Bird Banter

Russell Rogers is a talented birder who has changed his primary area of field work and study from birds to beetles. We talk about his birding story, including his time in Washington State where I met him, and about how he diverged into the less common study of beetles. Beetles are the order Cleoptera, the largest order in the Insect class of animals.  Listen to learn more about these cool bugs fro...

Kathleen Foley, program director for the Westermn Bluebird San Juan Reintroduction Project is my guest on this episode. We talk about the project, her experiences both with bluebirds and birding on the islands and elsewhere.  Really cool stuff IMO. Check out the project at at the San Juan Preservation Trust website here .  See more on the Bird Banter website blog post. Until next time. Good birdin...

On the 100th!!! numbered episode of The Bird Banter Podcast I talk with  father-daughter birders Scott and Sierra Downes.  There are lots of birding families, but IMO lots more birders who have not been  blessed with children who become avid birders.  We talk about birding together, as well as their travels and experiences.  Sierra was the recipient of the Patrick Sullivan Young Birders Award and...

On this episode I talk with avid eBirder, San Juan County, WA birder, longtime Yellow Island resident, and bird song audio recording enthusiast Phil Green. He has an interesting story and I hope you enjoy getting to know Phil as much as I did on this episode.   Here is a link to Phil's Yellow Island Blog .  Here is his eBird profile .  Check out the Bird Banter blog post for more details.  Thanks...

This is an episode I do solo without a guest. I try to talk about my experience on a recent family trip to Costa Rica.  The challenge of focusing on important time with family while being lured into birding a very birdy habitat was ever present.  Check out the blog post on the Bird Banter website to see photos and more details about the trip. Here are links to contact the guides I used, Carlos Ure...

On this episode I talk with Jordan Boersma.  Jordan is without a doubt the first guest I know of who has had to avoid pirates to get to an island expedition, though John Sterling did worry about cannibals in one of his early work experiences that he talks about on the podcast. Jordan is working on his PhD at Washington State University, and we talk about his study of testosterone levels in female...

On this episode Neil and I talk about his work with raptors, especially his recent PhD work on Rough-legged Hawks, but also rapelling down to put motion-activated cameras on Gyrfalcon nests in Alaska, California Condor conservation work, and more. Contact Neil via his instagram or twitter accounts using just his name @neilpaprocki Enjoy

On this episode Eric Heisey and I talk about his birding, his research on Savannah Sparrows at the Ryan Norris lab working on an island in the Bay of Fundy with a breeding population of Savannah Sparrows.  You can reach out to Eric by email heiseyew -at- email-dot-com Please leave a comment and review and review Thanks. Good birding and good day!

Jon Anderson is a hard guy to miss on a birding trip.  He is a big guy with a big moustache who is not shy about joining in any conversation, and he enjoys both birding and birders. On this episode we hear about Jon’s birding and career stories as well as about his peregrination in his first year of retirement. Enjoy. You can contact Jon by email festuca-at-comcast-dot-net Be sure to check out the...

Debbie Beer is a birder, traveler, and works at Nature Lands , a land trust in the Delaware Valley area. We talk about her birding and travels. Sometimes on an episode it is fun when I learn that I share experiences with a guest.  Both Debbie and I have birded in Kenya and Morocco, as well as the greater NYC area.  Enjoy. Debbie is active in the Delaware Valley Ornithologic Club , and won the Bob...

On this episode Cyndi Routledge and I talk about her passion for hummingbirds, her research on hummers as well as other species, and her banding experiences. Listen for the segment on "cool hummingbird facts." You can find Cyndi on The Southeast Avian Research Project website.  Read more on the Bird Banter Website blog post on this episode. Until next time. Good birding and good day. 

Alex Patia is my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #93 and we talk about his birding story and experiences. Alex has birded in Washington and New Mexico most extensively, and we talk about how he keeps finding himself in big year quests that he had not planned to do as the year began.  He is an environmental educator and it was my pleasure to talk with Alex about birding on this episode. Enjoy. You...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #90 Cameron Cox and I talk about lots of things, but maybe the most interesting to me was to hear about his philosophy on bird identification and the ways birders can learn more advanced bird ID.  He has a lot of experience at identification of birds in flight, and we talk about how birders can improve that skill set.  Of course there is a lot of less technical birding t...

It's a new year, and more impactful for my emotional state a new presidential administration, and this prompted me to look back at the podcast's first 2 years.  Stories, people, birds, and more are topics I look back at as we move forward with birding and life.  As always check out the blog post on birdbanter.com for more details.  Enjoy. 

On The Bird Banter Podcast #88 with Brian “Fox” Ellis you’ll hear the story of a lifelong birder and professional story teller. Brian has worked as a story teller and performer for over 40 years, and tells his birding story and others on this episode.  Enjoy. Here are links to Brian’s Web Site Fox Tales International You can find his You Tube Channel here :  Find lots more information plus a great...

Well, that wraps up the Bird Banter Podcast Episode #87 with Dan Cooper. I hope you enjoyed listening, and as always I welcome feedback, either as a review or rating on the podcast on your favorite podcast feed platform, by comments on the Bird Banter.com blog that adds supporting details to this episode, or by reaching out to me @birdbanter on both Twitter and Facebook. You can find Dan's Web Sit...

 On The Bird Banter Podcast #86 with Jason Westlake we talk about his vocation as a professional traveler, his integration of birding into that career, and birding in Costa Rica where Jason now lives and runs the Tierra de Sueños Retreat and Wellness Center in Puerto Chiquita. Be sure to check out the BirdBanter.com blog for lots of supporting details and links for topics discussed in this episode...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #86 I talk with a young birder and graduate student Jonah Gula about his work with African Storks, his birding story and other research work, and about African Storks in general.  I also learned about predation of Greater Sage Grouse in relocation efforts.  Fun stuff. Enjoy. You can find Jonah at Jonah.gula@yahoo.com or on Instagram @JonahGula  Here is a link to a photo...

Tire particulate and salmon runs recent article Life after Eddie post Link to drop of water call of Raven Larry Hubbell and I talk about his decade of regular patch birding and blogging at the Union Bay area as well as his work to restore the Arboretum Creek drainage system to a functional riparian habitat.  Listen and learn from a birder and conservationist who by regular thorough birding and doc...

How does the Washington Rare Birds Committee work and what makes it effective?  How did Matt find 200 species of birds in every one of the 39 WA counties, and how did he get so passionate about county listing?  Interested in the history and workings of the Washington Birds website (and printed journal prior to the website)?  Matt and I talk about these topics and more on The Bird Banter Podcast #8...

Paul Bannick is an award winning photographer and author and on this episode we talk about his photography, his new books about the Life History of Great Gray and Snowy Owls, his conservation work, photography in general and his life’s work and stories.  Enjoy. Here is a link to Paul’s website , where you can contact him by email or buy his books. Read more and see related info on this episode at...

I learned lots and had fun talking with Florence Reed and Patrick McMillan.  I learned that most of the people in the world feed themselves on relatively small family farms, and that helping them inprove yields and improve their health and lives.  This alone would be a worthy endeavor, but these farming methods can at the same time really make a difference in the global climate change crisis while...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #80 Darren Clark and I talk about birding Idaho, photography, eBird, tell birding stories and more.  Enjoy. You can contact Darren Clark at his website Darren Clark Photography , or follow him on Instagram at either @darrenclark or @idahobirds Here is Darren’s eBird Profile. Be sure to check out the BirdBanter.com website to see the blog post with lots more details and l...

Lynn Barber, big year birder in several states and the ABA, and author of three books joins me on this episode of The Bird Banter Podcast. Lynn is an accomplished birder and tireless big year birder. She holds the Texas and Alaska big year records, and until 2016 I believe had the highest ABA Big Year total for a woman.  She has a great story.  Enjoy.  Lynn lives in Anchorage, and prior to the Cov...

Nick Lund, "The Birdist" and I talk about how he became The Birdist, birding in Maine, his birding story, and about birding adventures and more on this episode.   Here are some key links related to the episode. See the blog post about this episode on the Bird Banter Blog for more information.  The Birdist  Maine Audubon The ABA Podcast episode on birding Newfoundland Please leave a review and rati...