Bird Banter

I put up this episode in part because it's been longer than usual since my last episode was published, and I didn't want listeners to think I had disappeared. It's a different than usual episode, without a guest. I talk about my recent getaway trip from the rainy Pacific NW, to the Florida Keys and to Costa Rica.  It was primarily a winter vacation trip, with some time dedicated to birding.  I lov...

On this episode I have my first guest from the Czech  Republic, Mikuláš Řimánek. I met Mik when he was a teenage Rotary Exchange student and had the chance to get out birding with Mik then.  Since then Mik has become a leader in his country in the effort to recruit more youth into birding, and his story is both inspirational and exciting for me.  I think you'll enjoy hearing Mik's story.  You can...

On this episode Holly Merker talks about Ornitherapy, her experiences with birding as therapy and of ways we can use birding as a means of improving our state of wellness.  She is also an extraordinarily talented and accomplished birder. You can find out lots more on the BirdBanter.com blog post about this episode.  Buy her book Ornitherapy:  For Your Mind, Body and Soul on her website.  Check out...

After several episodes with guests who are big-time  birding listers, we change pace for this episode featuring a birder whose passion has led him to trekking, birding and supporting the communities of some of the highest elevation communities on earth, in the mountains of Nepal.  When I met David Swain on the ship on my recent Antarctica trip I know he would be really fun to talk with for the pod...

I had a chance to meet Peter Kaestner on my recent Antarctica trip. On the cruise Peter gave a talk about his life passion of seeing as many species of birds as he can in the world.  He worked for the U.S. diplomatic service, lived in many "birdy" places and visited many others. He now works part-time as a birding tour guide for Rockjumper Worldwide Birding Adventures, and has seen over 9700 of th...

In 2022 Victor and Ruben Stoll, brothers and birders from Tennessee, shattered the only one year old Lower-48 U.S. big year record, seeing about 25 more species than the previous record set by Tiffany Kersten, a prior guest.  The Stoll brothers seemed to manage to have fun while often driving day and night, taking turns sleeping and driving from one birding site to the next. Hear about aligator at...

On this episode I talk with George Armistead about our trip to Antarctica, his birding story as well as his birding tour company Hillstar Nature .  George has his own podcast with Alvaro Jaramillo and Molly Brown called Lifelist: A Birding Podcast that you may want to follow also. I certainly enjoy it.  You can find George on his website at the link above.  As promised you can learn more about the...

I don't do many solo episodes but couldn't resist an episode to talk about my recent expedition cruise to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica.  Antarctica is such an awesome, wild, remote and special place I've long dreamed of visiting.  Well, after two years of covid postponements I finally managed the visit this November.  The ABA, Alvaro's Adventures, and Rockjumper Birding put t...

On this episode I talk with Francis Canto Jr., a birder and birding guide from Belize.  I learn a lot about Belize, birding there, and about Francisco and his work and passion for birds and birding. Enjoy.  You can find Francisco on Facebook   Here is a link to the Belize Bird Conservatory Hawk Watch Project web page .  Thanks for listening. As always read more about this episode on the Bird Bante...

On this episode father-son birders Mathew and Levi Radford join me to talk about their birding, birding in Oklahoma, and how birding as a father-son duo had been important in their lives.   You can find their Father and Son Birding page on Facebook here . Mathew here , and Levi here . Read more about my recent coast birding trip on the ABC Birding site here, and as always check out the BirdBanter....

On this episode Doug Hitchcox, a field educator with the Maine Audubon Society and one of very few birders to have found 400 species of birds in the state of Maine is my guest.  We talk about his birding story and adventures, as well as his work with Maine Audubon.  Doug is really fun to talk with, and I cannot wait to try to get together birding with him next time I go home to Maine.  You can fin...

On this episode I talk  with Deborah Green, the president of the Orange Audubon Society , and the chairperson of the upcoming North Shore Birding Festival on Lake Apopka, Florida.  This really a pretty cool festival as you'll hear about on the episode.   Deborah is also a birder who travels to birding festivals, and so we talk a bit about some of her favorites.  To see more about birding festivals...

7On this episode Alex Harper, a birder and trip leader from Las Vegas, NV talk about birding in Sin City, his company Bird Las Vegas that leads half and whole day trips individualized to his customer's needs in Las Vegas. Alex has also birded Alaska extensively, and has a great birding story. Enjoy.  Bird Las Vegas Website Check out the associated blog post on BirdBanter.com   Contact Alex through...

Backyard birding has become somewhat a national if not worldwide hobby for many during Covid times, and on this episode Tammy Poppie, creator of the website On The Feeder is my guest.  We talk about how to keep birds safer with proper feeder cleaning, bird window strikes, and overall how to enjoy the birds in your yard. As always check out the associated blog post on BirdBanter.com for more links...

On this episode Matt Goff, a Sitka birder and all around naturalist, talk about birding in Sitka, his 10+ years of doing a bi-weekly radio show on KCAW , the local radio station in Sitka, about birding and many other aspects of the natural history and environment of the Sitka area.  He also has a website SitkaNature.org where you can learn lots more.  It was really fun to hear about hyper-focused...

On this episode Sarah Swanson and I talk about her new book, Best Little Book of Birds: The Oregon Coast, as well as her birding story, her prior book, birding around Portland, OR and lots more.  You can preorder Sarah's book Best Little Book of Birds: The Oregon Coast She is @Sarahlovesbirds on Instagram Be sure to check out the blog post with lost more info on BirdBanter.com Thanks for listening...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #134 Mike Resch and I talk about his multi-decade quest to see >200 bird species in every continental U.S. state.  He achieved this goal recently on a trip to Montana, as well as reaching another target goal of 15,000 total ABA state and province ticks.  (listen to hear what a “tick” means)  Besides being a realty nice guy, avid and accomplished birder, and inveterate st...

On this episode Dan Casey, a top Montana birder, and I talk about his birding story, birding in Montana, ebird, bird records committees, and I really enjoyed hearing from a birder from an area I do not know well, and who has a wonderfully balanced and holistic approach to birding his state. I hope you enjoy hearing from Dan as much as I did.  You can contact Dan by email: danielcasey55 -at-gmail-...

On this episode Matt Aeberhard and I talk about his remarkable carreer and experiences as a world-class wildlife videographer, his birding story, his new project Birds of America: How Birds Can Save Us .  You can see lots more about Matt on his website , or follow him on Instagram @mattaeberhard . As always check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more links, and in this case some embedded vi...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #131 I talk with Marcos Trinidad, the Center Director at Debs Park in Los Angeles, an avid birder, a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion in the environmental movement.  We talk about Marco's experiences in finding ways to have cell phones and technology provide positive experiences in nature, how to appreciate the urban nature around us, and his personal birding...

On this episode Bill Young and I talk about his lifelong birding passion and experiences, and focus especially on his interest and work with bird bahavior, as well as his focused birding at Monticello Park in Arlington, VA.  Bill and his  friend Ashley Bradford have developed and maintained the website MPNature where incredibly detailed and useful information about the park can be found. I find th...

On this episode we talk about COASST, the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, with Jackie Lindsey, the Science Director and Charlie Wright, the Data Verifier as guests.  I learn about the COASST programs, hear stories of interesting and unusual dead bird discoveries, and enjoy hearing about the program and more from Lindsey and Charlie. You can find more about COASST at their website. On...

On this episode I report on birding the Great River Road, and various places nearby, from Memphis to Davenport, Iowa and then on to Omaha.  Overall a great experience, seeing new states, new roads, and getting an appreciation for the great river.  Highlights were great looks at Sedge Wren, some fabulous National Wildlife Refuges, and of course the Mississippi River and all it entails.  For more de...

On this episode I fill in between episodes with guests.  On the first week of my planned 3 week road trip up the Mississippi from New Orleans to Iowa, Marian and I bird around New Orleans, venture south to see the destruction, rebuilding and birds of Grand Isle, and head north as far as Memphis.  We bird in 4 states, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee. For listeners this will be a diff...

On this episode Alex Marine and I talk about birding Missouri, his birding story and his 2021 Missouri birding big year. Alex also helps me learn about birding in Missouri along the Mississippi river area in preparation for a road trip I'll be taking soon.  You can reach Alex on Facebook or Instagram .  As always learn more about the details and things mentioned on this episode on the Bird Banter...