Laura Erickson's For the Birds

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Natural Sciences
**Laura Erickson’s For the Birds**

“For the Birds” began airing on KUMD in Duluth, MN, in May, 1986, and is the longest continually-running radio program about birds in the U.S. Hundreds more episodes are available for free at http://www.lauraerickson.com/radio/.

Latest Episodes:

Hawaii before chickens and humans arrived Apr 16, 2024

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Millions of years ago, Hawaii was off to a rocky start.

Chickens, Part 1.5: Kin of Chickens Apr 11, 2024

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The rules of counting non-native birds are not always consistent.

Chickens, Part I: Domestication Apr 10, 2024

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The most abundant bird on the planet, feeding billions of humans every day, is the chicken. Laura talks about how they became domesticated and some genetic differences between domestic birds and their wild ancestor, the Red Junglefowl. The recording used in this program is of a wild Red Junglefowl in India, recorded and contributed to Xeno-Canto by Lars Lachmann.

Solar Eclipse! Apr 08, 2024

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Laura remembers a wonderful eclipse from three decades ago.

Trip Guilt and Guilt Trips Apr 05, 2024

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Is using energy always the same as squandering it?

Redpolls! Apr 03, 2024

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Along with Duluth's spring blizzard came redpolls! (In the background throughout, the sound is a recording of the redpolls at Laura's feeder made this past Saturday, March 30.)

Jim Baker Announces a New Product! Apr 01, 2024

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New for the traveling birder!

Flaco: Post Mortem Mar 29, 2024

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A post-mortem established that Flaco, the famous Eurasian Eagle-Owl whom a vandal released from the Central Park Zoo, was carrying lethal amounts of three anti-coagulants, a pigeon herpesvirus, and even a toxic metabolite of the pesticide DDT. Is anyone actually "free" if they have no alternative but to eat poisoned food?

Stopping by Peabody Street on a Snowy Morning Mar 27, 2024

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Laura waxes poetic about a poet.

Separation Anxiety Mar 26, 2024

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It's hard watching children, or a Pileated Woodpecker, move on to independence.