The Curious Bird – Details, episodes & analysis

We need hope more than ever! In this episode, Denver Audubon’s Communications Manager Dori Edwards, interviews Dave Johnson. In 2014, after losing a dear friend and conservation ally, Katie Adamson, to her battle with cancer, Zookeeper Dave Johnson founded the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund- a community-based conservation organization operating from the Denver, Colorado area. For over a decade, the organization has been dedicated to a global mission of wildlife protection and cultural compassion through unique methods built upon their conservation imperative- helping people helps animals.

Throughout the episode, Dori and Dave explore the importance of joy, love, community, education, and inspired action in the conservation space. Together, they laugh, cry, and marvel at the miracle of life on this planet, all while discussing creative solutions for better coexistence.

Reconnecting not only with each other, but with our wild communities is essential for elevating coexistence and conservation efforts. In this episode, Denver Audubon's Communications Manager, Dori, speaks with Emily M. Davenport, CWR, RVT. Emily is a veterinary professional, wildlife rehabilitator with an expertise in Raptors, and the founder of Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance.

After nearly two decades devoted to providing care to both pets and wildlife, Emily noticed a deep need for collaboration among the broad spectrum of wildlife professionals. Through embracing her love of animals, her drive to empower and support professionals, and the desire to enlighten the community on the topics of conservation and coexistence, she founded the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance in 2017. For the last 8 years, RWMA has provided care and protection to wildlife, as well as education to both the public and developing professionals.

In this episode, Dori and Emily discuss the logistics and lessons of wildlife rehabilitation. They reflect on the importance of education, remembering our interconnectedness, and how community is not only a critical catalyst for change, but a necessary ingredient in sustainable impact. Together, they lean into possibility, find hope and connection amid ecological grief, and explore the myriad of accessible ways one can be an inspired advocate.

Cultivating a relationship with the vast sky can be a catalyst for both connection and conservation. It's a cosmic collaboration that inspires hope, possibility, and celebration.

In this episode, Denver Audubon Communications Manager, Dori Edwards, talks with Emma Riley of Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch, a project of Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO). DFO works with Hawk Migration Association (HMA), a non-profit organization, to count migrating hawks, eagles, falcons and other raptors each spring.

Emma is a Raptor Biologist from Fort Collins, Colorado who has worked HawkWatch seasons around the country, including spending the last four as the Project Lead and Lead Counter at Dinosaur Ridge. During their conversation, Dori and Emma discuss birds of prey, why they are essential to the environment, and how community-science efforts are vital for their wellbeing.

They also explore how birds can be our teachers, wonder as a form of conservation, the importance of volunteerism, the necessity of rest, and why divesting from shame is critical to be a conduit of change.

While this year's HawkWatch season is over, we hope this episode excites you to join HawkWatch in the Spring of 2026 and encourages you to look up!