Bird Banter

On this episode I talk with Raphael Fennimore about his 2021 King County, WA big year, his experiences with marine mammal research, his scuba diving, his photography experience with a new mirrorless camera and more. I hope you enjoy. Reach Raphael at Raphael. Fennimore - at- gmail - dot- com or via his Instagram Feed @RaphaelFennimore See more details and hopefully interesting information on the B...

On this episode Dr. Klem and I talk about one of the leading and least well publicized causes of bird mortality in the world which is collision with glass surfaces. Birds simply don't see glass as a barrier, try to fly through it, and die in startling numbers.  Hear the facts, learn what you can do, and be able to make informed decisions about the ways you can help reduce this tragedy.  Dr. Klem i...

Do you know anyone who does not love Bird Note, the 2 minute immersion into bird life and lore on NPR radio?  I sure don't. My guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #125, Nick Bayard, is the Executive Director of  Bird Note.  I learned that Bird Note is so much more than the NPR Bird Note Today show. Listen, enjoy and learn.  Hear Bird Note Daily here .  Support Bird Note here Subscribe to Bird Note em...

On this episode Michael Todd, the top eBird lister in Tennessee and I talk about birding his home state, his birding story, his mentors, and more.   Michael mentions several top Mississippi River floodplain hotspots in Tennessee on the episode. Here are some eBird links to those areas.  Ensley Bottoms Maxxon Wastewater Lagoons Tennessee NWR Big Sandy Unit It was really fun to hear about a new plac...

On this episode David and Dee Simpson talk about their Florida birding, their company Birding with David Simpson , Dee's blog Dee at Eight AM , and their birding stories.  Dee posts a photo and an educational poem about where she is and what she sees every morning on her blog. David does bird guiding in Florida and beyond, and is an avid state and county lister in Florida, with over 150 species se...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #122 Tiffany Kersten talks about her record breaking Lower 48 United States birding big year, seeing 726 species while raising awareness for the safety of women in nature.  It's a great story and Tiffany tells it well.  You can see Tiffany's blog here.   Read more about the year on The Bird Banter blog and find other big years on the podcast prior epsodes #121 Will Brook...

On this episode I talk with two young Washington State birders who are good friends, who met in an unusual circumstance, and who undertook big years in 2021.  Jason saw the 9th highest total species list ever seen in the lower 48 states, while documenting every sighting by photo or audio means, and did so while maximizing the fun, adventure and wonderlust experience of the year. Will broke the Was...

On this episode Bob and I talk about his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, his birding story and stories and more. How many birders have birded in Area 51?  My guess is not many.  His career path involved working at many of the great U.S. National Wildlife Refuges including the Loxahatchee NWR in Florida, the Wheeler NWR in Alabama , Kern NWR , Stillwater NWR in Nevada, and the Ridge...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #119 with Michael and Paula Webster we talk about their 5-year birding adventure in South America. They travelled in a Toyota pop-top camper van, had wild and harrowing experiences and saw remote and wonderful places, people and birds that are almost beyond belief.  They are real, as you can see by watching many of their videos on the You Tube Channel The Condors Feather...

On this episode Jim Danzenbaker and I talk about his experiences leading wildlife safaris to the Antarctic region, his pelagic birding experiences, his birding story, career, about Christmas Bird Counts and more.  Enjoy. Find a CBC in Washington here . See the 2021 CBC report from Natioinal Audubon here .  Check out the blog post on the BirdBanter.com blog here.   Until next time, good birding and...

On this episode Joe Morlan and I talk about his multifaceted birding career and experiences.  Joe taught birding classes at the College of San Francisco for year, served as member, chair and now as webmaster of the California Bird Records Committee, is an author, and is a really good storyteller.   You can reach Joe from his website. Read more on the BirdBanter.com blog post about this episode. Th...

On this episode Charlie and I talk about his early birding years, his time on remote Alaskan Islands and on research vessels, and his local birding especially at a new Tacoma hotspot Dune Peninsula Park.  Charlie was an early adopter and volunteer reviewer for eBird and is the data reviewer for COASST.  I'm really excited to have Charlie as a guest and think you'll enjoy hearing his story. Thanks...

On this episode I talk with Iván Lau, the birding guide I used on a recent brief trip to Medellin, Colombia.  Iván was really top notch, and we got in a lot of birding in the 3 days I had available.  Medellin was beautiful, the birds were spectacular, and the experience was great.   You can contact Iván at on Instagram @ivanlaulovera or by email at  ivanlaulovera@gmail.com Check out the blog post...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #114 I talk with Zach Poland, a top Oklahoma birder who I heard about from Pete Janzen of Episode #112.  Zach talks about his birding story, birding in Oklahoma, how his training in geology influences his birding strategies and more. Enjoy.  See the blog post on Birdbanter.com for additional information.  Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

There are few nuances of birding that cause more confusion and frustration than molt. Birds have to replace their feathers every year to survive, and understanding this process called molt can bring a not just a better understanding of birds and bird ID, but make looking at the details of plumage of each bird we see a little more fun. I'm certainly no expert on molt, but hearing about the process...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #112 with Pete Janzen we talk lots about Kansas birding.  Pete wrote books about birds and birding in Kansas as well as a detailed work on the Birds of Sedgewick County, Kansas.  He wants you to know about the best place in the ABA area to book Lesser Prairie Chicken lek viewing with the Gove County group that manages these. You can contact Jim Miliensifer at   jhmillens...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #111 I talk with Mason Maron, a young birder who is studying at Washington State University, is beginning a research project on Gray-crowned Rosy Finch diet changes over the last 60 years, and was a lot of fun to talk with. You can find his photography on his website Mason Maron Photography and on his @masonmaronphotography Instagram site.  Read more related information...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #110 with Andy Stepniewski we talk about his passion and interest in the shrub-steppe habitat that remains near his home in Yakima County, WA, his birding story and some of his birding experiences. Andy was mentored by Jim Lane, of bird finding site guide fame, and he was a primary contributor to The Birder’s Guide to Washington .   For more detailed information see the...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #109 with Jason Vassallo we talk about his 2021 ABA Big Year, his birding story, and other things birding. Jason is a very talented young Washington birder, and it was fun to get to know him better.  I also enjoyed hearing about some of the places he has visited this year.  I'm just itching to visit some of them myself.  Here is a link to Jason's Intagram page @jason2021...

England has a great collection of bird observatories, mostly spaced around the coastline, some on islands, some on the main island. Sophie Wickham, my guest on this episode is the warden at the Holme Bird Observatory in Norfolk County.  We talk about her job there, the observatory and the system of observatories in England, the birds seen there and British birding in general.   Here is a like to t...

David Waters, the driving force behind the project to reintroduce Great Bustards to England, is my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #107.  I first met  David when my wife and I visited his home to see his captive Great Bustards (injured birds) and to hear his story of the project. We also got to see some of the reintroduced birds on the Salisbury Plains. You can learn more about this project at Th...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #106 the hosts of The Birder's Show , a YouTube series that debuted during the pandemic, Diego Calderón and Chris Bell are my guests.  We talk about their exciting new show, birding in Colombia, and more. Don't miss this one.  Thanks for listening. For more info see my blog on Birdbanter.com Until next time, good birding and good day!

Melissa Hafting is my guest on the Bird Banter Podcast #105, and we talk about her work with young birders in BC, her leadership of the BC Rare Bird Alert, and her birding experiences.   You can find Melissa on Instagram @bcbirdergirl Please leave a review and rating on the podcast platform you prefer, and check out the blog associated with this episode on The Bird Banter Blog See Melissa's blog h...

On this episode we talk birding in Australia with R. Bruce Richardson, entertainer, birder and now author of An Australian Birding Year .  Australia has been high on my most wanted list of places to go, and it is even higher after talking with Bruce.  Check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more photos and info about Bruce and the episode.  Thanks for listening.  Until next time. Good birdin...

The pandemic has kept lots of us from getting out birding with larger groups. It has crushed the ecotourism industry, but even birding clubs like our ABC Birding club here in Tacoma, WA have missed the social and birding gatherings we enjoyed prior to Covid.  In this episode I share thoughts on birding with friends, mentorship, and a bit about our first group trip in the reopening. Enjoy.   Please...