Laura Erickson's For the Birds

Latest Episodes:

Dealing with the sun, insects, difficult terrain, and heavy equipment Oct 31, 2025

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Laura talks about how she protects herself from sunburn, bug bites, and falls while traveling, and also how she manages her heavy equipment in her dotage.

Staying Healthy for Birding at 73 Oct 30, 2025

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Laura is trying to keep her body fit and healthy so she can keep birding.

Keeping my brain sharp at 73 Oct 29, 2025

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Now that Laura's in her seventies, she's developed a few strategies for keeping her mind and body fit for birding tours.

A Black Phoebe in Minnesota?! Oct 28, 2025

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A Black Phoebe, a species of the American Southwest not known for wandering, showed up at Gooseberry Falls this weekend.

Chestnut-collared Longspur in Two Harbors! Oct 23, 2025

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On Saturday, Laura saw a brand new, long-coveted state bird for Minnesota--a Chestnut-collared Longspur

Longspurs! Oct 22, 2025

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Laura tells us about her experiences with a group of little birds that were once considered sparrows.

Sun Parakeet Oct 21, 2025

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When Laura was in Guyana, she fell in love with this stunningly beautiful bird, a species that is globally endangered thanks to the pet trade.

My Top Bird Guides: Leon Moore Oct 14, 2025

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Laura's Guyana trip this year was led by one of the best bird guides Laura has ever spent time with. What makes a good bird guide truly great? Laura will be doing a live Zoom presentation about her Guyana trip for subscribers (free or paid) of her Substack blog next Tuesday night (October 21 at 7 pm CDT). The program will be recorded and made available on her website.

Saw-whet Owl Banding, Part 4: Finding Saw-whet Owls Oct 07, 2025

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How can we find owls on our own?

Saw-whet Owl Banding, Part 3 Oct 03, 2025

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The more bird banders learn about owls, the more questions they have.