Bird Banter

This episode was recorded about a month ago, and the plan was to publish it while I was recovering from a hip replacement surgery.  Somehow it slipped by, and is being published a bit later than usual.  I think you'll enjoy hearing Tom Bancroft's birding story, and about his career in conservation and ornithology.  Enjoy. Here is a link to Tom's photography website .  Be sure the check the BirdBan...

You may remember John from episode #31 when we talked about his upcoming birding big year traveling only by unicycle and on foot.  Well, as with all things 2020 Covid-19 intervened, but the start of his planned big year is story enough to warrant having John back to hear how is adventure went. In a nutshell, crazy and super cool.  Enjoy.    Here is a link to John's blog.  Check out the BirdBanter....

Sometimes as birders we are too quick to overlook the beauty of our common species in search of uncommon or unexpected birds.  Non-birders and birders alike may enjoy as I take a deeper look at 5 species commonly seen in most places in the United States.  Why do geese poop so much?  Why is it Canada Goose but not America Redstart? Check it out. Also see the associated blog post with photos and mor...

Matt Yawney talks about finding vagrants in Grant County, WA, his birding story and more on The Bird Banter Podcast #75.  Be sure to read the blog post associated with this episode on The Bird Banter website .   Leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcast feeds.  Until next time. Good birding. Good day!

Jason Fidorra and I talk about his experiences as the Washington State Wildlife manager for the Department of Fish and Wildlife in Benton and Franklin Counties, as well as his experiences as a field researcher prior to that job, his birding story, the shrub-steppe habitat of his area, and more.  Enjoy.  You can find Jason on Facebook.  He also moderates the Tricities Birders Facebook page . Be sur...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #72 with Kimball Garrett we talk about Kimball's extensive experience as a Los Angeles County, CA birder, his work as the Collections Manager for the L.A. Natural History Museum Ornithology Collection, of his time in the golden days of California birding, and his birding story and experiences.  Enjoy.  Here is a link to Kimball's bio and contact info at the museum.   Che...

On The Bird Banter Podcast #71 host Ed Pullen talks about resources birders can use to learn to be better birders, to identify birds, and to further their enjoyment of birding. See the Supplemental Information blog post on BirdBanter.com for links to find most of the resources mentioned in this episode. Please subscribe to The Bird Banter Podcast wherever you get your podcast feeds to not miss fut...

Peter Hodum is a professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA and is a passionate birder and researcher of seabirds.  We talk about his passion and work with seabirds off the Washington coast as well as in the Juan Fernández Islands off Chile. Peter is an eloquent speaker, penultimate teacher, and I know you’ll enjoy hearing his birding story. For lots of photos and much more detail ch...

Hear about birding in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico from a local guide and top local birder. San Blas is an area where you can find a large variety of species and habitats all on short drive day trips while based in this delightful coastal community.  

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #69 with Francisco Garcia we talk about birding in the San Blas area of Nayarit, Mexico on the west coast between Mazatlán and Puerto Nuevo.  Francisco runs Safaris San Blas, a birding guide service in that area, and was recommended as a guest by Heather Ballash and Marcus Roening when we recorded Episode #64.  Here is a link to the Safaris San Blas Facebook page...

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode with Dennis Paulson we talk about his start as a bird watcher, his life as a naturalist, his dragonfly studies and publications, his travels, and a bit about the politics of conservation and environmentalism.  Birding, Bird Watching, and the love of nature are common themes. Enjoy. You can reach dennis by email at dennispaulson - at- comcast.net He is on facebook...

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #67 with Dr. Roger Lederer we talk about not just birding and ornithology, but tips on how to prepare for a career in ornighology, travel, and his birding website Ornithology.com  Below are some links to topics we discuss. Here is the page on Ornithology Careers. Here is the Osher Foundation site for  adult courses Dr. Lederer discusses. Here are links to some of...

Andrew took me out birding in Wahkiakum County, WA and we recorded this episode after a great day of birding.  We talk about the Alcyon Farm, his home and wonderful natural area, birding in Wahkiakum County, his Skamokawa Swamp Opera band, his Sea Kayak Business, the history of steemboats on the Columbia River, and more. He is a fabulously talented and interesting person.   Here is a link to the f...

Patrick O’Donnell is my guest on Episode #65 of The Bird Banter Podcast and we talk about all things birding in Costa Rica. Patrick lives in San Jose, Costa Rica, is a guide for day trips from San Jose, leads trips for his local birding club all over the country, and writes extensively. He has published the Costa Rica Bird Finding eBook which I downloaded in Kindle format, but is available in othe...

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #64 with Heather Ballash and Marcus Roening we talk about being a birding couple, about their extensive experience birding in Mexico, and about our local Pierce County, WA birding community. You can read more about related topics on the Bird Banter Podcast Blog . Please leave a review and rating on the podcast feed of your choice, and reach out to me if there are...

On this episode Mike Denny sits with me and Ken Brown, in a remote area of the Northern Blue Mountains, and we watch and listen to a recently fledged trio of Great Gray Owlets and their parent as we talk about the owls, the area and Mike's amazing passion for birding, education and the environment.  See how many species of birds you can ID from the background of the recording.  Here is a link to T...

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #62 my daughter, Jean Pullen, and I talk about her passion, restorative agriculture in the tropics.  Jean lives in Costa Rica and is in the process with her partner Alan of restoring a hectacre of previous pastureland into a productive, earth-restoring agriforestry project. Jean also works with Jungle Project. You can read more about restorative agriculture at Ki...

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #61 Stefan Schlick and I talk about birding in the Pacific Northwest, his experiences as a birding trip leader, and a bit about dragonflies and .  Stefan is a top ABA birder with roots in Germany who has lived in several top ABA birding areas. He now is a full time birding trip guide based near Portland, OR.  You can find his Portland Audubon Society trips on the...

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #60 I talk with Nate Swick, whose job with the ABA is loosely defined as digital content manager, but birders know as the keeper of the ABAs Rare Bird Alerts page, more recently from the ABA Podcast, and as one of the primary faces of the ABA online. Nate is an avid birder, and has helped bring the ABA into the online world in a meaningful way. I enjoyed talking...

On this episode I talk with Gary Bletsch, a birder from Skagit County, WA who is an avid county birder, a funny guy, and a lot of fun for me to get to know. You'll hear a lot about Skagit County birding, as well as about Gary's travels and his birding story.  We talk about the Washington birding website WA Birder .   Check it out on this link.  Here is a link to the trip report for the Pierce Coun...

On this episode I talk with Dave Irons, a top birder, an eBird reviewer, prior regional editor of North American Birds, author of the new book Field Guide to the Birds of Oregon, and a really educational and interesting guest on the podcast.  Enjoy. Here is a link to buy the Field Guide to the birds of Oregon on Buteo Books. I mention the episode with Dave's wife Shawneen Finnegan. Here is a link...

Pete Salmansohn, knows as Puffin Pete, is my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #57.  Pete has worked as an educator for National Audubon Society and other organizations, and has been especially involved in education about seabirds off the Maine Coast.  We talk about the highly successful and ongoing reintroduction of Atlantic Puffins and other seabirds to breeding islands off the Maine Coas...

On this episode I talk with Mike Bergin, the founder of the largest Birding Blog on the internet about how 10,000 Birds came about, its incredible run of popularity, and about his birding story.  Mike is a true birding ambassador and I expect you to enjoy listening.   Here is a link to 10,000 Birds   We mention the Suzie Gilbert, my guest on the last episode of this podcast, has new novel publishe...

On Episode #55 I talk with bird rehabilitator and author Suzie Gilbert.  We talk about her progression from volunteer at a local raptor rehab program where her experience as a writer led to a newspaper column, a children's book and eventually to having her own in-home bird rehab center. Her first adult book was a memoir about the challenges of trying to balance life as a Mom and a rehab center own...

In this episode Nate and I talk about his early birding years in the Tacoma area with his older brother Chris, his early photography on a birding trip to South Africa, and his progression from birding into becoming a professional nature photographer and photography tour leader.  It's a fun story, and I think you'll enjoy hearing about Nate's career and travels.  You can follow Nate on facebook @Ch...