On this episode Dan and I talk about birding in Arkansas, his birding story, and more. Check out his eBird profile here.
You can learn more about the Audubon Plant for Birds program on the Delta Audubon Plant for Birds website. Dan talks about several Arkansas hotspots. Check them out on eBird.
Bald Knob NWR
Stuttgart Municipal Airport , the place for Smith’s Longspur in winter.
I loved the Wapanocca NWR Here is my blog post about the day we birded there. There seem to be endless roads, and many Field Sparrows and Dickcissels.
Dan also mentions the eBird article on how to add historical sightings into your ebird lists. Here is the article link.
As always suggestions for guests, best with contact information, are appreciated. Use the contact page to send your wish-list of guests.
Thanks for listening. Until next time. Good birding and good day!
Tag: birding
The Bird Banter Podcast #144 with George Armistead Additional Info.
On this episode you will hear from George Armistead, a well known ABA birder, tour leader, podcaster, and all around interesting guy. We talk about his our trip to Antarctica, so after the last episode where I talk about the trip in detail, George can add another perspective and some new stories.
Check out George’s bird tour company Hillstar Nature .
You can find George on Facebook and Instagram too. Hillstar Nature has their own Facebook page too.
I promised more information on a number of topics in this post too. To keep this from being just too much I’ll keep it brief with links to more detail if you’re interested.
Beginning in 2011 the South Georgia Heritage Trust began the eradication of rats on the South Georgia Islands. This was controversial in that it used rodenticides, and was by far the largest land mass with rodent infestation that eradication had ever been attempted. The project was highly successful, and by 2016 rats were likely completely eradicated, but it was not until 2018 that the official declaration of a rat free South Georgia was given. You can read more about it here. Birders who visited South Georgia on the recent expedition cruise I was on saw many South Georgia Pipits, a marked difference from stories of birders who visited 20 years ago (I missed the visits with Covid isolation). The continued vigillence is intense, and we had rat-sniffing dogs search our ship before one landing.
Early in his career Geroge worked in several capacities at the Academy of Natual Sciences in Philidelphia. If I get to Philidelphia again it will be on my must-see list of places to explore. It is the oldest natural history museum in the U.S. and has a great collection of bird specimens. I remember many years ago speakers and others talking of getting photographs from VIREO, the program George mentioned in the episode.
The Bird Safe Philly project reminded me of talking with two prior guests on the topic of light polution and bird safety. First was the episode with Alex Israel of the New York Audubon Society and learning about the Safe Flights Program there. YOu may also enjoy hearing about the dangers to birds from glass collisions, especially in homes like you may live in on the episode with Dr. Daniel Klem.
For many birders the Christmas Season brings the fellowship, birding and experience of the Christmas Bird Counts. George talks about how important the CBCs have been to him, especially the early ones when he met other young birders and the joy of the fellowship of birding. It is still not too late to find a CBC for this year. It’s easy to find your local count or another. If you are looking in Washington State where I live, look here on the WOS websitge. For a worldwide look, check this cool site.
I’ll end with a link to this site explaining Katabatic Winds. In summary it is a wind tha flows downhill after cooling and changing pressure. They can be extraordinary in places like South Georgia with big mountains near the ocean.
Again, thanks for reading and listening. Until next time, Good birding and good day!
The Bird Banter Podcast #133 with Dan Casey
On this episode Dan Casey and I talk about his birding story, birding Montana and lots more. Dan and I share the goal of trying to see 100 species of birds in each of the counties in our state. I have it much easier in WA, with only 39 counties and a state smaller than Montana. Here is my eBird profile of WA sightings:
Here is Dan’s for Montana.
eBirders will appreciate the NO GRAY counties for both of us.
You can reach Dan by email danielcasey55-at- gmail- dot- com
We talk about a few organizations, places and topics. Here are some related links:
The American Bird Conservancy
Partners in Flight
Hawk Watch International
Westport Seabirds
Northern Great Plains Joint Venture
You can find the Birds of Montana book Dan helped write on Amazon here.
Thanks for listening. Until next time. Good birding and good day!
The Bird Banter Podcast #123 with David and Dee Simpson Additional Information
On this episode I talk with David and Dee Simpson about their Florida birding, Dee’s daily blog where she posts a photo and a poem about the photo, and more.
I got my start as a birder in Florida, and tell about this briefly on the episode, and was headed to visit my brother in Florida when this episode was recorded. That prompted me to look for a Florida birder for the podcast. I have previously had David and Tammy McQuade on the podcast, who are Florida birders, but who are better known for their lower-48 big years every year recently. David is a lifelong Floridian, who has birded every county in the state, and is a wealth of information about everything about Florida birding. This comes out clearly in the episode where you’ll hear in detail about some of his birding escapades and his interest in everything about Florida natural history.
Here is a screenshot of David’s Florida eBird profile map.
Dee is the technical expertise behind their website, and has a knack for bringing the technical aspects of birding and nature to a level where everyong can understand and enjoy the knowledge. She was really fun to talk with also.
David leads trips for birders in Florida, see his website for more information, primarily customized small group or individual trips. He and Dee also produce educational videos on You Tube about birding in Florida and more.
The Bird Banter Podcast #122 With Tiffany Kersten
On The Bird Banter Podcast #122 Tiffany Kersten and I talk about her record breaking Lower 48 United States birding big year, as well as her efforts to raise awareness for the safety of women in nature. During her big year she gave away over 250 personal safety devices.
Tiffany works as a personal guide in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and you can contact her either on her website Birdie Big Year: Elevating Women Birders or on her Facebook page @natureninjatours.
The record breaking species for Tiffany was fittingly found at her home turf place, the Santa Ana refuge in the Rio Grande Valley where she has worked and continues as a conservation advocate.
Hear other episodes about birders and their big years on any of these episodes:
Thanks for listening and until next time, good birding and good day!
The Bird Banter Podcast #119 with Michael and Paula Webster Additional Info.
On episode #119 I talk with Paula and Michael Webster. They are a couple who spent 5 years traveling around South America in a pop-up Toyota camper van, birding, making films, supporting conservation causes, and generally having the adventure of a lifetime. You’ll hear a bit about the year on this episode, but will be able to read much more in the soon-to-be-released book The Condor’s Feather: Traveling Wild in South America which you can preorder in the U.K. at Waterstones or in the U.S. on Amazon. I’ve already ordered my copy.
On the episode Michael and Paula talk about Buff-breasted Sandpipers. They are a species that is anticipated but not often seen in Washington. When we do see them it is almost always a juvenile bird in the fall. We saw this one this year in King County.\
If you want to see some great video of the trip here are some You Tube films by Paula.
Tango in the wind is a 30 minute fabulous video of the courtship rituals of the Hooded Grebe, one of the most endangered birds in South America. It is spectacular!
To see about their vehicle and trip check this out:
Here is some of the scenery of the Andes.
Thanks for following and listening.
Until next time; Good birding and good day!
The Bird Banter Podcast #118 with Jim Danzenbaker Additional Info.
I’ve been hoping to have Jim Danzenbaker on the podcast for some time, and finally made it happen now. Jim has been involved in Washington state birding for a couple of decades, has served as WOS president, is a long time pelagic trip leader for Westport Seabirds, and yet is likely better known outside the state.
Jim has been an active guide on Antarctic Peninsula cruises for Cheeseman Ecology Safaris for many years, and has led trips in Latin America for other tour companies. He is an accomplished pelagic birder and trip leader not just in WA but all along the west coast of the U.S. and abroad.
In addition Jim gathers information about all of the Christmas Bird Counts in Washington and posts this information on the WOS website here.
You can find Jim annually at the Rio Grand Bird Festival as a trip leader, and are likely to run across him if you get out birding anywhere in SW Washington.
You can reach out to Jim by phone 360 – 702 – 9395 or by email jdanzenbaker-at-gmail dot- com
Thanks for listening and good birding. Good day!
The Bird Banter Podcast #112 with Pete Janzen: Additional Information
I enjoyed talking about birding Kansas with Pete Janzen this episode. Pete was really informative, and I learned a lot about a place I know little about prior to talking. The Kansas eBird list includes 458 species, and Pete has listed 437 of these. He talks about Kansas hotspots Quivira NWR and Cheyenne Bottoms, both fairly near his home in Wichita.
You can find both of Pete’s books on Amazon. The Guide to Kansas Birds and Hotspots and The Birds of Sedgwick County and Cheney Reservoir.
I did not know that Kansas has the largest remaining population of Lesser Prairie Chickens or that it was possible to see both species of prairie chicken on the same lek. If you need these species check out the tours Pete recommends on this website. You’ll not only see the birds, but support their conservation efforts.
You can find Pete on Facebook easily.
As I mentioned I’m on the lookout for good birding guests from every state. If you know good candidates, help me reach out to them. Send me an email on the Contact page here. Here is the article I mentioned in the WFO newsletter about megafires and the history of western U.S. wildfires.
Thanks for listening. Until next time; Good birding and good day!
The Bird Banter Podcast #111 with Mason Maron: Additional Information
On The Bird Banter Podcast #111 I talk in the introduction about a recent pelagic birding trip on Westport Seabirds, the WA pelagic trip company. The fog was difficult in the morning, but by afternoon it has cleared and things picked up nicely. See my birding notes post for photos and details.
Mason Maron is my guest on this episode, and we talk about his birding story, his planned research into Gray-crowned Rosy Finch diet changes in the last 60 years, and about birding near WSU in Whitman County, WA.
Follow Mason on Instagram or see his photogarphy on his web site.
Peter Wimberger, a past guest on episode #30, has been doing research into ice worms. You can hear about this on this really cool article and audio link. It seems that ice worms are an important part of the diet of rosy finches on Mt. Rainier at least.
Mason talks about the Seattle Young Birders group. It is run through Seattle Audubon Society and you can see about this group here.
I’ll be sure to get back to listeners in a year or more after the research on Gray-crowned Rosy Finches is underway and give an update.
Until next time: Good birding and good day!
The Bird Banter Podcast #105 with Melissa Hafting Additional Info.
On this episode I talk with Melissa Hafting, a terrific young Canadian birder from near Vancouver, B.C. We talk about her excellent work with young birders in B.C., her birding experiences and her work with the B.C. rare bird alert.
Melissa was featured on the ABA Podcast’s “All Canada” episode recently and represented the western part of Canada very nicely. Check it out and I suspect you’ll enjoy hearing more about the great birding found across Canada. Many of the birds that we U.S. birders enjoy seeing in migration depend on the boreal forests, Arctic tundra and vast grasslands for their breeding areas.
You can find the B.C. Rare Bird Alert here. Melissa also has a blog you can find here as Dare to Bird.
She is also a fine photographer and you can find much of her work on her instagram page @bcbirdergirl
It was a real treat to get to know Melissa a bit better as we talked. I look forward to seeing her again in the field soon.
Until next time. Good birding and good day!