Hannah and Erik Go Birding

With a multitude of different birding, environmental, conservation, etc. organizations vying for your hard earned cash, how do you decide which ones to support, if any at all?  Hannah and Erik got some insight into their local birding organization, the Oregon Birding Association, by interviewing it's president, Diana Byrne.  Also, Hannah and Erik announce the winner of the book give-a-way!  T...

There have been lots of weird news stories about birds lately - Hannah tells Erik a few of her favorites including stoner gulls, chunky crows, and men who stare at gulls. Also, we are right in the middle of the fall shorebird migration!  Hannah and Erik search the coastline for some birds moving through and discuss some highlights about this annual event.  Show Notes: She Birds Website Crows with...

Heidi Trudell, creator of Dead Birds for Science and Just Save Birds, picks up dead birds.  In this episode, she gets straight into the uncomfortable subject of dead birds and tells you why she does what she does and what dead birds can teach us about architecture, your home, and what you can do to prevent window collisions that kill millions of birds a year. When you go to research this further,...

Hannah and Erik are on the search for the endangered Marbled Murrelet, a seabird that can be found in old growth forests!  They join a community science project to survey this species in an effort to learn more about their population and nesting habits.  Oregon State University researcher, Kim Nelson, and expert volunteer, Laura Paulson, give their take on this fun and educational event. Show Note...

Hannah and Erik meet up with Travis, the Lead Avian Curator at the Oregon Zoo to talk about California Condors.  Travis along with the Oregon Zoo team and other teams around the country are working to restore the California Condor population throughout the US.   How’s it going?  Where will you be able to see them in the future?  Listen in to find out all these answers and more! Show Notes: Queens...

Have you ever had a misconception about an area or region?  Hannah and Erik have birded Tillamook County several times, but just didn't really give it a good shot.  Well, they went back to see what they were missing and found a good time not far from home. eBird Checklists: Tillamook Forest Center Bay Ocean Spit Cape Meares SP  Oswald West SP Other Show Notes: Tillamook Forest Center Cape Mea...

Hannah and Erik heard tale of Mountain Quail at Boneyard Ridge...so they went a-huntin'.  Did they find them?  Listen in to find out!  Also, Susan Peterson, a local birder joins them in the search and discusses how she uses her career in communications and life experiences with wildlife watching to encourage others in her local area to go and see what's out there! eBird Checklist: Boneya...

Hannah and Erik have been doing something kind of sneaky.  They've kept interview answers to themselves!  At the end of most the interviews, we've been asking one more question. A secret question.  NOW is the time we reveal all the answers to you! Thank you for one awesome, bird-y year and we look forward to many more with you all! Connect with us at... IG: @Hannahgoesbirding and @Erikgo...

Hannah and Erik headed over to Central Oregon for high desert birding, to enjoy local beers and search for a few lifers.  They also discussed a controversial change that may be coming soon to the federal Duck Stamps.  Show Notes: Hunting Imagery May Soon Be Mandatory for Federal Duck Stamp Contest ABA Duck Stamp Purchase Page 2019 Birding Classic Results Shearwater Journeys Igoterra eBird Checklis...

Hannah and Erik joined Oregon Pelagic Tours for a trip out to see Albatross, Petrels, and Shearwaters!  Listen in to learn more about pelagics, how to find one, and what to think about if you want to go on a pelagic birding trip.  They saw some incredible birds and marine mammals too...check it out! Be warned -- Erik tends to get a bit seasick and we discuss it a bit.  Keep this in mind if you get...

Hannah and Erik head to Texas for a few Big Days!  Competitive birding is on the rise with a multitude of different types of competitions from 5-mile radius to international affairs and everywhere in between.  Birders have a history of big days and years...but what does it take to plan one of these for yourself and be successful? Did we win the Great Texas Birding Classic?  Guess we'll find o...

In this episode Hannah and Erik, had a chance to sit down at the Lucky Labrador Pub near Portland, OR with Nicole Michel to talk all about her life and the achievements she and the National Audubon Society have achieved over the years.  They also had another installment of "Ask Hannah and Erik"! Show Notes CBC Trends Viewer Climate Watch landing page (lots of resources here) Audubon Gulf...

Hannah and Erik went on Spring Break to Costa Rica....with a group of 30 high school students!  Their goal: turn those kids into birders.  Did they succeed?  You'll have to listen and find out! Show Notes BirdCast Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds Baldi Hotsprings Teaser Video with Rocio Questions Carara National Park "May the 4th be with you, then comes revenge of the 5th"...

Want to learn more about getting kids and others involved in birding and the impact birding has on the world?  Look no further than this panel discussion recorded at the Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival.  Hannah was invited to take part and discuss her opinions and ideas with the other panelists.  Show notes: Wing over Water Northwest Birding Festival Backyard Birding Kickstarter Connec...

Hannah and Erik attended the Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival in Blaine, Washington.  They rode a bus to Canada, bay cruise around Semiahmoo, and Hannah spoke on a panel!  It was a great time and in the middle of it, we played Backyard Birding with it's creators Jeff and Jeremy.  They also had a chance to interview them about the game and their Kickstarter to fund it. Thank you to...

Hannah and Erik headed to the Wildlife Center of the North Coast in Astoria, Oregon to interview its executive director, Joshua Saranpaa, about anything and everything bird and wildlife rehabilitation--just in time for baby bird season! Show Notes: Wildlife Center of the North Coast Guide star Great Texas Birding Classic Wings Over Water Birding Festival   Connect with us at @Hannahgoesbirding and...

Hannah and Erik traveled to Madras, Oregon to volunteer as eagle spotters at the Eagle Watch festival!  They discuss the event, their conversations with guests, a bit of history of the festival, and where it plans to go in the future...and maybe a few lifers! Also, Hannah and Erik recently got a copy of the new, hit board game, Wingspan from Stonemaier Games!  They obsessively played it and told y...

Hannah and Erik celebrate Valentine's Day by counting down 10 of our favorite ways birds court each other, so that they can make little birds.  Listen in to learn some of the fascinating courtship displays, dances, and calls that make bird mating behaviors so unique.  Show Notes: Western and Clark's Grebes Water Dance Anna’s Hummingbird Courtship All About Birds Homepage New York Times a...

Hannah and Erik have an insightful and enjoyable talk with birding legend...Greg Miller!  In 1998, Greg trekked the US to see how he could do in a Big Year and ended up competing against several other fantastic birders.  Funnily enough, their quest was documented in the book and subsequently made into a fantastic movie, both titled The Big Year .   Greg is a wonderful guy and we really joyed talki...

In this episode, Hannah and Erik discuss their recent adventures to a couple Oregon State Parks, answer the first “Ask Hannah and Erik”, and discuss Set-A of the proposals to the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society – whew!  This one is a bit technical…but Hannah and Erik tried to hit the important points of these proposals.   Show notes eBird Checklists:...

Hannah and Erik discuss Christmas Bird Counts!  This is the longest running citizen science; it's in its 119th year.  These counts can teach us a lot about bird populations and help builds trends over time with the help of volunteers -- like you!  Hannah and Erik give some background into its beginnings and discuss the one they did this year.  eBird List: Dallas CBC Other Links: Christmas Bir...

Looking to go to Ecuador sometime soon?  Well, Hannah and Erik have a lot of tips for you!  They were joined by Hannah's sister, Lexi, who also recently traveled to Ecuador and together they discussed some of the things you should know before visiting one of the birdiest countries in the world! Show notes: UNORCAC website   Support the show Connect with us at... IG: @Hannahgoesbirding and @Er...

In this episode, Hannah and Erik try to wrap up their trip to Ecuador in a (semi) timely fashion.  They take you east past Quito to the eastern slope of the Andes, deep into the Amazon Basin jungles, and finish up at the paramo just outside of Quito.  In just about 2 weeks in Ecuador, they saw over 400-lifer bird species and had some incredible experiences that provides them a lifetime of stories...

Hannah and Erik did some birding in Panama and Ecuador this time around.  They went to the Canopy Tower and checked out a few places around Quito and Mindo.  eBird Lists: Canopy Tower TeleferiQo Quito Botanic Garden Birding Road of Mindo Refugio Paz de la Aves San Tadeo Recinto 23 de Junio -- Upper Lek Site Other Links to Check Out: Canopy Tower TeleferiQo Las Terrazas de Dana Shout out to some gr...

Hannah and Erik just got back from the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival and had an amazing time!  They had a chance to sit down with some really great birders and RGV residents: Mary Gustafson, Javier DeLeon, and Monica Barrera.  Hannah and Erik also touched a bit on the trips they led you can find the links to their eBird lists below: Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park Salineno Falcon State P...