Life List: A Birding Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep 8: It's Good to Have Pants Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Pelagic updates, how to prepare for a birding trip, and more. Join us!

Get more Life List by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.
Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Ep 7: Alvaro's Adventure in Spain Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

The guys catch up on Hurricane Ida and how an interest in natural history can lead to an interest in observing weather-related phenomenons before diving into the good stuff: updates from Alvaro's ongoing Spanish Adventure. Oh, and pelagics. There's always pelagics.
Topics covered include: The worst flooding in nearly 150 years in parts of the eastern United States, how storms and flooding affect birds, lots of updates on birding and migration in Spain, and musing on travel during Covid.

Highlight bird species: Honey buzzards, various raptors, storks, and more European migrants; Bridled and Sooty Terns

Locations mentioned: Philadelphia, various locations in Spain, offshore in North Carolina

Send your topic ideas to lifelistpodcast@gmail.com

Ep 6: The increasingly golden era of birding and ornithology Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

Do you know the state bird of Utah, and how it came to be? How old are the oldest hummingbirds on record? Which gulls are of the cherry-picking variety? Get answers to these questions and so much more in this episode of Life List.
Topics covered include: Seasonal changes in birding; American Ornithological Society (AOS) updates, including a focus on genomics and inverted genes; why the western raptor that George spotted in New Jersey didn’t make the rare bird alerts; record-breaking gull lifespans and old birds including (you guessed it) albatrosses and storm-petrels, with a shoutout to good ol’ opossums.

Highlight bird species: Roseate Spoonbills; game birds for purchase; redpolls (how many redpoll species? you tell us); California Gulls; Laysan Albatross and other seabirds; shoutouts to elderly hummingbirds; moonwalking manakins.

Locations mentioned: Niagara Falls, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, the ocean

Links:

American Ornithological Society (AOS)

Send your topic ideas to lifelistpodcast@gmail.com

Ep 5: A Moonbird for the Moon People Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we chat about updates on cicadas and west-coast pelagics, Olympian-quality birds, the fear of owls (and fear of showing people owls), and more birdy stuff. Send us your questions for our next episode, where you can Ask Us Anything!
Topics covered include: Cicadas and their affinity with prime numbers; bird and mammal reports from Farallon Islands pelagic trips; the underdogs of the Bird Olympics (we couldn’t resist); bird names for sports teams; an introduction to bird and dog breed comparisons; oclophobia (which appears to be a fear of owls); and hey, you guys are really listening!

Highlight bird species: Golden eagles and a full Olympian lineup, including a plethora of notable seabirds; Red Knots, with emphasis on Rufa Red Knots; Flammulated and other hard-to-find owls.

Locations mentioned: Local spots around Alvaro in Half Moon Bay, CA, and George in Philadelphia, PA; Farallon Islands; and you know, here and there.

Links:

The Little Red Knot That Could

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Ep 4: Mosquito Birth Control Jul 17, 2021

Show notes

George, Mollee and Alvaro chat together for the first time on Life List. Mollee introduces herself, and the amazing rooftop tent! Alvaro mentions his first June trip to the Farallon Islands, CA. George “cancels” on Subaru at the Philly flower show. But the main discussion is about the Aloha State. Mollee gives us her impression as a first-time birder to Hawaii. George impresses us with his fish knowledge. And we all discuss how Hawaii is amazing, and also a conservation emergency zone. Some native species have become quite rare in just a decade! Climate change is causing the “mosquito line” to move up in elevation, carrying avian malaria with it. We discuss GMO mosquitos and perhaps mosquito birth control through technology! Hawaii has its conservation success stories, especially when considering the native seabirds. Mollee also had her lifer pelagic in Hawaii. We chat about pelagics in Hawaii vs North Carolina, vs California. Shorts on a pelagic, vs freezing cold on a pelagic. And can you pull off the “Jaques Cousteau look?”

Topics covered include: Pop-up tents, Philly flower show, Hawaii bird conservation, Hawaii sea birding, Mollee’s first pelagic, the Atlantic’s first Wedge-tailed Shearwater, and pelagic birding in general.

Highlight bird species: I’iwi, ‘Akeke’e, ‘Akikiki, ʻAkiapōlāʻau, Chickens, Moas, Hawaiian Petrel, Bulwer’s Petrel, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, South Polar Skua, Black-capped Petrel, Newell’s Shearwater.

Locations mentioned: West Virginia, Farallon Islands (CA), Big Island, Kauai, Hatteras pelagic birding
Links:

Send your topic ideas to lifelistpodcast@gmail.com

Ep 3: And from the guy who wrote the book, no less Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

George and Al discuss their local birding endeavors, flightless birds, and Al is almost stumped on naming the two North American birds that undergo two full molts in a year. Hear a killer Virginia Rail/Three Stooges impression and the real reason we named our podcast Life List. Plus, are you a restauranteur? George is revealing his brilliant idea, for free, right here, just for you.

Topics covered include: Volcanic effects on birds in the Caribbean, a population-versus-species mindset for conservation, a philosophical deep-dive on bird listing, and breakfast foods from around the world

Highlight bird species: Orange-crowned Warbler, Mangrove Cuckoos, various Antillean specialties, including the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk

Locations mentioned: Various locations in the West Indies

Links:

Send your topic ideas to lifelistpodcast@gmail.com

Ep 2: Doh! I am gone [Insert Orange-Breasted Falcon] Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

Find out what makes George shriek like a small child and learn all about the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge as we discuss some of our first travel plans since the pandemic started. Also hear a teaser for Alvaro’s talk, Birding Fast and Slow, that deep dives into how our brains translate bird identification as our confidence as birders grows. PS - We have cited proof that watching birds bring people more happiness than money!
Topics covered include: Alvaro on the RRR, George’s recent trip to Colombia, “snake-aphobia," and Mollee and Mandy’s upcoming tour to Hawaii.
Highlight bird species: Common Raven, Goldfinch, Bogota Rail, Apolinar’s Wren, Orange-breasted Falcon, Roadside Hawk, Blue-gray Noddy, and Oregon’s first-ever Blue-footed Booby
Locations mentioned: Hawaii, and the Llanos, the Amazon & the tepuis of Colombia, Canada, and Oregon

Links:

Send your topic ideas to lifelistpodcast@gmail.com

Ep 1: Welcome to the Pod! Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Jumping off, Alvaro & George get Life List going by sharing their birding origins and dipping lightly into the vagaries of gulls and gull people, as well as why birding itself is such a great pastime. Alvaro recalls meeting Batman, his days (or daze?) in “peanut butter & jelly production” and how he used to think golf was weird, while George reveals his plans to announce a new “anti- sesquipedalian society.”

Topics covered include: The Pribilof Islands, Kim K & Kanye’s separation, Philly pride, backyard birds, how birding is rewarding, views on subspecies, and birding’s burgeoning popularity.

Highlight bird species: “Vega” Gull, redpolls, Whooping Crane, Pacific Loon, Smith’s Longspur, Northern Fulmar, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and others

Locations mentioned: Alaska, Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand, Philadelphia, and the Bay Area

Links:

Send your topic ideas to lifelistpodcast@gmail.com

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