The Feathered Desert Podcast

Summary: This is The Feathered Desert’s final episode and Kiersten and Cheryl are talking about their recommendations for future listening.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: List of podcasts discussed: BirdNote Daliy Threatened The Science of Birds Songbirding The American Birding Podcast The Warblers Bring Back Bird...

Summary: Finches visit Arizona in the winter. Join Cheryl and Kiersten to find out which finches may visit us in winter.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “Arizona’s Winter Finches,” by Charles Babbitt The Cactus Wren-Dition Winter 2023   Transcript   Cheryl-Intro          Some finch species are highly prone to irrup...

Summary: Bird names are changing in 2024. Join Kiersten and Cheryl as they talk about a controversial decision made about bird names.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “American Ornithological Society Will Change the English Names of Bird Species Named After People,” AOS Leadrership, https://americanornithology.org  ...

Summary: Now that you know what MOTUS is and what it does, let’s talk about how is helps Arizona birds. Join Cheryl and Kiersten to find out how MOTUS is helping some Arizona birds.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “Desert Deliverance”, by Margo Rosenbaum, Audubon Magazine Fall 2023, pg 18-19 “Home Away From Home”,...

Summary: What is MOTUS? It’s the next step in bird migration science. Join Cheryl and Kiersten to find out how this is putting the Phoenix Valley on the map!   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: MOTUS: https://motus.org “What is MOTUS?” by Rebecca Stephenson. Desert Rivers Audubon Magazine, Winter 2023. As of the record...

Summary: How often do you look for female birds? Join Kiersten and Cheryl as they talk about Female Bird Day and why it’s important.    For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: Kenn Kaufman Article: https://www.audubon.org/news.i-became-better-birder-when-i-stopped-focusing-males Female Bird Day Blog: https://femalebirdday.wo...

Summary: Why do birds flick their tails? Join Kiersten and Cheryl as they talk about some of the reasons birds may flick their tails.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “Why Do Birds Flick Their Tails?” Bird Note, June 13, 2023 “Why Do Phoebes Pump Their Tails?” David Sibley, https://sibleyguides.com “Tail Movements i...

Summary: How can birds help human mental health? Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk about how bird song effects our mental health Show Notes: Audubon Magazine Winter 2019 “Why Birds and Their Songs are Good for Our Metal Health,” by Richard Sima “How Bird Songs Improve Mental Health,” by Arthur Dobrin D.S.W. “Birding with Benefits: How Nature Improves Our Mental Mindsets,” by Jill U. Adams

Summary: Join Cheryl and Kiersten for a true story of love and struggle in the time of the bird flu.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “Special Delivery,” by Zoe Grueskin, Audubon Magazine Fall 2023, pages 20-27             Transcript: Cheryl Intro:             The Arizona’s flock of southwest condors is about 115 bi...

Summary: Birds and pesticides do not mix! Join Kiersten and Cheryl as they talk about the history of birds and pesticides, the current status of birds and pesticides, and discuss what we can do in our own backyards.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “Huge decline in songbirds linked to common insecticide.” National G...

Summary:A three-minute podcast from the hosts of The Feathered Desert about individual bird species found in the desert Southwest.   Show Notes: Bird song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology recorded by Rose Ann Rowlett.

Summary: Join Kiersten and Cheryl in the final episode of birding by ear. It’s a sought after skill and this episode will help you be the best birder you can be! Show Notes: iBird Ultimate: Ultimate Guide to Birds App Bird song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; broad-tailed hummingbird call recorded by Brett Gleitsman and flight jingle recorded by Paul Marvin; Crested...

Summary: Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk about the amazing Pinyon Jay. This is one amazing bird, but they have a land management problem. Listen to find out! Show Notes: www. Allaboutbirds.org (Pinyon Jay) “Spirit of Persistence,” by Anna Johnson and Edwin Juarez, Arizona Wildlife Views PeriodicalSeptember/October 2023 page 17-20

Summary:A three-minute podcast from the hosts of The Feathered Desert about individual bird species found in the desert Southwest.   Show Notes: Bird song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology recorded by Paul Suchanek.

Summary: Another way to attract birds to your backyard is to provide nesting possibilities. Join Kiersten and Cheryl as they talk about what kinds of nest boxes you can provide for your backyard birds.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: Birdhouse Features: Features of a Good Birdhouse: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-...

Summary: It is hot, hot, hot! How do birds deal with the increasing heat we’re currently experiencing? Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk about how birds keep cool in the summer heat.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: www.audubon.org/news/how-to-help-birds-beat-the-heat/ www.audubon.org/news/the-many-ways-birds-be...

Summary: There are three categories of birds that can be found in the wild. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they discuss the research of wildlife scientist John Marzluff and how it pertains to the birds in our backyards.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: Welcome to Subirdia: Sharing Our Neighborhoods with Wrens, Robins,...

Summary: In this episode Kiersten and Cheryl talk about how birds have influenced us to create some amazingly cool technology.   For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “The Amazing Secrets of Woodpecker Tongues,” by Rebecca Heisman, June 10, 2021. American Bird Conservancy. https://abcbirds.org “Geese Inspire New Airbus For...

Summary: Have you ever noticed how many different eye colors birds have? Join Kiersten and Cheryl as they delve into this understudied topic.   For our hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “Bird Eye Color” A Rainbow of Variation, a Spectrum of Explanations,” by Eamon C. Corbett, Robb T. Brumfield, Brant C. Faircloth. https://ecoe...

Summary: “You eat like a bird!” We’re sure you’ve heard this before and may have even said it, but if you knew what we know, you’d probably never say it again! Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk about some of the strange things birds eat!   For our hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: “Cassowaries: Crucial to Rainforest Ecolog...

July is Window Strike Awareness month, so we thought we'd repost this episode from 2021 about how we can prevent window strike deaths. Summary:Window strikes are scary for us and can be deadly for birds. Cheryl and Kiersten shed some light on why it happens and how we can prevent it. Show Notes: https://abcbirds.org www.thezoologicalworld.com/how-birds-see/ www.featherfriendly.com Background bird...

Summary: Welcome to Plant Spotlight, a three-minute podcast brought to you by The Feathered Desert all about native plants of the southwestern desert. This week we're talking about the Desert Willow!

Summary: Learning to bird by ear is an important part of becoming an expert birder. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they discuss four more southwest birds and play their songs and calls.   For our hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: iBird Ultimate app Song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, House Finch r...

Summary: Welcome to Plant Spotlight, a three-minute podcast brought to you by The Feathered Desert all about native plants of the southwestern desert. This week we're talking about Watson's Dutchman's Pipe!

Summary: How well can birds remember? Join Cheryl and Kiersten for a short discussion on bird memory. It’s an episode you won’t forget!   For our hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.   Show Notes: https://allaboutbirds.org/brain-power-wins-over-brawn-when-male-hermit-humingbirds https://audubon.org/magazine/march-april-2016/meet-bird-brainiacs...