The Bird Emergency – Details, episodes & analysis

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