Birds of a Feather Talk Together

Get ready for the crossover event bird lovers can’t stop talking about! In this special episode of Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we welcome the hilarious and musically gifted duo behind the Extremely Accurate Bird Songs Podcast — Tommy Siegel and Billy Libby . Join hosts John Bates , Shannon Hackett , RJ Pole , and Amanda Marquart as we: 🐦 Listen to unbelievably accurate (and funny) bird son...

Jenna Mccullough is a third generation birdwatcher from Boise, ID. She got her bachelors at the university of Idaho (2015); got her masters (2018) and PhD (2024) at the university of New Mexico. She's a postdoc at the university of Kentucky and about to start a National Science foundation fellowship at the natural history museum of Los Angeles County and UCLA.  Jenna joins us to talk all abou...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we’re joined by Marcel, a listener whose heartfelt letter deeply moved all of us—and whose story shows just how powerful a connection to nature and birds can be. After going from being a world-class athlete to navigating the challenges of a severe brain injury, Marcel found healing, peace, and meaning through birding and spending time in nature. In t...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we’re joined by legendary birder Peter Kaestner—the first person in history to see more than 10,000 bird species in the wild. A lifelong birder and former diplomat, Peter shares incredible stories from decades of birdwatching across the globe, including birding adventures in remote regions, discovering a new bird species, and traveling through Colomb...

We’ve got a fun one for you this week as we get ready for a very special guest: Peter Kaestner—the first person to see 10,000 bird species in the wild. We speak to him next week. To prep for that epic conversation, we're taking a closer look at the bird that earned him that milestone: the Orange-tufted Spiderhunter. Spoiler alert—Amanda was not impressed by it at first, and John and Shannon d...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we explore one of North America’s most beloved backyard birds: the Black-capped Chickadee. Known for their cheerful “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” calls, fearless personalities, and incredible intelligence, Black-capped Chickadees are far more fascinating than most people realize. In this episode, we dive into chickadee behavior, bird communication, memory, w...

Learn about the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the most common hummingbird in eastern North America, and how it achieves incredible flight, speed, and long-distance migration. This birding and birdwatching podcast explores hummingbird behavior, migration, and backyard feeding tips for beginners and experts alike. In this episode of Birds of a Feather Podcast , we revisit one of our favorite past episo...

This week, we're revisiting a listener favorite all about Blackpoll Warblers —tiny birds with an absolutely epic migration. Whether you're new to warblers or already a seasoned birder, this episode is packed with fascinating facts and fresh insights. John and Shannon dive into what makes the Blackpoll Warbler’s journey so mind-blowing, and John gives us a broader look at warblers in gene...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we dive into the weird and fascinating world of the Great Potoo—one of the most mysterious and unusual nocturnal birds on Earth. Known for their enormous haunting eyes, incredible camouflage, eerie vocalizations, and almost mythical appearance, Great Potoos are among the strangest birds in the natural world. We explore how these nighttime predators s...

In this nature-packed episode, we dive into the fascinating world of Wood Ducks —one of the most beautiful and iconic duck species in North America. Learn about their striking plumage, unique nesting habits, and the incredible moment when day-old ducklings leap from tree cavities to join their mother on the ground. We also share a recent encounter with a Barred Owl family , and answer a listener’s...

In this timely and urgent episode, we explore the devastating impact of recent budget cuts and defunding of the National Science Foundation (NSF) on the U.S. scientific community. Originally planning to discuss Wood Ducks, our conversation quickly shifted to the broader crisis facing science in America today. Join married ornithologists John and Shannon as they share firsthand insights into how th...

This week we are talking about one of the coolest birds in North America: The American Dipper. This is a smaller nondescript bird that has learned and adapted how find food in some of the roughest river water imaginable. It can fly through waterfalls, withstand rushing currents, and to the eye just looks like a little gray songbird. John and Shannon both have a ton of experience with them, so it’s...

This week we talk about the Spotted Towhee. RJ and Amanda saw them on their trip to Sedona, and thought it would be a fun bird to learn more about.  Hosted by John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart.  Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Blue Sky Social, YouTube and tik...

If you listened to our series on the Feather Thief, or read the book, you are familiar with the Red-ruffed fruitcrow. It was also called the Indian crow in the book. We wanted to follow up the series to talk more in depth about one of the birds that was mentioned so much, and it was pretty fascinating to learn more about this bird that actually has not been researched much. As always, its our host...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we explore the fascinating world of the Gambel’s Quail—one of the most recognizable and charismatic birds of the American Southwest. RJ and Amanda recently spotted these incredible desert birds during a trip to Sedona, and with John’s Arizona roots, the Gambel’s Quail quickly became the perfect bird for this episode. Known for their distinctive topkn...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we dive into the strange and fascinating world of the Hoatzin—one of the most unusual birds on Earth. Native to the swamps and river systems of South America, the Hoatzin is famous for its prehistoric appearance, unusual digestion, strange odor, and one truly incredible feature: chicks are born with claws on their wings that help them climb through v...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we explore the fascinating world of the Purple Martin—North America’s largest swallow and one of the most unique birds in birding. Known for their graceful flight, communal nesting habits, and deep relationship with humans, Purple Martins rely heavily on man-made nesting structures throughout much of the eastern United States. We discuss why these bi...

If you've listened to our other episodes, you know Shannon's stance on Mourning Doves. See if we can convince her otherwise in our episode on Mourning Doves.  Hosted by John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart.  Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Blue Sky Soci...

Harlequin Ducks are a captivating species of small, compact waterfowl known for their distinctive appearance. These beautiful ducks feature a large, rounded head, a small bill, and a steep forehead. Their striking plumage showcases a stunning slate blue color, accented with white stripes and chestnut sides. The head is especially eye-catching with a white crescent marking in front of the eye and c...

In today’s thrilling episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of true crime with Kirk Wallace Johnson , bestselling author of The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century . Join us as Kirk unravels the extraordinary story of a bizarre heist at The Natural History Museum in Tring, where a daring thief stole priceless rare bird feathers, setting off a gl...

This week we close out with our final thoughts on the Feather Thief, as well as talk about the importance of museums and their collections. It’s our last episode before we talk to the author Kirk Wallace Johnson, so get ready for next week.  This week we talk a little bit about obsession in general, and how it is human nature to become obsessed, whether it was Alfred Russel Wallace, or even Edwin...

Welcome back to Part 5 of our exploration of the book The Feather Thief . We discuss the horrific act that’s still causing ripples in the world of museums. We’ll also take a closer look at the role museum collections play in science—a subject misunderstood by some fly-tiers in the book. We also talk about how museum specimens drive scientific progress. We’ll also touch on some of the oddball resea...

Our adventure through the pages of the book The Feather Thief continues! We’re thrilled to have Jason Weckstein join us again. Jason is an enthusiastic fly fisherman and fly-tier, and also an amazing ornithologist. He joined us last week, and is back with even more laughs, stories, and an extraordinary depth of insight into the quirky worlds of both fly tying and bird watching. We dive into one of...

We are doing a mini-series on The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson. This week we have a very special guest, Jason Weckstein, join us for a conversation about the intricacies of fly-tying. Jason is not only an avid fly fisherman and fly tier but also a passionate ornithologist. Jason is an Associate Curator of Ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Associate Pr...

Part two of our Feather Thief mini-series!  This week we cover chapters on Walter Rothschild’s infamous museum, the fashion madness known as "feather fever," which drove people to decimate millions of rare and exotic birds. Then we’ll explore the aftermath—how a group of determined women, appalled by the devastation, sparked a movement to protect birds, culminating in the founding of the...