On this episode Melissa and I talk about her new book, Dare to Bird: Exploring the Joy and Healing Power of Birds as well as her recent travels. Melissa was a guest on Episode #105 in July 2021 where you can hear more about her background and birding story.  

Find her new book whereever books are sold. Here you can find it on Buteo Books. 

You can read more about Melissa's experiences and the book in an article in Audubon Magazine. 

As always check out the related blog post on BirdBanter.com 

Until next time, good birding and good day!

I don't know many birders who may be better known by a reputational moniker than by their real name, but The Urban Birder, David Lindo, may be my first.  I had certainly heard of someone called The Urban Birder, but only looked up who this was after Diane Yorgensen-Quinn put out notice of a trip David is planning to take Diand, Faye and likely other members of our ABC Birding Club on to see the Short-eared Owls of Kikinda, Serbia this winter. 

On the episode we talk about the planned trip, how he came to be known as the Urban Birder, about his various services and roles in his company, and about his approach to urban birding in general. I think you'll find it interesting. 

To see more, check out the related Bird Banter blog post. 

Thanks for listening, and until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode I talk with a relative newcomer to birding, Courtney Ellis. Courtney began birding during the pandemic, and has become a birding enthusiast and ambassador.  Check out her podcast The Thing with Feathers, as well as her soon to be released book Looking Up: A Birders Guide to Hope Through Grief.

We talked about my episode #148 with Holly Merker where you can hear about Ornitherapy and the Mindful Birding Network. 

To read more about the things we talked about check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com. 

Thanks for listening. Until next time, good birding and good day!

How does the Washington Rare Birds Committee work and what makes it effective?  How did Matt find 200 species of birds in every one of the 39 WA counties, and how did he get so passionate about county listing?  Interested in the history and workings of the Washington Birds website (and printed journal prior to the website)?  Matt and I talk about these topics and more on The Bird Banter Podcast #83.  Enjoy.

Links

WA Birder

WOS Bird Records Committee pages

Paul Bannick is an award winning photographer and author and on this episode we talk about his photography, his new books about the Life History of Great Gray and Snowy Owls, his conservation work, photography in general and his life’s work and stories.  Enjoy.

Here is a link to Paul’s website, where you can contact him by email or buy his books.

Read more and see related info on this episode at the Bird Banter Blog. 

Until next time:  Good birding and good day!

I learned lots and had fun talking with Florence Reed and Patrick McMillan.  I learned that most of the people in the world feed themselves on relatively small family farms, and that helping them inprove yields and improve their health and lives.  This alone would be a worthy endeavor, but these farming methods can at the same time really make a difference in the global climate change crisis while improving habitat for migratory birds.  Birders should care about this.  I do, and am so happy to have the chance to talk with these two passionate experts. 

You can learn about Sustainable Harvest International on their web site, follow them on Facebook, and support their cause if you feel compelled as I have felt. 

Learn more at the Bird Banter Blog post about this episode.

Until next time. Good birding and Good Day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #80 Darren Clark and I talk about birding Idaho, photography, eBird, tell birding stories and more.  Enjoy.

You can contact Darren Clark at his website Darren Clark Photography, or follow him on Instagram at either @darrenclark or @idahobirds

Here is Darren’s eBird Profile.

Be sure to check out the BirdBanter.com website to see the blog post with lots more details and links related to this episode. Until next time; Good Birding and Good Day!

Lynn Barber, big year birder in several states and the ABA, and author of three books joins me on this episode of The Bird Banter Podcast. Lynn is an accomplished birder and tireless big year birder. She holds the Texas and Alaska big year records, and until 2016 I believe had the highest ABA Big Year total for a woman.  She has a great story.  Enjoy. 

Lynn lives in Anchorage, and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic got stock of her new book, Big Years, Biggest States: Birding in Texas and Alaska that you can get as a signed copy mailed to you by contacting her on email dalybar@aol.com  Just put book order in the subject line and she'll arrange to send you a copy. 

See the blog post on birdbanter.com to find more details and information related to Lynn and her story. 

Thanks for listening. Good birding.  Good Day!

Nick Lund, "The Birdist" and I talk about how he became The Birdist, birding in Maine, his birding story, and about birding adventures and more on this episode.  

Here are some key links related to the episode. See the blog post about this episode on the Bird Banter Blog for more information. 

The Birdist 

Maine Audubon

The ABA Podcast episode on birding Newfoundland

Please leave a review and rating on your podcast feed of choice.  Good Birding and Good Day!

This episode was recorded about a month ago, and the plan was to publish it while I was recovering from a hip replacement surgery.  Somehow it slipped by, and is being published a bit later than usual.  I think you'll enjoy hearing Tom Bancroft's birding story, and about his career in conservation and ornithology.  Enjoy.

Here is a link to Tom's photography website. 

Be sure the check the BirdBanter.com blog post about this episode for more links and information.  

You may remember John from episode #31 when we talked about his upcoming birding big year traveling only by unicycle and on foot.  Well, as with all things 2020 Covid-19 intervened, but the start of his planned big year is story enough to warrant having John back to hear how is adventure went. In a nutshell, crazy and super cool.  Enjoy. 

Here is a link to John's blog. 

Check out the BirdBanter.com blog post here and leave a comment about your favorite big year stories. 

Thanks for listening. Good birding. Good day

Sometimes as birders we are too quick to overlook the beauty of our common species in search of uncommon or unexpected birds.  Non-birders and birders alike may enjoy as I take a deeper look at 5 species commonly seen in most places in the United States.  Why do geese poop so much?  Why is it Canada Goose but not America Redstart? Check it out.

Also see the associated blog post with photos and more info on these common birds.

Here is a link to the Wild Turkey Thanksgiving Episode.  

Please share this episode with your non-birding and birding friends alike.  

Good birding. Good Day!

Matt Yawney talks about finding vagrants in Grant County, WA, his birding story and more on The Bird Banter Podcast #75.  Be sure to read the blog post associated with this episode on The Bird Banter website.  

Leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcast feeds. 

Until next time. Good birding. Good day!

On this episode I talk with Holly Garrod, an accomplished birder, bird bander and conservationist about her work on bird banding networks with Birds Caribbean, and about the MOTUS network progress in the Caribbean.  Her energy is fabulous, and her knowledge and expertise wonderful. I think you'll enjoy hearing her story. 

Check out Birds Caribbean here. 

See the Caribbean Birding Trail information here. 

Learn about the MOTUS network and the Caribbean MOTUS systems at these links. 

Here is info on the 2023 Caribbean Global Big Day efforts.  

Read more about Holly and the topics we discussed on the Bird Banter Blog Post. 

Thank for listening.  Until next time, good birding and good day!

Jason Fidorra and I talk about his experiences as the Washington State Wildlife manager for the Department of Fish and Wildlife in Benton and Franklin Counties, as well as his experiences as a field researcher prior to that job, his birding story, the shrub-steppe habitat of his area, and more.  Enjoy. 

You can find Jason on Facebook. 

He also moderates the Tricities Birders Facebook page.

Be sure to check out the blog post on BirdBanter,.\\.com for more details.  

On The Bird Banter Podcast #72 with Kimball Garrett we talk about Kimball's extensive experience as a Los Angeles County, CA birder, his work as the Collections Manager for the L.A. Natural History Museum Ornithology Collection, of his time in the golden days of California birding, and his birding story and experiences.  Enjoy. 

Here is a link to Kimball's bio and contact info at the museum. 

Check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more information related to the episode. 

On The Bird Banter Podcast #71 host Ed Pullen talks about resources birders can use to learn to be better birders, to identify birds, and to further their enjoyment of birding.

See the Supplemental Information blog post on BirdBanter.com for links to find most of the resources mentioned in this episode.

Please subscribe to The Bird Banter Podcast wherever you get your podcast feeds to not miss future episodes, and leave a rating and review on your podcast feed platform.

Until next time.  Good birding. Good day!

Peter Hodum is a professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA and is a passionate birder and researcher of seabirds.  We talk about his passion and work with seabirds off the Washington coast as well as in the Juan Fernández Islands off Chile. Peter is an eloquent speaker, penultimate teacher, and I know you’ll enjoy hearing his birding story. For lots of photos and much more detail check out the post on the Bird Banter blog at http://birdbanter.com

Here is a link to Peters not-for-profit mentioned in the episode.  https://oikonos.org/

Hear about birding in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico from a local guide and top local birder. San Blas is an area where you can find a large variety of species and habitats all on short drive day trips while based in this delightful coastal community.  

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #69 with Francisco Garcia we talk about birding in the San Blas area of Nayarit, Mexico on the west coast between Mazatlán and Puerto Nuevo.  Francisco runs Safaris San Blas, a birding guide service in that area, and was recommended as a guest by Heather Ballash and Marcus Roening when we recorded Episode #64. 

Here is a link to the Safaris San Blas Facebook page where you can find Francisco’s Phone number and email address. 

Here is a link to the ABA A Birder’s Guide to Washington that I praise in the introduction to the episode.

Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode with Dennis Paulson we talk about his start as a bird watcher, his life as a naturalist, his dragonfly studies and publications, his travels, and a bit about the politics of conservation and environmentalism.  Birding, Bird Watching, and the love of nature are common themes. Enjoy.

You can reach dennis by email at dennispaulson - at- comcast.net

He is on facebook as @dennis.paulson.10 and as he mentions he posts educational info with photos regularly.

Read more details about Dennis and the episode at the Bird Banter blog.  

Until next time. Good birding. Good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #67 with Dr. Roger Lederer we talk about not just birding and ornithology, but tips on how to prepare for a career in ornighology, travel, and his birding website Ornithology.com  Below are some links to topics we discuss.

Here is the page on Ornithology Careers.

Here is the Osher Foundation site for  adult courses Dr. Lederer discusses.

Here are links to some of the other episodes I talk about in the intro.

Blog post on the Mary Gustafson Episode #55 

Good birding.  Good day!

Andrew took me out birding in Wahkiakum County, WA and we recorded this episode after a great day of birding.  We talk about the Alcyon Farm, his home and wonderful natural area, birding in Wahkiakum County, his Skamokawa Swamp Opera band, his Sea Kayak Business, the history of steemboats on the Columbia River, and more. He is a fabulously talented and interesting person.   Here is a link to the facebook page of the Skamokawa Swamp Opera

and here is a link to Columbia River Kayaking. 

Read and see lots more at The Bird Banter Blog. 

Until next time. Good birding and Good Day!

Patrick O’Donnell is my guest on Episode #65 of The Bird Banter Podcast and we talk about all things birding in Costa Rica. Patrick lives in San Jose, Costa Rica, is a guide for day trips from San Jose, leads trips for his local birding club all over the country, and writes extensively. He has published the Costa Rica Bird Finding eBook which I downloaded in Kindle format, but is available in other formats also.

He is a leader in the Birding Club of Costa Rica

Check out the blog post on the Bird Banter site for more details about the episode and related links.

Until next time. Good Birding. Good day!

Well, after a long break for a fabulous winter trip, the podcast is back with Ed talking about his trip to Florida, Colombia and Costa Rica. 

The Colombia trip was run by Hillstar Nature Tours and led by Joshus Covill.

The Proaves Organization is worth checking out, and here is their article about the possible new species of antpita. 

To see photos, more detailed narrative, and other cool stuff about the trip check out the Bird Banter blog post about the trip. 

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #64 with Heather Ballash and Marcus Roening we talk about being a birding couple, about their extensive experience birding in Mexico, and about our local Pierce County, WA birding community.

You can read more about related topics on the Bird Banter Podcast Blog.

Please leave a review and rating on the podcast feed of your choice, and reach out to me if there are guests you’d like to hear from.

Until next time. Good birding. Good day!

On this episode Mike Denny sits with me and Ken Brown, in a remote area of the Northern Blue Mountains, and we watch and listen to a recently fledged trio of Great Gray Owlets and their parent as we talk about the owls, the area and Mike's amazing passion for birding, education and the environment.  See how many species of birds you can ID from the background of the recording. 

Here is a link to The Secret Life of the Forest: The Northern Blue Mountains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PuebOvlZu4

Here is the web site of the Blue Mountain Land Trust, the group that has helped preserve the land around a top birding area we visited, Coppei Creek https://bmlt.org/

Good birding.  Good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #62 my daughter, Jean Pullen, and I talk about her passion, restorative agriculture in the tropics.  Jean lives in Costa Rica and is in the process with her partner Alan of restoring a hectacre of previous pastureland into a productive, earth-restoring agriforestry project. Jean also works with Jungle Project. You can read more about restorative agriculture at Kiss The Ground. 

You can follow Jean on Facebook

Be sure to check out the blog post on the Bird Banter Website that tells more about the subjects we discussed today. Also please leave a reveiw and rating on the podcast feed of your choice. 

Until next time. Good birding. Good day!

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On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #61 Stefan Schlick and I talk about birding in the Pacific Northwest, his experiences as a birding trip leader, and a bit about dragonflies and .  Stefan is a top ABA birder with roots in Germany who has lived in several top ABA birding areas. He now is a full time birding trip guide based near Portland, OR. 

You can find his Portland Audubon Society trips on their web site. 

Stefan's web site is Birdmeister's Blog

See the supporting notes and more info on this episode at the Birdbanter.com Blog Page. 

Please leave a review and a rating on your favorite blog feed site or here.  

Until next time. Good birding.  Good Day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #60 I talk with Nate Swick, whose job with the ABA is loosely defined as digital content manager, but birders know as the keeper of the ABAs Rare Bird Alerts page, more recently from the ABA Podcast, and as one of the primary faces of the ABA online. Nate is an avid birder, and has helped bring the ABA into the online world in a meaningful way. I enjoyed talking with Nate, and hope you enjoy listening. 

Here is a link to the ABA Join and donate page as promised on the episode.

See the Bird Banter Blog post related to this episode for more information. 

Until next time, Good birding and Good Day!

On this episode I talk with Gary Bletsch, a birder from Skagit County, WA who is an avid county birder, a funny guy, and a lot of fun for me to get to know. You'll hear a lot about Skagit County birding, as well as about Gary's travels and his birding story. 

We talk about the Washington birding website WA Birder.   Check it out on this link. 

Here is a link to the trip report for the Pierce County big day I participated in this week.  Bruce LaBar from episode #3, Will Brooks from episode #  and Peter Wimberger from episode # were the other birders on the trip. 

Visit the Bird Banter blog for more details about and related to this episode.

Until next time. Good birding. Good day!

On this episode I talk with Dave Irons, a top birder, an eBird reviewer, prior regional editor of North American Birds, author of the new book Field Guide to the Birds of Oregon, and a really educational and interesting guest on the podcast.  Enjoy.

Here is a link to buy the Field Guide to the birds of Oregon on Buteo Books.

I mention the episode with Dave's wife Shawneen Finnegan. Here is a link to that episode on Apple Podcasts.  You can find links to several other platforms on the Bird Banter Website.  

Dave talks about the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival.  I strongly recommend it to any birder who wants to attend a great festival. 

Please leave a review and rating on the podcast feed of your choice.

Until next time.

Good birding. Good day!

Pete Salmansohn, knows as Puffin Pete, is my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #57.  Pete has worked as an educator for National Audubon Society and other organizations, and has been especially involved in education about seabirds off the Maine Coast.  We talk about the highly successful and ongoing reintroduction of Atlantic Puffins and other seabirds to breeding islands off the Maine Coast.  Enjoy.

We talk about Hog Island Audubon Camp and here is a link to their site.

Here is a link to a 2010 Science article on the Puffin Reintroduction.

Here is another article about the work of their project.  I like this one a lot.

Here is a link to one of Pete's children's books on Amazon.  

Be sure to check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com to see more related info.

Good birding. Good Day!

On this episode I talk with Mike Bergin, the founder of the largest Birding Blog on the internet about how 10,000 Birds came about, its incredible run of popularity, and about his birding story.  Mike is a true birding ambassador and I expect you to enjoy listening.  

Here is a link to 10,000 Birds 

We mention the Suzie Gilbert, my guest on the last episode of this podcast, has new novel published recently. You can buy a copy of Unflappable on her website.  

Be sure to leave a rating and review on your podcast feel site about this episode or The Bird Banter Podcast in general.  

Thanks and good birding.  Good Day!

On Episode #55 I talk with bird rehabilitator and author Suzie Gilbert.  We talk about her progression from volunteer at a local raptor rehab program where her experience as a writer led to a newspaper column, a children's book and eventually to having her own in-home bird rehab center. Her first adult book was a memoir about the challenges of trying to balance life as a Mom and a rehab center owner and manager.  Her new novel, which I can vouch for as a fine read, is Unflappable, a novel about a young woman on the lam with a bald eagle she is trying to smuggle from Florida to Ontario, Canada.  It is fun to talk about her passion for birds and her writing career.  Enjoy. 

You can buy Unflappable at Amazon or Barnes and Noble online.

Her website is SuzieGilbert.com

We talk about her time as a writer for 10,000 Birds, a top birding blog.  

Here is a link to the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association website Suzie mentioned where you can learn lots about bird and other wildlife rehab. 

Be sure to check out my blog post with more details about the episode at Birdbanter.com.

Until next time.  Good birding. Good day!

On this episode I talk with Liam Hutcheson, sho just finished his record breaking Washington State big year.  We talk about his big year, highlights, misses and people.  Also about his birding story.  While talking with Liam I marveled at how interconnected our birding community is, and how helpful birders are to each other.  Pervious guests on the show who helped in one way or another with Liam's birding and his big year include:

Bill Tweit episode #8

Shep Thorpe episode #9

Ryan Rodriguez episode #47

Ken Brown #2, Bruce LaBar #3 and I were with Liam on a trip in early 2023 with Jacob Miller to the southeast corner of WA to see winter specialties. 

For more details check out the BirdBanter.com blog post about this episode. 

Until next time, good birding!

In this episode Nate and I talk about his early birding years in the Tacoma area with his older brother Chris, his early photography on a birding trip to South Africa, and his progression from birding into becoming a professional nature photographer and photography tour leader.  It's a fun story, and I think you'll enjoy hearing about Nate's career and travels. 

You can follow Nate on facebook @ChappellPhoto  or at his web site http://www.trogontours.net/

The Tahoma Audubon Society that Nate mentions has lots of field trips as well as having a Christmas Bird Count.  You can find theim at https://www.tahomaaudubon.org/

Be sure to check out my web site Bird Banter 

Until next time.  Good birding and good day. 

Ryan Merrill and I talk about his birding story,  birding in Washington State, and about his local patch birding.  He also talks about his work on the Washington Bird Records Committee, and life as the husband/father in a family with a young child as a birder.  Enjoy. 

Photo Credit:  The photo of the Swallow-tailed Kite used in the thumbnail for this episode is by Laurel Parshall.  You can hear Laurel and other "Willettes" on episode #20 of The Bird Banter Podcast. 

You can reach Ryan by e-mail: rjm284-at-gmail-dot-com

Here is a link to the Washington Bird Records Committee site:  http://wos.org/records/

This is info about the Seattle Audubon Society Young Birders activities:  https://www.seattleaudubon.org/sas/About/EnvironmentalEducation/YoungBirders.aspx

The Swallow-tailed Gull Ryan found in WA made the  local media in many places. Here is an example:  https://www.heraldnet.com/news/this-very-rare-bird-in-edmonds-is-4000-miles-from-home/

Ryan talks about Carkeek Park near his home in Seattle. Here is info about that local park:  https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/carkeek-park

I hope you all stay well, get birding often, and until next time. Good birding. Good day!

On this episode I am joined by Stephanie Seymour, the artist of the recently released album There Are Birds.  She is an avid birder, has her own private official hawkwatch station at her home in New jersey, and is a longtime professional musician.  This album has 12 songs, each with the song title being the name of a listable North American bird except the final track, Migration is Over.  Three of the songs are included in this podcast. Enjoy.

You can buy Stephanie's album at her website: There Are Birds

If that hyperlink does not work just go to http://www.therearebirds.com/

We mention the birding in Central Park with Saphir who led walks in spring there for about 40 years before her death.  The movie, The Central Park Effect is very cool, and features Saphir in part.  https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/news/birdwatching/film-central-park-birders-explores-birdwatching-deeply-human-activity/

Find more at my blog at http://birdbanter.com/index.php/category/thebirdbanterpodcastblog/

Until next time.  Good birding. Good day. 

Lane Epps and Corrie Fulsom-O’Keefe Episode Podcast notes

On the Bird Banter Podcast Episode #51 I talk with two women who have maintained and nourished a long-time and long-distance birding relationship.  They actually used a recent episode of this podcast to help plan a birding trip to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and interestingly on that podcast two of my best birding buddies and I talk about our trip.  I hope you enjoy the episode.

Lane works with the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge, and here is a link to their website.  http://www.btnwildlife.org/

Here is a link to the Brookline Birding Club website  https://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/  This is the club that hosted the bird walk in the Boston Gardens where Land and Corrie first birded together.

Here is a link to the Bombay Hook NWR site mentioned in the episode  https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Bombay_Hook/

Until next time, good birding and good day!

In The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #50 Nathanael Swecker and I talk about his extensive experiences birding on the huge military post in Tacoma, Joint Base Lewis McChord, about his bird banding at the Morse Preserve, his work with the Tahoma Audubon Society where he is serving at the current president, and about his experience as an openly gay birder.  He is an exceptionally engaging and articulate guest, and I think you'll enjoy his story. 

You will find more details about this episode on the associated blog post on BirdBanter.com 

Enjoy. 

I got home from Texas this week, the next day chased and found a lingering Siberian Accentor in Cowlitz County for a new Washington State bird to me, and now sit down to reminisce about the trip to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  I talk briefly about my time with Ken and Bruce, but mostly about stretching myself, leading a trip of 11 people to the valley, far outside my past trip-leading experience and off my home turf.  It worked out pretty well. I had fun and I think the others did too. We saw some cool birds, new places, and everyone got through it without undue stress or major problems.   You can read more about the trip on the Birdbanter.com blog, or on the trip report on the ABC Birding Club website.

Thanks for listening.

Good birding. Good day!

I’ve been in the LRGV now for almost 2 weeks, and am starting to feel like I can find my way around. I am also starting to meet some of the local birders, and today was able to meet with Mary Gustafson.  I

learned that Mary and I have at least one thing in common. Ken Brown was helpful to us in our earlier birding days. When Mary was at UPS Ken often took her out locally birding. You can hear Ken's birding story in episode #2. 

Mary is a top national birder, and has lived in the Lower RGV for about 15 years. She has been a trip guide here, has a long resume as an ornithologist working around the country and abroad, and was really fun to meet and talk with today.

She mentions that she worked at the National Bird Banding Center, and here is a link to their website. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pwrc/science/bird-banding-laboratory?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

She mentions Peter Pyle’s two tome book used by bird banders and museum curators for bird ID, aging, etc. Here is a link to that on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Identification-Guide-North-American-Birds/dp/0961894024  This is part 1, part 2 is easy to find also. 

Here is the web site for the National Butterfly Center. https://www.nationalbutterflycenter.org/

Be sure to check out BirdBanter.com blog for more info, photos, etc. 

Follow @birdbanter on Facebook and  @birdbanter on twitter.  My error on the podcast, I changed my twitter handle from @dredpullen to @birdbanter. 

Good birding.  Good day!

On episode #47 I talk with Ryan Rodriguez at his Dad, at the office of his Dad and primary birding chauffeur Victor Rodriguez.  Ryan learned to read at age 4 by studying the Sibley Guide to the Birds of North America for a full summer. He is an avid birder, Young Birder of the Year contest participant, and a wonderful guest on the Bird Banter Podcast. Enjoy. 

Check out the associated Bird Banter Blog Post for more information and photos of and about Ryan. 

Please leave comments, reviews, and contact me on the Bird Banter website contact page if you have suggestions for additional guests or topics. 

Good Birding and Good Day!

We record Episode #46 after our 8th consecutive long day of birding in the lower Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, and Ken and Bruce were gracious enough to talk with me about our time here.  To learn more about Ken and Bruce's birding story and our times birding together check out two of my earliest episodes @2 with Ken Brown and #3 with Bruce LaBar.  I think you'll enjoy both of them. 

During this episode we explored much of the valley, and it is far too much for podcast notes to discuss here. Check out the Bird Banter blog at http://birdbanter.com/index.php/category/thebirdbanterpodcastblog/ for a more thourough report. 

Here is a link to the World Birding Center site: http://www.theworldbirdingcenter.com/

Please leave a review and rating on whatever platform you get your podcast feed from, and until next time.

Good birding. Good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #45 I talk with Annie Meyer. I first met Annie when she was a pre-teen birder, and we talk about her birding story, her birding and research experiences, and conservation issues regarding birds. She has wonderful stories to tell.  I had a great time talking with Annie. Enjoy. 

You can reach out to Annie Meyer @anniemeyer on Facebook on Instagram @Annie_Meyer 

The website for Third Millennium Alliance in Equador, preserving corridors for wildlife is http://tmalliance.org/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/silent-skies-billions-of-north-american-birds-have-vanished/ Is a link to the Science article we talked about. 

Here is the Third Millenium Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/tmalliance/  

We also discussed Land Trusts. Here is a link to the Washington Association of Land Trusts https://walandtrusts.org/

Here is a link to a photo of and info about the bird we discussed, the Hoatzin.  https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/hoatzi1/overview

Until next time, Good birding.  Good day!

Birding is not the first thing many think about when considering a trip to Italy, but as birders, it is always a consideration.  On this episode I talk with Marco Valtriani, a guide with the Birding In Italy group of bird guides.  As you can inagine a lot of their business is taking visitors from the U.S. and other far away countries out for a birding break from their other tourist activities in Italy.  

We talk about where and when to find birds in Italy, how to best use the services of his birding tour group, the hopeful fact that the killing of birds for food has markedly diminished, the natural park system of the country, and lots more.  

I also talk a bit about Christmas Bird Counts, how you can find one, and my experiences with CBCs.  

Thanks for listening. As always, check out the blog associated with this episode on the Bird Banter website.  

Good birding. 

On The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #44 Clarice Clark and Jerry Broadus, Tacoma area birders and volunteer conservation and ornithology researchers talk about their life experiences in these fields.  They have really walked the walk in terms of putting their efforts, resources and time to further their passion for  helping understand and safe birds and bird habitat.  Here are some links to topics they discussed to learn more.

First here is a link to our ABC Birding Club website and the article on the presentation  by Jerry and Clarice. http://abcbirding.com/saving-hawaiis-birds-june-2019-presentation-by-abcs-intrepid-bird-banders-clarice-clark-and-jerry-broadus/

This is information about the Duck Stamp program and a way to buy yours online. https://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php

This is the website of the Friends of Willipa Bay who run the festival we talked about on the episode.  https://friendsofwillaparefuge.org/

This is the site of the Nisqually NWR  https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Billy_Frank_Jr_Nisqually/

This is more information about the issues Jerry and Clarice faced in their recent work in Hawaii. https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/01/07/nr20-004/

Last this is the site of Duck’s Unlimited. You know an old and powerful organization when they have a great url like this.  https://www.ducks.org/

Until next time. Good birding. Good day. 

In this episode, after most of 2019 as the inaugural year of The Bird Banter Podcast, with 53 episodes, some brief and unnumbered, I look back at the guests I've talked with, the fun I've had, and feel happy with the year in the rear view mirror.  Enjoy. 

Here are some links to things discussed in this episode:

http://thespeckledhatchback.blogspot.com/  Dorian Anderson's current website and his Biking for the Birds 2014 Big Year Blog http://bikingforbirds.blogspot.com/

You can find Christian Hagenlacher's book and website here: http://www.thebirdingproject.com/falconfreeway

Here is the Alvaro's Adventures Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/alvarosadventures

Here is a link to Rob Porters Songbirding Podcast Website:  https://songbirding.com/

Dr. Geoffrey Hill's website has his birding blog and a link to his professional website to learn more about his research on speciation:  https://www.ornithologistsblog.com/

To learn about John Pushcock's Attu tours and other tours check his website here: http://www.zbirdtours.com/

You can find Sharon Stiteler, aka Birdchick here for her podcast: http://www.birdchick.com/

Be sure to check my blog at http://birdbanter.com/index.php/category/thebirdbanterpodcastblog/

were you can find more info about the podcast, blog posts related to most episodes, and more.

Until next time.  Good birding.  Good day!

In this episode I talk with my son Brett.  I'm visiting Brett in SE Asia, with visits to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  We talk about his travel and experiences in SE Asia, about birding in these two areas, and have a father-son talk about issues we have observed in these areas.  I hope you enjoy. 

Here is a reference about where the plastic in our oceans comes from.  90% comes from just 10 rivers, 8 of which are in Asia. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/90-of-plastic-polluting-our-oceans-comes-from-just-10-rivers/

Here is a reference about bicycle training in Chiang Mai  https://www.tropicalmba.com/chiang-mai-is-a-great-place-for-a-winter-cycling-training-camp/

Thanks for listening, and until next time. Good birding. Good day!