Laura Erickson's For the Birds

Laura thinks the sudden surge in Red-headed Woodpeckers in her neck of the woods may be due to emerald ash borer and the sudden surge in dead ash trees.

In many ways birds are superior to us humans, and also luckier. This is exactly the kind of program that has inspired some people to call Laura the "Dr. Ruth of Ornithology." The accompanying blog post has a lot of worthwhile photos listeners might want to see.

This bird of machismo and contradiction keeps scientists guessing.

Laura doesn't like the idea of bucket lists, but she does have a wish list.

Laura feels wealthy in ways Elon Musk or Donald Trump never will.

Laura's trip to Florida's Dry Tortugas was a wonderful success.

Laura and her birding buddy Bernie went to Chamber's Grove last Wednesday to see the annual visit by hundreds of American White Pelicans.

Laura reflects on this year's Earth Day compared to the first Earth Day in 1970.

Laura talks about taking photos through window glass.

Laura is headed to South America next month, and is studying up.

Laura leaves next Friday for a birding tour of Florida's Dry Tortugas.

Laura was ready with her camera to capture an exciting interaction between a Common Merganser and a northern pike.

Laura claims she's done thinking about the number of birds on her many bird lists.

Woodcocks are back in the Northland, much to Laura's delight.

The longstanding sponsors of "For the Birds" have updates: Billionaire Earth Angel is embarking on a new project to prove people were banding birds 45,000 years ago, and Jim Baker just added a new, secret ingredient to his already perfect Baker's Blue Jay Blend.

Of the seven species of woodpeckers on Cuba's official checklist, one is almost definitely extinct and one has appeared in the country only as an extremely rare vagrant. Laura saw all five of the others on her February visit to Cuba.

Seeing Bee Hummingbirds in Cuba last month filled Laura with joy.

During this bird flu outbreak experts are cautioning people to leave bird carcasses where they are, even though functionally illiterate eagles, dogs, and other creatures have been infected by these carcasses. Laura made a decision about how she will handle this situation if a carcass turns up in her yard.

Every spring it's important to make sure our feeders are safe for birds. During this bird flu outbreak, this is more important than ever.

Famous migration patterns of swallows and cranes is scary this year, as wild and domesticated birds are still dying of highly pathogenic avian influenza and humans are getting infected, but we're losing the very forces that usually manage these crises.

Laura is bewitched by Cuban Todies.

Laura's hearing loss has grown worse since the pandemic, but suddenly things are looking up!!

The morning after she got home from Cuba, Laura and her husband set out for East Lansing, Michigan, so she could see a chickadee in the same area where she saw her first exactly 50 years ago. The blogpost corresponding to this segment is much longer, with lots of photos.

Laura had a splendid trip to Cuba.

Elon Musk is hoping to set up a launching and landing area for his SpaceX Starships in a very vulnerable, important area.