episode we'll learn about "mast" and what animals benefit when it's a "mast year" with our tree expert Brian Wahl!

Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!


Get out and explore nature with us! 


Make a donation to SoWBA


Episode Transcription with pictures and links available on our website! 


Music: “The Forest and the Trees” by Kevin MacLeod

Mark as Played

In this episode, we talk all about the challenge that glass and other reflective surfaces pose to birds and what groups like Bird Collision Corps do to help with our bird collision expert Brenna Marsicek, the Outreach Director at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance. Be sure to check out part 2 and 3!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!⁠


⁠Get out and explore nature with us! ⁠


⁠Make a donation to SoWBA⁠


E...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we answer questions like “Why do birds chase their reflections in windows?” and “Why do bats sometimes hit windows if they use echolocation?” and learn about what makes a building safe or dangerous for birds with our bird collision expert Brenna Marsicek the Director of Outreach at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance. Be sure to check back in for part 3!


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!⁠


⁠G...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we answer "What are ways people can help stop birds from flying into windows?" with our bird collisions expert Brenna Marsicek the Director of Outreach at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.


Check out SoWBA’s free lessons, games, and activities!⁠


⁠Get out and explore nature with us! ⁠


⁠Make a donation to SoWBA⁠


Episode transcription with pictures and links available on our website! 


Music: “...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    Ruthie's Table 4

    For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.