Looking at Birds: A Birding Podcast

This is the last episode from my time in the Rio Grande Valley. My guest is Ruth Hoyt, a Texas Master Naturalist and Certified Interpretive Guide who loves photography.  I signed up for a bird photography field trip at Laguna Seca and that’s how I met Ruth. After a morning of bird photography with Ruth, we decided to record the interview. We recorded it a few hours later in the Birding Bazaar on t...

My guest is Javier De Leon, a Park Superintendent who has been at Estero Llano Grande for the last 8 years and other local nature centers for the last 17 years. He tells us about how get into birding, his role as Park Superintendent, more about the park and also a resident that many come to see - the Common Pauraque. For more on Estero Llano Grande, please check out: Website - https://tpwd.texas.g...

My guest is John Brush, the resident Urban Ecologist and Park Naturalist at Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen, Texas. He provides environmental education to visitors and grows native plants to rewild and enhance the park. He tells us about how became interested in birds, got into this role and also shares about the Clay-colored Thrush, a bird that I was fortunate to see on my way out of the park, after t...

For this episode, I recorded 3 smaller interviews at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, in the Birders Bazaar.  My first guest is Victor Lawrence , an educator and falconer, with Wildlife Revealed and Sky Kings Falconry. He tells us a little about falconry and his love for birds.  My next guest is Dorian Anderson , a guide, photographer and avid birder who some of you might know for his almos...

For this episode, I have two guests: Andrew Core, an avid birder who frequents the El Rio Preserve and Jay Grodman, the Natural Resources Supervisor for the Town of Marana, who will tell us more about the preserve, its origins, and explain the lack of water you might’ve noticed if you’ve visited recently. As a result of the this decrease in water, there wasn’t as much bird activity in the backgrou...

My guest is a familiar one, from Episode 8, Karen Vandergrift. This episode, she talks about her ranch in Uruguay, birding around there and the bird of the episode is the Raven. She tells us about the Common Raven and Chihuahuan Raven, while delving into some cultural perceptions of these birds and how those perceptions are connected to actual traits they possess. While cicadas can be heard during...

My guest is Rick Taylor, author of the recently-released  Birds of Arizona field guide and one of my favorite pocketable field guides -  Birds of Southeastern Arizona.  Rick tells us about how he became interested in birds, what went into making this field guide, along with a deeper dive into some of the new features, like the range maps. The bird of the episode is the Eared Quetzal, a bird that h...

My guest is Alyce Bender, a Wildside Nature Tour Leader, Contributing Writer to the Journal of Wildlife Photography and a Tamron Ambassador that has photographed birds all over the world. She talks about birding in Japan, wildlife photography, one of her favorite owls in Arizona - the Western Burrowing Owl and then the bird of the episode: the Whooping Crane.  Learn more about Alyce @ https://www....

My guest is Kathe Anderson. She frequently leads field trips in the Phoenix-area and at wildlife festivals across the state. She participates in multiple local survey programs and Christmas Bird Counts, along with authoring articles for local Audubon Society newsletters. We talk about some of her experiences on field trips, counts and she tells us about the Rock Pigeon. For some pictures of Rock P...

My guest is Jeff Ryan, an author, adventurer, photographer and historian, who joins us virtually, all the way from Portland, Maine. He recently released his new book on September 1st – This Land was Saved for You and Me , which we’ll talk about during the episode, along with some of his wildlife encounters on the Appalachian Trail and he'll also tell us about the Common Tern. •For more about...

For this episode, I have 8 guests! I tried something a little different and brought my setup to the Nature Expo at the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. I asked each guest to share  a memorable birding experience and how they got into birding. 

For this episode, my guest is Luke Safford, the Director of Engagement and Education for the Tucson Audubon Society. He coordinates the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival each year, is involved with the Tucson Valley Christmas Bird Count and also leads a number of field trips. Luke tells us about his role at the Tucson Audubon Society, planning the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, and finally,...

This is the conclusion of a 2-part special focusing on avian predators and their prey, in the southwest. This episode focuses on predators, and returning as my guest is Jeff Babson;  as an all-around naturalist, he had plenty to share on the topic of avian predators. Listen in as we talk about predators, their unique tools, and how they adapt to survive and thrive in the hot summer months. The fea...

This is part 1 of a 2-part special focusing on avian predators and their prey, in the southwest. This episode focuses on prey, and returning as my guest is Jeff Babson;  as an all-around naturalist, he had plenty to share on the topic of avian prey. Listen in as we talk about what birds eat and how their prey survive and thrive in the hot summer months. The featured bird of this episode is one you...

My guest is Daniel Klem Jr., a professor of Biology and Sarkis Acopian Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology at Muhlenberg College. After dedicating the last 48 years of his life to avian window collisions, he is widely-recognized as the foremost authority on the subject; he has recently released a book on the topic - Solid Air, The Invisible Killer: Saving Billions of Birds from Windo...

For the 20th episode of the podcast, I traveled to Catalina Island and interviewed Nic Grant, a Marine Science Instructor and Aquarist at the Catalina Island Marine Institute. Nic talks about his experience birding in Cape May, about working in the aviary of the Philadelphia Zoo and also tells us about the Great Blue Heron, a few of which happen to be nesting not far from where we recorded! 

Julian Faughn, from the Raptor Free Flight Program at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, joins us to talk about his experiences working with raptors and also tells us about the Harris Hawk. During this episode, you'll hear, frequently, from a nearby Ferruginous Hawk as well as a visiting Common Raven. Pictures of Harris Hawks from the Raptor Free Flight Show can be found on Instagram - @lookin...

This episode’s guest is Amanda Timmerman, the Collection Specialist for the Raptor Free Flight Program at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. She’ll tell us about working with a variety of raptors, and the bird of the episode, the Black-throated Magpie Jay. Pictures of this beautiful bird will be on Instagram - @lookingatbirdspodcast

For this episode Dan Weisz returns and we talk about Christmas Bird Counts, my participation in one for the first time, as well as one of the birds we saw, the Western Bluebird. Please check out the podcast's Instagram @lookingatbirdspodcast

The podcast returns to the interview format with a familiar guest: Jeff Babson! We talk about the effects of the recent increased rainfall in Southwest Arizona, we also talk about birding this season, with the many new visitors it brings. Jeff tells us all about Wild Turkeys, how their population rebounded and how they might have found their way onto our Thanksgiving dinner tables. Please check ou...

This is a collection of recommendations from my guests on episodes 2-8, in addition to some recommendations from myself. Recommendations include items that will increase your knowledge of birding, your ability to identify birds and your comfort level. 

This episode is a collection of bird identification tips shared by my guests over the course of the first 8 episodes along with a few tips from myself. For birders looking to pick up their first field guide, I've included a comparison between the West Coast versions of the National Geographic and Sibley field guides. The new content was recorded at a few different locations and if you listen...

This episode is a collection of advice for new birders, shared by my guests, from the first 8 episodes along with a few tidbits from myself. 

My guest Brian Nicholas, an avid birder from the Northeast Coast who participates in the Tucson Bird Count and leads birds walks. Brian tells us all about the Historic Canoa Ranch, why you shouldn't approach a Northern Goshawk's nest and the joys of having a backyard bird habitat. As a bonus, around the 30-minute mark, a Brown-crested Flycatcher makes a cameo "appearance."

My guest Julie Michael has an educational background in geography and volunteer experience at Sabino Canyon, the Patton Center for Hummingbirds and leading birding field trips. Julie tells us how the local geography attracts and accommodates a variety of migrant and local birds. She talks about mindfulness while birding, looking for Buff-collared Nightjars and shopping for native plants at a big b...