Ann Göth spent some of her formative years as a scientist studying one of the most curious birds on the planet, the Tongan Megapode, that uses the heat of the volcanoes of the isolated islands of Tonga, in the Pacific Ocean, to incubate their eggs, rather than build a mound like their close relatives.  Learn about this astounding bird, and the adventues Ann had as a budding ecologist!

Ann has collected her experiences with the Tongan Megapode, and turned them into a book, that has been recently published. You can check out the first chapter of Ann's book here.

The book is available as ebook and paperback from all major retailers, including Amazon, Dymocks, Wheelers, Barnes & Noble, Bookdepository and the publisher, Austin Macauley. https://tinyurl.com/2putxzys.

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first, or check out the live chats on several platforms at thebirdemergency.com/live. Streaming live to Youtube, Facebook Live, Twitch and Twitter.

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon.

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

You can now also become a member, for some extra special access.

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

You have probably seen the devastating reports about the infestations of avian influenza sweeping parts of the world, affecting nesting colonies of seabirds, migratory birds and domesticated birds?

I invited Dr Michelle Wille back to the show to talk about the current situation with bird flu.

Follow Michelle on Twitter @duckswabber.

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon.

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

You can now also become a member, for some extra special access.

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first, or check out the live chats on several platforms at thebirdemergency.com/live. Streaming live to Youtube, Facebook Live, Twitch and Twitter.

Here is the audio of the recent live stream, in the Monday with Holly regular Monday spot, where Dr. Matt Herring talked about his current crowdfunding campaign, to raise about $70,000 dollars to attempt to track about a dozen of one of the least known, and rarest birds in Australia, the Australian Painted Snipe.

Please make a contribution to the campaign - https://chuffed.org/project/paintedsnipe

If you would like to check out the Bitterns In Rice project, just visit https://www.bitternsinrice.com.au/

Thanks to Leo and Patrick, two terrific photographers and friends of birds, who have shared their photos on Flickr. Go and visit their respective pages;

Leo - https://www.flickr.com/photos/0ystercatcher/

Patrick - https://www.flickr.com/photos/patrick_k59/

Visit the Birds In Backyards site for some inspiration for making your backyard great for birds.

If you want to see The Bird Emergency interviews as they happen, bookmark thebirdemergency.com/live

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon.

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Meet Dr. Catherine Young, who describes herself as a "actual living scientist", a birder, traveller, bird guide & general nature enthusiast.

We discuss the Forty-spotted Pardalote, one of the subjects of the Difficult Birds Research Group, which is based at Australian National University, and Cat's work with the group, while being based in Tasmania.

We talk about all of Cat's previous bird and animal adventures around the world, including working with mongooses!

Of course, we get to know where she fits as a bird nerd, and she answers the usual Bird Emergency questions!

You can follow Cat on Twitter @CatMYoung

Check out the Difficult Birds Research Group here.

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

It's a special episode! Assoc. Prof. Dr. Peter Burnett from the Australian National University tells me about the calamitous failures of the administration of Australia's environment laws, as reported by the Australian National Audit Office, in this report from the Auditor-General, "Referrals, Assessments and Approvals of Controlled Actions under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999"

After 20 years working in government managing and reviewing environment policy, this report shocked him.  It's no wonder our threatened species have fared so badly over the last decade.

Pay special attention to Peter's comments about the major tool of the department in this policy area, offsets!

Read Peter's article from The Conversation here.

Honour Roll - You have to give credit where credit is due! It's NSW environment minister, Matt Kean, who purchased Narriearra station in the state’s far north-west, for a new national park. As mentioned in The Guardian, "The area includes wetlands listed as nationally significant and is home to at least 27 threatened species, including almost 90% of the endangered grey grasswren’s habitat and breeding areas."  Hooray!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/27/nsw-makes-record-land-purchase-for-new-national-park

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Claire Greenwell is two years into her PhD, which she is doing at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia.

Claire is undertaking a comprehensive study of the Australian sub-species of the Australian Fairy Tern, currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.  Claire is adding to the knowledge of the diet, feeding habits, nesting and distribution of this sub-species, hoping to avoid the catastrophic decline that has been suffered by the New Zealand sub-species.

You can follow Claire on Twitter @cn_greenwell

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Tegan Douglas is a bird researcher, proud Bird Nerd and the Citizen Science Project Co-Ordinator at Birdlife Australia's Western Australia office.

In this episode we talk about many of Western Australia's endangered birds, Carnaby's Black Cockatoo, Western Ground Parrot, Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Bristlebird and the efforts to secure the populations.

Tegan tells me about her earlier fieldwork with the Red-browed Treecreeper, and why she loves Australian Babblers.

In a wide-ranging (and fun) conversation we discuss many conservation strategies, modern urban landscapes, the largest area of natural woodland on the planet and the Western Australian landscape feature that is visible from space!

Here’s the link to that urban sprawl versus urban infill paper Tegan was talking about: https://www.fullerlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Sushinsky-et-al-2013.pdf

Follow Tegan on Twitter for informative and entertaining bird content @TeganDouglas

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

It's the very first World Albatross Day, and a dedicated group of bird field workers, hardy seafarers and research academics are doing their best to reduce the unnecessary deaths as a result of commercial fishing and the by-catch mortality of many seabirds, but especially albatross species. Nina DaRocha & Stephanie Prince of the Albatross Task Force tell us all about it.

Get involved and attend the special events to mark the first World Albatross Day and raise awareness about the hard work & the successes as a result of co-operation between the fishing industry and the various conservation and regulatory bodies. It's a good news story!

Please get involved. The live  Q&A event with albatross experts is TODAY Friday 19th June at 12pm BST.

Zoom link: https://birdlife.zoom.us/j/94712623619

but it will also be recorded so you can catch it later.

YouTube talks from albatross experts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-qt7a4aOdE&list=PLjf5GrOWkQXM7izXX1gaLxAYF35fGWlQH

ATF web site: www.rspb.org.uk/albatrosstaskforce

Twitter: @AlbyTaskForce

Facebook: Albatross Task Force

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Dr. Ben Sullivan is a biologist based in Hobart, Australia, who has an interest in reducing the harm the global fishing industry does to non-target species, particularly albatross.

Find out about the work it takes to develop a great idea to be fit for market, and the work it takes to have it accepted by a global industry.  Ben explains how the Hookpod works, and quantifies how seabird deaths caused by the global fishing industry are counted, and the impact his device has had on these deaths.

Ben shares his favourite bird, his favourite location where he has been and the top location on his wishlist, one shared by many hardy birder and researcher.

If you want to help expand the use of Hookpod, and save even more of the seabirds roaming the oceans, you can Sponsor a Hook, which helps a fishing vessel, somewhere in the world, equip themselves to upgrade to using Hookpods. The albatross will be thankful. Do this at hookpod.com.

Find out more about the work Ben does at Fishtekmarine.com and on Twitter, and check out the latest about Hookpod at Hookpod.com and at their Twitter.

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Meet the Far Eastern Curlew, perilously close to disappearing, subject of this Episode of The Bird Emergency.

Every year as the days begin to get shorter in the marshes of the Arctic, the entire population of Eastern Curlews leave their breeding grounds in northern hemisphere and embark on a 10,000km journey to the coast of Australia, potentially calamitous for a bird that cannot swim! If the trip becomes too arduous and a bird is exhausted, drops into the sea below, further reducing the limited population.

The Far Eastern Curlew has undertaken this back-and-forth for tens of thousands of years, following the invisible flyways along the coasts of Australasia, the Indo-Pacific, east Asia to the Arctic Circle, in what is one of the most taxing migrations of any bird. Harry Saddler was so fascinated by this migration, the effort it places on the birds and how people view the birds as they pass through so many human territories.  His discoveries about the places and the challenges the Eastern Curlew overcomes, prompted Harry, an award-winning writer from Melbourne, to share his knowledge about this migration with the world.

Sometimes a book is a total surprise & this little tome by Harry Saddler sure is.

How can an unknown & unnoticed bird be the subject of a real page-turner? Because this bird has an amazing story!

Good Reading magazine said in a review, ‘It might be surprising that Saddler can wrangle a whole book centred on just one, relatively little-known species of bird, but there is no shortage of material."

Enjoy this conversation about an exceptional bird, & it's perpetual journey between Australia and the Arctic, as much as I did! Such a great story, told by a master storyteller.

Check out the book here at Affirm Press, or ask your local bookshop to get it for you (if they don't already have it!).

Harry is active on Twitter, and shares a lot about the birds he sees around his home and workplace, described as only an award-winner author can. I recommend following him @mondaystory 

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Amanda Lilleyman is a researcher at the Charles Darwin University, in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.

She monitors the Far Eastern Curlew population as it spends its non-breeding season in the southern hemisphere, particularly the segment of the population that uses Darwin as its feeding ground.

Amanda tells us about her project work, how she became interested in birds and what the future holds for her as a researcher.

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Dr. Stephanie Borrelle is a David H. Smith Research Fellow at the University of Georgia in the USA, but her love of seabirds began many years ago in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Visit Steph's website here

And take a look at her working group fighting plastic pollution in the oceans here.

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Promo for The Bird Emergency Podcast

A year or so back I spoke with Dan Nugent about one of Australia's strangest and rarest birds, the Plains-wanderer, and the work that Dan was doing monitoring the birds in the grasslands of Victoria and New South Wales. (If you haven't heard that episode already, you can grab it here)

In this episode we will hear about current work monitoring a western population of the Plains-wanderer that occurs in the state of South Australia, with Saskia Gerhardy, from the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, at the University of Adelaide.

Saskia's work has been conducted alongside a project with Bush Heritage Australia, at Boolcoomatta Reserve, a property managed by this important conservation organisation.  Bioacoustics are one of the major tools employed to monitor the very cryptic, nocturnal Plains-wanderer.

Here is a recent article from the Bush Heritage magazine, Bushtracks, about the work that is happening at Boolcoomatta and the Plains-wanderer.

If you want to follow the project with Saskia, and get updates, follow her on Instagram here. (@saskiagerhardy)

If you want to see The Bird Emergency interviews as they happen, bookmark thebirdemergency.com/live

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon.

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Here is a bonus for you - audio of the live stream where Grant spoke with Dr. Michael Mulvaney about the (recently listed as Endangered) Gang-gang Cockatoo, and community efforts, by the Red Hill Regeneration Group in Canberra to assist it, as well as some interesting observations that have been collected via Citizen Science projects.

Grant and Michael were joined by Ellen Rykers, award winning science writer, from Forest and Bird in Aotearoa New Zealand about the BIrd Of The Year (which was announced on that morning!) Find out which species won the title, and a little more about it, and the work Forest And Bird does in New Zealand.  There is also a nice association between Ellen and the Gang-gang Cockatoo.

Follow Ellen on Twitter here or check out her website.

Follow Forest And Bird on Twitter.

If you want to see The Bird Emergency interviews as they happen, bookmark thebirdemergency.com/live

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon.

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Dr. David Watson, is an ornithologist, and Professor in Ecology in the school of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences at Charles Sturt University, in Albury in regional, New South Wales, Australia. David and post-Doc researcher, Elizabeth Znidersic have recently released a paper where they present a new approach for the resoration of habitat on the broad scale, acoustic restoration, where broadcasting soundscapes can entice animals to recolonise areas that have been disturbed, or suffered major impacts from events such as bushfires.

David shares his thoughts in this episode.

You can read the article in Ecology Letters here (open access)

Check out Dave on Twitter, and catch his fabulous reviews of his local birds, that he calls #AwesomeBirds..

Have a look at David's Google Scholar back-catalogue.  Bit of a rock star!  

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

There is a new birder/birdwatching podcast on the scene, it's produced in Melbourne as well, and I am really excited that it's another avenue for people to discover the joy of getting to know birds, and to become a certified Bird Nerd!

I spoke with the host and producer of the show, Kirsty Costa, recently, and I am pleased to be able to introduce Kirsty to you in this bonus episode.

will let Kirsty's words describe her show, and her;

"Birdwatching is for everyone. Anyone of any age can go birdwatching, no matter where they live.

Weekend Birder is a podcast that shares the knowledge and skills of the Aussie birdwatching community.

Discover how to identify birds, fun facts, where to go birdwatching and how to use equipment.

Episodes are short so that you can get out there and try out your new skills and knowledge."

"Kirsty Costa is a teacher, science communicator and conservationist.

During the week, Kirsty leads education for a science-based conservation organisation. On the weekends, you will find her hanging out in nature with her friends and family.

After a lifetime of loving wild birds, Kirsty started calling herself a “birder” in 2020. As part of her commitment to education and science, she interviews other birders so that everyone can enjoy birdwatching together."

I encourage you to visit The Weekend Birder podcast website, and find the best way for you to listen.

Check out the website here

Follow on Twitter here

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

For almost 30 years, ornithologist, Neil Hamilton has been caring for, working with and studying birds, and many of Australia's unique animals.

Beginning as teenager at Tooronga Zoo, Neil has gone on to senior keeper positions at Perth Zoo, and moved on to practical conservation work and research with the WA government.

Neil has devoted much of his time in recent years studying the elusive Ghost Bird of the Australian Outback, the Night Parrot, listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with perhaps as few as 200 mature individuals existing out there in the dry spinifex plains of the Western Australian desert.

In this episode, Neil talks about his career working to understand and protect birds, and organising teams of Ghost Bird volunteers to seek out the Night Parrot on regular survey trips.

Follow Neil on Twitter to keep up to date with what he and the team are up to.

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

This bonus episode is the audio from the live stream recently conducted with Robert Ashworth, A Masters student at Melbourne University. Robert is running a Citizen Science project about known nesting sites and hollows used by the Australian grass-parrot, the Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus). Robert is looking for you to report any instance you know of Red-rumps using a hollow for nesting, no matter when you witnessed it!

To get involved with Robert's  Red-rump project, Rumpuary, follow this easy link - thebirdemergency.com/redrumps

Contact Robert on social media;

Twitter - @robdashworth

Instagram - @r_ashworth97

You can find the full live stream video of this episode at thebirdemergency.com/robashworth 

Remember to Subscribe to the YouTube channel - it helps out a lot!

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Here is the Fotography Friday conversation that Grant and Nicolas Rakotopare had with Sandy Horne, recounting her introduction to photography, and bird photography in particular.

The photographs discussed are on this webpage and also check out Sandy's Flickr albums. 

Follow Sandy on Twitter @SandyHorne61

Don't forget to have a look at Nico's pics...

You can find some really lovely shots from Nicolas on his website, not limited to his work with birds at lerako.net

Follow Nicolas on Twitter - @le_rako

And still more great images from Nicolas on Instagram @lerako

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

Another Bonus episode - the audio of a live stream where Grant Williams and Dr. Holly Parsons suggest some plants they like to use in a bird and wildlife-friendly garden, and give some design tips.

Grant draws upon his knowledge as a horticulturist to suggest an approach to structure, and to suggest a few plants from each category that he suggests using stratification as a major design principle - thinking like a bird!

Holly draws upon her experince with the Birds In Backyards program to add more useful species suggestions.

If you are designing or improving a bird-friendly garden, listening to this episode will be time well spent.

You can find the video of this episode at thebirdemergency.com/YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

Image credit - MainlandQuokka, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Almost exactly a year ago, Milly Formby told me about the planning and the extraordinary fundraising campaign that had enabled her to embark on a flight around the continent of Australia, in a microlight aircraft that she built herself (with some great mates assisting), as part of a mission to raise awareness of the extraordinary migrations undertaken each year by shorebirds, flying from the arctic regions, to Australia, and back!

MIlly is now about half way through the journey, and has been visiting schools to let the students and teachers know about these amazing birds, and share the knowledge about how and where these birds spend their time in Australia.

MIlly joined me to give an update about the Wing Threads project, the highs and lows, and what she has lerned along the way with Wing Threads.

MIlly has a current crowdfunding effort - support her here.

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon.

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

You can now also become a member, for some extra special access.

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first, or check out the live chats on several platforms at thebirdemergency.com/live. Streaming live to Youtube, Facebook Live, Twitch and Twitter.

What do you think is the rarest bird in New Zealand?  Perhaps, you immediately think of the Kakapo? But the title probably belongs to a seabird, or a little-known shorebird, the Southern Dotterel (or the Southern Red-breasted Plover) (Chadrius obscurus), which has been described as a distinct species and listed as such on the IUCN Red LIst. It is listed as Critically Endangered and the population trend is indicated as Decreasing.

Last assessed in 2017, the IUCN estimates that the population is between 60 and 80 individuals, which is limited to one population, which occurs (fortunately) within the boundaries of the Rakiura National Park, on Rakiura (or Stewart Island), off the southern tip of the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Alasdair Burns spoke with Grant, from Stewart Island (Rakiura) about the Southern Dotterel, and recounted his work previously with the species, and explained why the specialisation of the species, and it's limited range makes it extremely vulnearable, especially to feral predators, such as cats, rats, mice and possums.

See the grim IUCN Red List assessment for yourself here.

Check out Predator Free Rakiura on the web here; https://www.predatorfreerakiura.org.nz/contact-us/

And they are also on Facebook; https://m.facebook.com/100852492507299/

There is a lot of Southern Dotterel info from the New Zealand Department Of Conservation website; https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/nz-dotterel-tuturiwhatu/

Vote for Southern Dotterel for New Zealand Bird of the Year on Instagram (Voting begins in October - so set yourself a reminder!); https://instagram.com/southern_dotterel_boty

See the full show notes at thebirdemergency.com/dotterel

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

This episode is a little different than our usual "regular" episode, in that is the audio of the video live stream, and a number of images and videos are referenced in the recording. Because the subject matter is so shocking, and really should be a wake up call for many people (listen for the distressing stats of how many chicks are found to have ingested plastic in the colony of Flesh-footed Shearwaters on Lord Howe Island). 

Dr. Jennifer Lavers is on of the co-leads of The Adrift Lab, based at the University of Tasmania. Jenn has been studying the same colony of Flesh-footed Shearwaters on Lord Howe Island for almost two decades. There is continuous data for this entire, except for one breeding season, when fieldwork was not conducted due to pandemic restrictions.

Joining Dr. Lavers in this discussion are two PhD candidates, Lill Stewart and Alix de Jersey and Honours student, Nina Jones. Each of these students have a different focus in their respective projects, but I am sure each with turn out to be significant when it comes to how the wider community deals with the ubiquitous issue of plastic pollution.

It is important that you watch the video we discuss in the episode. You can see it here thebirdemergency.com/adrift

• The Adrift Lab
• Dr. Jenn Lavers
• Lill Stewart
• Alix de Jersey
• Nina Jones
• Dr. Alex Bond
• Dr. Alex Evans (not Adrift Lab!)

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

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Fotography Friday has been given a bit of an overhaul, and will be an irregular regular bonus in The Bird Emergency feed.  The reboot episode features  Nicolas Rakotopare, who is based in the northern Australian state of Queensland.

His work focuses on documenting science and nature, bringing stories of science, conservation and nature to a general audience through all the channels available today.

Nicolas has a degree in Ecology and Conservation Biology and grew up in Madagascar.

He has been based in Australia for over a decade and was the science communication and media specialist for the Threatened Species Recovery Hub (before it ceased to be!) and also works on other projects for NGOs, magazines, research institutions as well as eco-tourism content creation.

Here is some of the gear that Nicolas usually carries in the field;

• Canon EOS 1DX2
• CANON EF 24-70 F/4
• CANON 16-35 F/4
• CANON 300 F/2.8
• extenders.

Lot's more in-depth discussion about gear and the advantage that Nicolas has in gaining work, due to his science background.

If you want to see the conversation between Grant and Nicolas, visit thebirdemergency.com/nicolas

You can find some really lovely shots from Nicolas on his website, not limited to his work with birds at lerako.net

Follow Nicolas on Twitter - @le_rako

And still more great images from Nicolas on Instagram @lerako

To catch the next Fotography Friday, featuring Nicolas and Sandy Horne (and all future Fotography Friday conversations) bookmark thebirdemergency.com/photo

Professor Hugh Possingham is widely know in Australia, as the Chief Scientist in the State of Queensland, but also as a champion of birds, and for his work assisting to develop conservation stragegy and plans utilising his skills as a mathematician, combined with his training as an ecologist to devise conservation initiatives that integrate spatial planning and economic factors.

He has co-authored more than 650 peer-reviewed papers, with more than 30 in the world’s top two scientific journals Science and Nature, and is a  Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in. In 2016, Hugh was elected a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Alongside his official duties, Hugh is a confirmed (massive) Bird Nerd, and an originator of Bird-A-Minute.  It was my pleasure to spend some time talking birds and conservation policy with Hugh.

Follow Hugh on Twitter (great handle!) @HugePossum

Read his full bio here.

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

Continuing with our regular theme exploring the interactions between birds in urban settings, and the humans that have created and live in them, Grant spoke with ecologist and author, Emeritus Professor Darryl Jones, of the Centre for Planetary Health & Food Security and the School of Environment & Science at Griffith University about the idea some some species are adapting their behaviours to thrive in the built environment, perhaps on the road to becoming new species.

You can read Darryl's Griffith University academic profile here

You can follow Darryl on these social media platforms;

Twitter: @MagpiejonesD

Facebook: @thebirdsatmytable

Instagram: @thebirdsatmytable

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

Should we be feeding our local wild birds? Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia, Dr. Johanne Martens and Prof. David Phalen from the University of Sydney, discuss this issue with Grant, who has been feeding his local birds in the park. Where did they end up on this disputed topic? 

If you are interested in this issue, be sure to batch Grant talking to Darryl Jones, who wrote "The Birds At My Table" which you can find at thebirdemergency.com/live

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

Camilo Carniero is a biologist and ecologist and postdoc researcher at the South Iceland Research Centre, after completing a PhD in Biology and Ecology of Global Change; University of Aveiro.

His masters thesis was the "Breeding parameters, diet and growth of the Red Heron (Ardea purpurea) in Salreu, Aveiro" and his PhD thesis was about whimbrels in Iceland, titled "Bridging from the arctic to the tropics: implications of long-distance migration to individual fitness."

I spoke with Camilo about his long-term observations of the Whimbrels in Iceland, and what it was like to work in a location that many people wish they could visit.

Keep up with his latest Twitter posts - https://twitter.com/Camilo_Carneiro

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

Yoav Perlman is based in a region of the world that is not often the first thought when bird nerds begin thinking about destinations to sate our birdwatching desires, but the Middle East is a great destination.  It is on an avian highway, and the movement between Africa and Europe and Asia is comparable to the annual migrations between the American land masses.

Yoav is into birding, photography, ringing, sound recording, twitching, and dipping. In this episode her shares his experiences with Grant about the birds he see and studies in Israel and the Middle East in general.

If you want to check out more of Yoav's interests, work and travels, have a look at his blog - yoavperlman.com

And follow his socials - Facebook , Twitter and Instagram.

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

The term "biodiversity" is thrown around and inserted into conversations all the time. But when one person says biodiversity, is the full meaning of the term conveyed to anybody listening? Dr. Holly Parsons from Birdlife Australia (Birds In Backyards) is joined by Jacinta Humphrey, a PhD candidate at LaTrobe University in Melbourne. Her research focuses on the impacts of urban development on birds at the landscape scale.
Holly and Jacinta kick around a lot of the issues that are picked up in any discussion about biodiversity in an urban setting with Grant.

Did we reach any consensus?

BTW Sign the petition - it's urgent, and it pertains to the Blue-billed Ducks that we referenced in the show. https://www.kes.org.au/home/campaigns/lakeknox

You can watch the unedited conversation for the show, and see the upcoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

What is it like to be involved in a breeding program and managing part of an insurance population of an endangered species that is under human care?  How important are the birds that you see in free-flight displays at zoos and sanctuaries around the world? How do the birds in those shows get selected, and is it a good purpose for those birds to be put to?

If you have ever wondered about any of those issues, you will enjoy hearing Chad Crittle, Senior Keeper of Birds and Free Flight at Adelaide Zoo, who supervises a wonderful team of animal professionals, delivering care for 1000 individual birds from over 100 species, talk about these issues.

Adelaide Zoo is part of Zoos SA, a private foundation, which also includes Monarto Zoo, and Zoos SA participates in the captive breeding and management programs for the Regent Honeyeater, Orange-bellied Parrot, Plains-wanderer and Malleefowl.

As well as supported research with animals in human care for species such as Little Penguins, Australian Sea Lions, New Zealand Fur Seals, Swift Parrots, Regent Honeyeaters, Regent Parrots, Palm Pockatoo and many others. His main passion is sharing the stories of wildlife with people who visit the Zoos SA sites, as well as directly contribute to vitally important conservation work both on site at the zoos and in the wider community.

SInce 2009, Chad has presented over 3500 large scale animal shows, highlighting the work of good zoos in the conservation space and highlighting species to the thousands of visitors good zoos receive each year. Chad has also worked directly on several conservation programs including captive breeding of the critically endangered Western Swamp Tortoise, Swift Parrots, Orange-bellied Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters.

You can watch the unedited conversation with Chad, many of the past conversations, and see the upcoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Have you heard the term "DeGrowth" being thrown around in recent years? Have you wondered what it really means, and can it be achieved in a modern society?

Hear Martin Tye explain to Grant what it means, and how a modern, industrialised society might move towards a sustainable existence.

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon.

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Dr. Sally Bryant is the Chair of the Forty-spotted Pardalote Recovery Team. The Recovery Plan for the 40-Spot is currently being updated, so the team are busy doing that. (Yes, I know we love this bird!).

Over more than 30 years, Sally has worked in government and in the non-government and private sectors that are becoming increasingly important in order to adequately protect species, intact habitat and to repair potentially suitable habitat for ongoing mananagement of endangered species.

Get much more details about her wonderful career (and download the current version of the Recovery Plan) at thebirdemergency.com/SallyBryant

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birde

If you have a copy of the Australian Bird Guide, then you already are familiar with some of the work of Rohan Clarke.  If you have been a keen Bird Nerd for many, many years, and consume as much information as you can about Australian Birds, then you have probably read many articles where Rohan is an author, or cited as a reference. (I know I have!)

Rohan is an ecologist and ornithologist, is a Master of Environment and Sustainability, a Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Head of the 'Research Ecology' lab, in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University.

While Rohan is widely known for his interest in avian ecology, he has also done a lot of work with animals of all sorts, and is now shaping the careers of young ecologists, working on research projects of all sorts.

Follow Rohan on Twitter for some fabulous bird and ecology content, particularly great pics, and some sightings updates - https://twitter.com/rohanclarke01

Here is the link to Rohan's lab (consider a career in STEM?) https://www.researchecology.com.au/

Here are a couple of recent papers that have come out of Rohan's lab at Monash University;

This one is on the response to the Black Sat Bushfires and the Bristlebird rescue (open access) https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/csp2.606…

This one on some of the recent translocation work (and led by PhD student Will Mitchell) https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/csp2.569

And this one is on Giant Centipedes and seabirds on Norfolk Island and the fact that the centipedes structure the food web (led by PhD student Luke Halpin) https://journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/715702

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds Program at Birdlife Australia, and Grant Williams recently spoke with Dr. Joe Welklin, one of the principal researchers who originated The Fairywren Project, which has been looking into the ecology, distribution and relationships between the genus Malurus, better know as Fairywrens, in Australia.

To see much more detail, the habitat photographs provided by Joe and all the updates regarding the follow-up live stream coming up on Monday May 30th, just head over to thebirdemergency.com/fairywrens

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

This episode began as a celebration of one of the most curiously named, most loved and interesting migratory species of North and Central America, the Prothonotary Warbler.  It became a very free-flowing and wide-ranging discussion about a bird that Jarod is obviously very passionate about, his connection to the migratory birds that he sees and appreciates each season, and the efforts he takes to encourage the PROWs that visit his area to breed in artificial nest boxes, made from juice or milk cartons.

The Prothonotary Warbler breeds in the northern parts of the USA and Canada in wooded country, but heads south to avoid the northern winter to spend the cooler months in mangroves in central America.

It's a bit of fun, as Grant and Jarod appreciate a mutual love of birds, albeit in very different places.

Visit the page for this episode on thebirdemergency.com/PROW for a lot of great photos provided by Jarod.

Follow Jarod Hitchings on Twitter - @ilwarblers

Check out the Rare Bird Alert Facebook Group  for Jarod's area 

Bob Dolgan is also a big fan of the Prothonotary Warbler, and has produced some very striking T-shirts that celebrate the PROW. You can check out one of Bob's articles here, and also check out the t-shirt.

Interested in a fabulous Prothonotary Warbler T-shirt, that will also send some money towards the American Bird Conservancy? Then follow this link...

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (WorldMigratoryBirdDay.org) and this episode we talk to Scott Pursner from the Taiwan Wild Bird Federation about the birds that move thorough Taiwan, that reside in Taiwan and the reclaimation project to maintain some disused salt pans, that had become important habitat for some rare bird species.

Scott talks about the variation of the habitats that are present on Taiwain, the co-operation of the different conservation groups, citizen science and the awareness of birds by the people of Taiwan.  Scott talks about the efforts to preserve disused salt pans that had become important habitat for shorebirds when the industry had ceased.

Check out Taiwan Wild Bird Federation website here

Follow TWBF on Twitter

Maybe you prefer TWBF on Facebook or

Perhaps on Instagram

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (WorldMigratoryBirdDay.org), PhD candidate, David Tan, tells us about the stunning Pittas that needlessly fall victim to BirdStrike as the migrate thorough SIngapore, why SIngapore is a great birding spot, and his adventures in Arizona, a bird hotspot in the USA.

Visit David's website - https://davidbirdtan.com/

Follow David on Twitter - @g33k5p34k

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Photo courtesy - Marcus Salton

What could be for fun than talking again about penguins, with somebody who has summed up their research project in a haiku?

Well, in this episode, as part of the @PintOfScienceAU Takeover for 2022, you will meet Javed Riaz, who is a undertaking PhD studies on the foraging habits and prey of the Adelie Penguin, in the Australian Antarctic territory.

Adélie penguins are indicators of the health of their ecosystem. By studying the foraging behaviour and habitat, Javed expects to further understand the movement behaviour and foraging strategies of Adélie penguins, and their relationship with oceanographic parameters and the regional prey-field.

This is critical knowledge in order to highlight regional forage areas and predict likely impacts and responses under future krill harvesting and climate scenarios.

Here is a link to a summary of Javed's research - https://mpredlab.org/team/javed-riaz

Follow Javed on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JavedZRiaz

Check out these other accounts on Twitter if you are interested in Antarctic research coming out of Australia;

Australian Antarctic Division: @AusAntarctic

IMAS: @IMASUTAS

Marine Predator Lab: @mpred_lab

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Something we have returned to time and time again in The Bird Emergency is how we have removed the nesting opportunities for birds that require hollows, and the need for shelter by all sorts of wildlife.

Thankfully, there are many people looking at other options, other than waiting 100 years or so for natural hollows to form.

Dr. Kylie Soanes tells me about some of the options being explored in Melbourne, and some of the new materials being employed.

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Have you ever considered brushing up on your bird-watching skills in a more formal and structured way?  Are you just starting out and would like to get a headstart on the years it takes to get to know the best methods to identify any bird you see around you?  Do you have kids, or know someone who is just getting into the great pasttime of bird-watching, and you would like to encourage them to take the interest further?

If you thought "YES" to any of those things, then you might be interested in a new course being run by Ricki Coughlan, ornithologist and very experienced bird-watching guide.

Ricki told me about the reasons for the course, how it is structured, and how anyone will benefit from it.  

Enrolment is open now!

You can enrol in the course here. - https://aussiewild.com.au/bird-watching

Follow Ricki on Twitter - @RickiCoughlan

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

As we move from traditional power generation methods we may be introducing significant new threats into the landscape.

For many years Hamish Cumming has been trying to protect the Brolgas of western Victoria against the proliferation of windfarms in the prime habitat of the southern population of the Brolga, one of Australia's two crane species, and the only endemic.

Trying to increase the safe buffer zone distance between wind turbines and the feeding, roosting and breeding grounds of the Brolga has been a long term commitment by Hamish.

You may be surprised how a government department charged with protecting vulnerable species can behave.  I hope you learn something about Brolgas, and gain some insight about the issues that transitioning to a new power-generating economy will raise. 

Meet Hamish Cumming and the Brolgas of western Victoria.

You can support the efforts to protect the Brolgas of western Victoria here -

https://www.gofundme.com/f/Save-Southern-Brolgas-from-Extinction

Follow Hamish on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamishcumming

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Meet Brenton See and Sally Edmonds, prominent artists based in Perth in Western Australia.

See the artwork mentioned in this episode, and get all the links at thebirdemergency.com/Art

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon.

You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

World Penguin Day has ambushed me! Truth be know, I did not even know it existed!  Luckily when I saw some Twitter talk about it, I had an episode just about ready to go!  Please enjoy hearing Dr Ursula Ellenberg, from the Tawaki Project tell me about the marvellous penguin, the Tawaki, or as we know it in Australia, the Fiordland Penguin.

Tawaki is one of the crested penguins, that are found in the sub-antarctic zone, and the vulnerable Tawaki is found in the southernmost parts of the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.

It seems very fitting that we release this episode on ANZAC Day, a very significant day in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, which is also the day we think about the penguins of the world.

Here is the story of the origin of World Penguin Day.  https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-penguin-day/

Check out the Tawaki Project here - https://www.tawaki-project.org/

Support the project on Patreon if you can - https://www.patreon.com/TawakiProject

Follow Ursula on Twitter here - https://twitter.com/ulnberg

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

When I was a youngster, I used to imagine being able to venture into the dense schlerophyll eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia with the chance to see the majestic, slightly terrifying but aptly named Powerful Owl. 

This bird is the largest of the Australian owls, and has adapted to living in the suburbs and cities, as agriculture, forestry, bushfires and urban sprawl alter or eliminate the preferred habitat of this possum hunter.

Bronwyn Isaac has studied some of the Powerful Owls that have moved into the suburbs of Melbourne, and have become successfully established.  Hear about her work, and learn a lot about the Powerful Owl.

Follow Bronwyn on Twitter - https://twitter.com/raptorecologist

You can find Bronwyn here on LinkedIn

Bronwyn also has cute pics of owls on her Facebook.

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Birdlife Australia always has a range of projects underway to learn more about our endangered birds, and to design the important programs to try to ensure the survival of the most at-risk species in Australia.

Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia talks to Grant about these projects. (There was too much for one episode - next one follows)

• Bird-friendly Gardens
• Orange-bellied Parrot surveys
• Act For Birds petitions
• Glossy Black-Cockatoos
• Gang-gang Cockatoos

The Bird Emergency website - www.thebirdemergency.com

Check out Birds In Backyards at Birdlife Australia

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

Birdlife Australia always has a range of projects underway to learn more about our endangered birds, and to design the important programs to try to ensure the survival of the most at-risk species in Australia.

Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia talks to Grant about these projects. (There was too much for one episode - next one follows)

• Wings on King (King Island Bird surveys)
• Bitterns - Soundscapes
• Shorebirds
• Powerful Owls
• Gang-gang Cockatoos
• Birds In Schools
• Birds In Backyards
• Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos surveys

The Bird Emergency website - www.thebirdemergency.com

Check out Birds In Backyards at Birdlife Australia

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

You may have always been familiar with turtle doves the same way I was - a childhood song that also references pear trees and partridges....  It may surprise you to know that turtle doves are becoming scarce in the UK.

I wanted to know more, so I spoke with Charlotte O'Neill, who is a student in Falmouth in the UK, a dab hand with a camera, and really interested in the wildlife around her...  including turtle doves.

Hear about the demise, and some of the actions being undertaken to arrest it, and also what it is like in the Doc Martin part of the UK.

Follow Charlotte on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Lotty_ONeill

and https://linktr.ee/Lotty_ONeill

You can watch many of the past conversations, and see the upsoming interviews live at thebirdemergency.com/live

Subscribe to on The Bird Emergency on YouTube

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency 

If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

And if you want to support what Grant is doing with the show, why not buy him a coffee? (It's currently a flat soy with no sweeteners.) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency