The American Birding Podcast

Latest Episodes:

05-45: Behind the Finch Forecast with Tyler Hoar Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

The annual Winter Finch Forecast is easily one of the highlights of the birding year for many, and a perfect combination of birding science and birding art. When Ron Pittaway retired in early 2020, birders worried that the forecast would be retired as well, but that was happily not the case. Tyler Hoar stepped in and with the help of the Finch Research Network, brought the forecast into the 21st Century. He joins us to talk about how it all works and what it was like filling the shoes of a birding giant.

Plus, come join us as we reveal the 2022 Bird of the Year at a party in Philadelphia!

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05-44: A Guide to Pigeon Watching with Rosemary Mosco Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Perhaps more than any bird in North America, Rock Pigeons suffer for their omnipresence and familiarity. But there is more to the humble and ubiquitous species than meets the eye. They are a great opportunity to learn not just about the wonders of birds, but about the interconnectedness of humans and nature. Naturalist and creator of Bird and Moon comics, Rosemary Mosco dives into the weird world of pigeons in her new book, A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird, and joins the American Birding Podcast to talk all about it.

Also, some good new for a lovely birding site in South Texas.

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05-43: This Month in Birding - October 2021 Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

The last Thursday of the month is This Month in Birding with a panel of Jennie Duberstein, Nicole Jackson, and Sean Milnes. We have a wide range of stories to discuss, from escaped birds to birding by ear to landfills to domestic carrowaries.

Links to topics discussed this month:

Steller's Sea Eagle and Eurasian Eagle Owl escape from captivity.

Blind Uruguayan birder creates sound may of Uruguay.

Bird diversity at landfills.

Hummingbirds smell their way our of danger.

Papuans might have domesticated cassowaries.

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

05-42: New Faces at the ABA with Katinka Domen & Laura Guerard. Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

The second half of 2021 has been an exciting half-year for the ABA, not least of which because we got to welcome two new colleagues. Katinka Domen and Laura Guerard are the Coordinators of our Travel and Events program and our Young Birder programs respectively. Both come to their positions having worked extensively in their field and with big ideas about how to make these two pillars of American Birding Association bigger, better, and more fun for birders of every age and station. We're excited to introduce them to you.

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

05-41: Antpittas and Adventure in Colombia Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

There's no place on Earth like Colombia. One of the world's only "megadiverse" nations, Colombia boasts friendly people, stunning landscapes, and absolutely mind-blowing birds. Join host Nate Swick and Colombian birders Diego Calderón (The Birders Show) and Eliana Ardila (Birding by Bus) as we travel through the Colombian Central Andes and explore what makes this place so amazing for birders, and how nature tourism is making a positive impact on the lives of so many people there.

Check out some of the birds we talk about here!

Thanks to Diego, Eliana, Roger Rodriguez, Nature Colombia, ProColombia, Dale Forbes, and Swarovski Optik with their new NL Pure binoculars.

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

05-40: Owls of the Eastern Ice with Jonathan Slaght Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

When Jonathan Slaght's Owls of the Eastern Ice came out last year, it was met with high praise. Slaght's search for the enigmatic Blakiston's Fish-Owl is a part of natural history, part adventure, and part character study set in a part of the world that very few of us know at all, except, perhaps, as the place many of our rare birds come from. It is out now in paperback, and Slaght joins host Nate Swick to talk about owls, writing, and conservation work in the Russian Far East.

Also, Nate considers the official extinction of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

05-39: This Month in Birding - September 2021 Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

It's the last episode of September 2021, and to add to this fall birding bounty comes a super panel featuring Birds Canada's Jody Allair, the Finch Research Network's Ryan Mandelbaum, and Jordan Rutter of the American Birding Conservancy. We're excited to chat about this winter's finch forecast, cutthroat birding, and some analysis of the Covid pandemic pause on birds in urban areas.

Links to topics discussed this month:

Last Week Tonight satirizes the Duck Stamp Contest (language warning)

Birding is a Cutthroat Test of Skill, Strategy, and Endurance

The 2021-22 Winter Finch Forecast is out!

Birders on their (Expensive) Habit

Lockdowns are for the birds

Peru adds Marvelous Spatuletail to 100 soles denomination

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

05-38: Random Birds, Vol. 2, with Ted Floyd Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

Birding editor Ted Floyd returns to join host Nate Swick in another round of "Random Birds", the most fun you can have with a bird list and a random number generator. Ted and Nate talk mergansers, bluebirds, nighthawks, and more as they continue their journey through the combined list of the birds of North Carolina and Colorado.

Plus, Short-tailed Albatross stunts provide an opportunity to talk about birding ethics.

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05-37: ENCORE - Tales of Urban Birding with J.B. Brumfield Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

Few birders in North American have taken on the mantle of urban birding like Ohio native J.B Brumfield. Their Cuyahoga County big years are the stuff of legend, not only for their high totals but for the passion they throw into birding their hometown of Cleveland and getting others excited about the birdlife and birding opportunities there. Chicago native Greg Neise has his own long history birding in urban areas, and steps in to talk to J.B. about Big Years, favorite local patches, and what to love about birding in the city.

Birding editor Ted Floyd shares a commentary about his favorite urban bird.

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Play, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

05-36: More Than a Lawn Thrush with Emily Williams Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

What can we learn from one of the most familiar birds in North America? A bird so well-known that it's migration is remarked upon by friends and colleagues who might otherwise have no knowledge about birds at all. The American Robin, of course, is ubiquitous but there is a lot left to learn. That is, in part, the work of Emily Williams, an avian ecologist at Georgetown University, currently studying the migration ecology of American Robins. She joins us to talk about what we don't know about a bird everyone knows.

Plus, a Pileated Woodpecker story from Nancy Archer of Richmond, Virginia, and the great conservation question comes to National Geographic.

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

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