Bird Banter

On this episode Alex and I talk about how he has enjoyed birding in Eastern Washington as a Washington State University student, after birding in the Seattle area for most of his early birding days.  We also talk about his mammal WA big year in 2022, his birding story, and more. Enjoy.  Reach Alex by text, his phone number is on his eBird profile, or by email sowersalexander1- at- gmail- dot - com  On the Birdbanter.com blog post about this episode you can find links to many of the ebird hotspots discussed and more.  Thanks for listening.  Until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode we talk about slow birding, as Joan Strassmann writes about in her book. Slow Birding: The Art and Science of Enjoying Birds in Your Own Backyard.  Joan also talks about her work at Washington University in St. Louis, and how her teaching there has led to using birding in the area as a means of teaching students observation skills. In her book she goes into beautiful detail about places and birds she sees and visits regularly.  You can find her book anywhere books are sold. Here is a link on Buteo Books.  To see her bio at Washington University in St. Louis click here.  To read the blog post associated with this episode or to send a comment or suggestion to me use these links.  Thanks for listening. Until next time, good birding and good day!

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 Ezekiel Dobson, the young birder who just became the youngest Lower-48 ABA birder to see 700 species in a year on his 2024 big year.  Ezekiel talks about his big year, his birding story, the birders and birds he has seen this year, and on what's yet to come, both in the big year and the years ahead for him.   Read more on the blog post on Bird Banter.  Support Ezekiel on his Go Fund Me page. Follow Ezekiel on Instagram Until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode Abby and I talk about the conservation efforts she is working on with Audubon Delta and the conservation of Black Skimmers and Least Terns, as well as her doctoral studies with mixed flocks in the American tropics, her birding story and stories.   You can contact Abby through Audubon Delta.  Read more about topics on this episode on the blog post on BirdBanter.com  Until next time, good birding and good day!

Matthew Bell, a Connecticut birder and travel specialist with the Connecticut Audubon Society  is my guest on this episode. Matt got passionate about birding while at Ohio State University after a trip to Costa Rica, and on getting back to Ohio helped revive the Ornighology Club there.  We talk about his work at Connecticut Audubon, his birding experiences, and birding in Connecticut.  If you have suggestions for guests you'd like to hear from, contact me here and I'll be grateful.  As always the blog post on BirdBanter.com has more links and details on topics related to this episode. Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

On this episode Diane Yorgason-Quinn (see Episode #20) and Larry Schwitters talk about their work with Vaux's Swifts and the Vaux Happening Project. Larry got his start in swift research hiking to and looking for Black Swifts at over 100 waterfalls (thing very remote) in Washington State (and Oregon and CA).  From there he helped preserve the Wagner Schoolhouse in Monroe, WA.  From there he continued to start the Vaux Happening Project which documents roosting Vaux's Swifts at many old chimney roosts throughout the western U.S.  and Mexico.   Enjoy. To learn more check out the associated blog post on BirdBanter.com

On this episode I talk with Jacob Miller, a young Washington birding friend who has just completed his freshman year at Washington State University. Jacob shares his experiences as a first year university student, talks about birding in a new county and part of the state, big days and developing new birding friends, as well as starting a birding club at WSU.  Enjoy. We talk about Liam Hutcheson's WA big year, hear about it on episode #168.  To hear more about nocturnal bird calls in Washington, check out Episode #118 with Jim Danzenbaker.  Read more on the Bird Banter Podcast Blog post.  Thanks for listening. Until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode I talk with the authors of the new identification field guide to Empidonax flycatchers and Pewees as well as the book on Myarchus flycatchers and Kingbirds, Cin-Ty Lee and Andrew Birch. We talk about their longtime birding friendship, their birding stories, and the new books.   Check out the books at your favorite book resource.  Field Guide to North American Flycatchers: Empidonax and Pewees and Kingbirds and Myiarchus. Read more and see a book review on the BirdBanter.com blog.

Mollee Brown is my guest on this episode and we talk about her Nighthawk Agency, which provides business solutions for the birding industry.  We also talk about her work as a bird guide, her birding story, and the trip she is leading for Hillstar Nature to the the Chocó region of Colombia that I'll be taking next winter.   Check out Nighthawk Agency here. The trip to Chocó here, and The Birding Coop here.  The learn more about the topics discussed see the blog post on BirdBanter.com.

On this episode I talk with Josh Covill, a Montana birder who leads birding tours in Montana as well as in Central and South America.  Josh was the guide on my recent trip to the Santa Marta area of Colombia, and is a fabulous birder and really nice guy. Enjoy.  Find Josh for a Montana Tour at Glacier Birding. Joshua's page at Hillstar Nature Tours.  See the blog post on BirdBanter.com for lots more related info and links.  Thanks for listening. 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!

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!

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 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!

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 this episode I talk with Steve Hampton about his experience on the AOU Ad Hoc Committee on English names for birds, about climate change and the research on how it is affecting birds, about gulls in the Port Townsend area, his trip to Antarctica and more.  You can find more about Steve and contact him on his professional website Stephen-Carr-Hampton.com His blogs are The Cottonwood Post about birding and Memories of the People about issues related to indigenous peoples of the U.S.  Here is a link to the official recommendations of the AOU ad hoc committee on English Bird names.  We talked about so many things you may want to see more links and discussion on the Bird Banter Blog post.  Thanks for listening.   Until next time good birding and good day.

My guest on this episode is Rachel Hudson, a Lewis County, Washington birder who is also a photographer, artist and recent college graduate.  We talk about her interest in birding as a very young child, reading and nurturing her interest in birds from age 3, through her childhood birding in Texas and to her move to Washington for college.  She has a genuine love for birds and birding that comes through clearly, and was really fun to talk with and get to know better.   She talks about the Vaux Happening project, as well as her work with her local Audubon Chapter.  You can reach out to Rachel by email   lighteningdash09 - at - yahoo - dot- com   Read more about the Vaux Happening project and other related topics at the Bird Banter blog post associated with this episode.  Until next time, good birding!

Dorian Anderson is my guest on this episode of the podcast. Dorian was a guest on one of my earliest episodes #5 in Feb. 2019, and I have been waiting it seems forever to talk with him again once his book was written and published.  After you hear from Dorian today I'm sure you'll want to read Birding Under the Influence: Cycling Across America in Search of Birds and Recovery. On the episode we talk about Pop Tech, a pretty cool concept and event that I had not heard about before. Check it out.  Here is a link to the Tammy and David McQuade episode we discuss. Here is the Biking for the Birds blog link. Here is a short You Tube done on his biking year.  Thanks for listening.  Good Birding.

On this episode my guest is Michael Hobbs, a King County, WA based birder who has been doing weekly bird surveys at Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA for almost 30 years.  You can contact Michael at this link to the park. We talk about the experience of such regular intentional bird surveys of a single location, the benefits, both in friendships made and birding experiences of his efforts, and about his other birding interests.  County birding is also fun, and Michael is one of a handful of WA birders who have listed >150 species in all 39 of the WA counties.  He travels internationally at times for birding, and is an overall interesting guest.  Enjoy. To see more information about the episode and topics, see the blog post on the Bird Banter website.  Thanks for listening. Until next time, good birding.

I'm guessing you know about The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, but do you know about the man who willed it to existance, the man known as "The Birdman of the Senate?"  I didn't until Will McLean Greeley, the Great-great nephew of Senator McLean, and author of a biography on Senator McLean reached out to me and we talked for the podcast.  It's a great story, and one I'm enjoying learning more about.   You can find the book on Amazon here or at the publisher's website here.  Read more about the book, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and more on my blog post.  Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the book.  Until next time, good birding!

ON this episode Frank and I talk about his PhD work on field guides and how they have influenced conservation.  To hear a video with Frank on this topic watch this You Tube.  We also talk about the recent ABA social media network called ABA Community.  Check it out. For more info about Frank and this episode visit the blog post on BirdBanter.com Until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode we talk about John's birding story, birding in Connecticut, and his chase to see American Flamingos that were blown north by Hurricane Idalia.  We talk about why the Long Island Sound is not great for pelagic birding, but is excellent for other birds.   Read more at the BirdBanter.com blog.   Learn more about John on his eBird Profile.

eBird is a great tool for many purposes, but there are times when a birder wants to know how to best bird a hotspot, where to park at the hotspot, are there restrooms there, and generally about birding the hotspot.  It is great to ask a local birder, but often that is not possible, and so what to do?  Now the answer is easy. Go to BirdingHotspots.org where my guests Ken Ostermiller and Adam Jackson have created an open source, crowdsourced site for birders to help each other know how to find birds at any eBird hotspot.   You can help by using the "suggest edit" feature to help flesh out the information on any hotspot.  Please get feedback to me, or contact Ken to volunteer to help as an editor for your state.   Thanks for listening. Please leave a rating and reveiw. See more on the Bird Banter Blog. Until next time, good birding and good day.

On this episode I talk with two of the leaders of The Feminist Bird Club, Molly Adams who is the originator of the NYC chapter, and Sydney Golden Anderson who has been active in the Chicago chapter and now lives in Colorado.  I was excited to hear about the clubs work to increase diversity and be inviting to all people with an interest in birds. Their work toward this goal is inspiring to me and I hope to you.   You can find the the Feminist Bird Club NYC Chapter website here, and there find links to many of the other chapters. Follow the NYC, Chicago or Seattle clubs on Instagram.  Buy the new book The Birding for a Better World: A guide to Finding Joy and Community in Nature anywhere books are sold, available Sept 5, 2023, but you can preorder now.  I mention BirdingHotspots.org in the episode, and I encourage listeners to participate in this crowd-sourced birding tool online.  Check out the blog post associated with this episode on the Bird Banter Website.  Thanks for listening. Until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode I talk with Greg Harrington, a Seattle, WA birder I've met several times in the field, and who had become a proficient and prolific birder in the area over a very few years.  He is always fun to meet, and was really fun to talk with on this episode.  He is a high school history teacher, and spent some of the Covid time when teaching was online teaching from the road while travelling around the U.S. exploring and birding.  You can find Greg's email on his eBird profile here.  Here is a link to A Birders Guide to Washington on the WOS website. You can buy it here.  Here is Jerry Cooper's old but IMO still fabulous:  BIRDFINDER:  A Birder's Guide to Planning North American Trips  See the blog post associated with this episode on the Bird Banter Blog for more details.  Thanks for listening. Please leave a rating and reveiw.

On this episode Scott and I talk about his discovery of birding as a passion later in life, and about how this led to his quest to see all of the Lower-48 raptors, initially in a year, but eventually in 17 months.  Scott is also a prolific author, and we talk about his writing and his future birding plans.  His newest book:  RaptorQuest:  Chasing America's Raptors See more about the places and people we talk about on the BirdBanter.com blog.  Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

On Episode #155 I talk with Arkansas birder Dan Scheiman about birding in Arkansas, his birding story and creating backyard habitat by Planting for Birds.  You can see Dan's eBird profile here, and read more on The Bird Banter blog here.  I'd love to hear about birders you'd like to hear from as guests.  Reach me on the contact page or in part of an episode review.  Thanks for listening.  Good birding.

Pelagic birding is different in many ways from birding on land.  It's fun, exhausting, and difficult, but can be really great too.  Ken Brown, my long-time birding buddy, and I have dreamed of  getting out of Hatteras N.C. with Brian Patteson for years, and finally made it happen this year. Despite difficult weather we had a great trip, and talk about that and more on this episode.  Patteson Seabirding Westport Seabirds The Science of Birds Podcast Blog post on Birdbanter.com Dynamic Soaring Video

On this episode I talk with Rebecca Heisman, author of the new book Flight Paths, and hear about the story of writing the book, more stories about the people behind the research on bird migration, and her personal and birding story.   In the introduction I talk about the migration watch scene at Dune Peninsula. Check out the eBird hotspot page here.  You can learn more about Rebecca at her website rebeccaheisman.com As always find more related info on the Bird Banter Blog post about this article.   Until next time, I hope you enjoyed migration, and good birding!

On this episode I talk with Seattle area bird----more----er Bryony Angell, who is a professional writer with many published articles related to birding. Much of her recent work is related to women in birding and the birding experience from a woman's perspective.   You can reach Bryony on her website here. Read more about Bryony, and topics discussed on the episode on the Bird Banter blog post related to this episode.  Here is a link to the article about women only birding trips we mentioned on the episode.  The Guatamalan female guides we mentioned were Claudia Avandaño who led my trip and Ana Paula Oxom is the guide leading an upcoming Guatamala trip.  Until next time, good birding and good day!

Jim and I talk about his birding in Johnson County, Iowa as well as his birding story, which began as a youth, had a long dormant stage, and has been revived in recent years with county big years, birding around the ABA area and a reinvigorated interest in backyard nature habitat.  I think you'll enjoy hearing Dr. Kettelkamp's story. You can reach Jim on Facebook @jim.kettelkamp where you can check out his backyard habitat. Read more on the Bird Banter blog.  Thanks for listening and until next time, good birding and good day!

I put up this episode in part because it's been longer than usual since my last episode was published, and I didn't want listeners to think I had disappeared. It's a different than usual episode, without a guest. I talk about my recent getaway trip from the rainy Pacific NW, to the Florida Keys and to Costa Rica.  It was primarily a winter vacation trip, with some time dedicated to birding.  I loved the chance to enjoy Big Pine Key from the comfort of a vacation home of a friend of Marian, and I talk a bit about the birding there.  In Costa Rica I spend a few days birding in Caño Negro, and a few more with my guide Carlos Ureña in the La Fortuna area PN Quetzales.  Be sure to watch for future more typical episodes with great guests. Thanks for listening.  Until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode I have my first guest from the Czech  Republic, Mikuláš Řimánek. I met Mik when he was a teenage Rotary Exchange student and had the chance to get out birding with Mik then.  Since then Mik has become a leader in his country in the effort to recruit more youth into birding, and his story is both inspirational and exciting for me.  I think you'll enjoy hearing Mik's story.  You can reach out to Mik on Facebook or Instagram.  You can see his eBird profile here.  As I mentioned please let me know both about successes and efforts in your area to bring more young people into our wonderful hobby and passion.  Leave info in the podcast review section, or on the BirdBanter.com contact section. Also read more about the episode and related topics on the BirdBanter.com blog here.  Until next time. Thanks for listening, and good birding and good day!

On this episode Holly Merker talks about Ornitherapy, her experiences with birding as therapy and of ways we can use birding as a means of improving our state of wellness.  She is also an extraordinarily talented and accomplished birder. You can find out lots more on the BirdBanter.com blog post about this episode.  Buy her book Ornitherapy:  For Your Mind, Body and Soul on her website.  Check out the Mindful Birding Network website here.  Please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. Thanks and until next time. Good birding and good day!

After several episodes with guests who are big-time  birding listers, we change pace for this episode featuring a birder whose passion has led him to trekking, birding and supporting the communities of some of the highest elevation communities on earth, in the mountains of Nepal.  When I met David Swain on the ship on my recent Antarctica trip I know he would be really fun to talk with for the podcast.  Learn about Nepal, life in some of the highest elevation villages on earth, about trekking and birding in those areas and more. Enjoy. The Altitude Project David Swain on Facebook Read and see more on the Bird Banter Blog

I had a chance to meet Peter Kaestner on my recent Antarctica trip. On the cruise Peter gave a talk about his life passion of seeing as many species of birds as he can in the world.  He worked for the U.S. diplomatic service, lived in many "birdy" places and visited many others. He now works part-time as a birding tour guide for Rockjumper Worldwide Birding Adventures, and has seen over 9700 of the 10,933 species now on the IOC checklist.  It's an amazing story, and I hope you enjoy hearing Peter's story and stories.  As always check out the BirdBanter blog for more details. You can reach Peter by email using the address on his eBird profile.   Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

In 2022 Victor and Ruben Stoll, brothers and birders from Tennessee, shattered the only one year old Lower-48 U.S. big year record, seeing about 25 more species than the previous record set by Tiffany Kersten, a prior guest.  The Stoll brothers seemed to manage to have fun while often driving day and night, taking turns sleeping and driving from one birding site to the next. Hear about aligator attacks, a mouse in the food stash, rare birds and lots more. Enjoy.  Find both Ruben on Facebook and VIctor on Facebook at these hyperlinks.  Check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more details  Until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode I talk with George Armistead about our trip to Antarctica, his birding story as well as his birding tour company Hillstar Nature.  George has his own podcast with Alvaro Jaramillo and Molly Brown called Lifelist: A Birding Podcast that you may want to follow also. I certainly enjoy it.  You can find George on his website at the link above.  As promised you can learn more about the highly successful rodent eradication on the South Georgia Islands, about Katabatic winds, Churchill birding, the Bird Safe Philly Project, Christmas Bird Counts and more at my blog post on the Bird Banter Website. To learn more about the importance of museums in modern science and ornithology, as well as hear from two extraordinary guests on the podcast check out: The Bird Banter Podcast #30 with Peter Wimberger  and The Bird Banter Podcast #68 with Dennis Paulson.  Until next time. Good birding and good day!

I don't do many solo episodes but couldn't resist an episode to talk about my recent expedition cruise to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica.  Antarctica is such an awesome, wild, remote and special place I've long dreamed of visiting.  Well, after two years of covid postponements I finally managed the visit this November.  The ABA, Alvaro's Adventures, and Rockjumper Birding put together a ship full of birders and Quark Expeditions ran the ship, and we did it.   For lots of details on the trip, see my trip report,and for lots of photos see my Flickr Album. To hear another podcast about the trip, check out Nate Swick's podcast episode with two of the expedition guides Ted Floyd and Katinka Domen.  If all goes as planned my next episode will be a talk with one of the top guides on the trip, and fellow podcaster George Armistad.  Follow his podcst (along with Alvaro Jaramillo and Mollee Brown) Life List: A Birding Podcast.  As always check out the Bird Banter Blog for more detailed info.  Until next time, good birding and good day.

On this episode I talk with Francis Canto Jr., a birder and birding guide from Belize.  I learn a lot about Belize, birding there, and about Francisco and his work and passion for birds and birding. Enjoy.  You can find Francisco on Facebook  Here is a link to the Belize Bird Conservatory Hawk Watch Project web page.  Thanks for listening. As always read more about this episode on the Bird Banter blog.  Until next time. Good birding.

On this episode father-son birders Mathew and Levi Radford join me to talk about their birding, birding in Oklahoma, and how birding as a father-son duo had been important in their lives.   You can find their Father and Son Birding page on Facebook here. Mathew here, and Levi here. Read more about my recent coast birding trip on the ABC Birding site here, and as always check out the BirdBanter.com blog here.

On this episode Doug Hitchcox, a field educator with the Maine Audubon Society and one of very few birders to have found 400 species of birds in the state of Maine is my guest.  We talk about his birding story and adventures, as well as his work with Maine Audubon.  Doug is really fun to talk with, and I cannot wait to try to get together birding with him next time I go home to Maine.  You can find Doug @dhitchcox on Twitter  or contact him at Maine Audubon by email naturalist@maineaudubon.org   Here is information about the Gilsland Farm which we talk about in detail on the episode.  Here is the website for the Hog Island Audubon Camp.  As always find more at BirdBanter.com under the blog section Until next time. Good birding and good day!

On this episode I talk  with Deborah Green, the president of the Orange Audubon Society, and the chairperson of the upcoming North Shore Birding Festival on Lake Apopka, Florida.  This really a pretty cool festival as you'll hear about on the episode.   Deborah is also a birder who travels to birding festivals, and so we talk a bit about some of her favorites.  To see more about birding festivals check out the BirdBanter.com blog post associated with this episode. You can find Deborah by email at festival@orangeaudubonfl.org  Thanks for  listening, and until next time, good birding and good day!

7On this episode Alex Harper, a birder and trip leader from Las Vegas, NV talk about birding in Sin City, his company Bird Las Vegas that leads half and whole day trips individualized to his customer's needs in Las Vegas. Alex has also birded Alaska extensively, and has a great birding story. Enjoy.  Bird Las Vegas Website Check out the associated blog post on BirdBanter.com  Contact Alex through his website here.

Backyard birding has become somewhat a national if not worldwide hobby for many during Covid times, and on this episode Tammy Poppie, creator of the website On The Feeder is my guest.  We talk about how to keep birds safer with proper feeder cleaning, bird window strikes, and overall how to enjoy the birds in your yard. As always check out the associated blog post on BirdBanter.com for more links and info.  Until next time. Good birding and good day!

On this episode Matt Goff, a Sitka birder and all around naturalist, talk about birding in Sitka, his 10+ years of doing a bi-weekly radio show on KCAW, the local radio station in Sitka, about birding and many other aspects of the natural history and environment of the Sitka area.  He also has a website SitkaNature.org where you can learn lots more.  It was really fun to hear about hyper-focused birding in his home city/borough.  Matt is a self taught naturalist, who is simply very interested in every aspect of the natural world around him. Birding is just one aspect of his love of nature and his study of his local environment.  It seems like a very healthy and wonderful focus, and one we can all admire if not emulate.

On this episode Sarah Swanson and I talk about her new book, Best Little Book of Birds: The Oregon Coast, as well as her birding story, her prior book, birding around Portland, OR and lots more.  You can preorder Sarah's book Best Little Book of Birds: The Oregon Coast She is @Sarahlovesbirds on Instagram Be sure to check out the blog post with lost more info on BirdBanter.com Thanks for listening.  Good birding.

On The Bird Banter Podcast #134 Mike Resch and I talk about his multi-decade quest to see >200 bird species in every continental U.S. state.  He achieved this goal recently on a trip to Montana, as well as reaching another target goal of 15,000 total ABA state and province ticks.  (listen to hear what a “tick” means)  Besides being a realty nice guy, avid and accomplished birder, and inveterate state birder, Mike has visited places and seen beautiful places most of us have never heard of or seen.  For more from Mike check out Episode #33.  Check our Mike's blog here to read about many of his forays into state birding. Enjoy.

On this episode Dan Casey, a top Montana birder, and I talk about his birding story, birding in Montana, ebird, bird records committees, and I really enjoyed hearing from a birder from an area I do not know well, and who has a wonderfully balanced and holistic approach to birding his state. I hope you enjoy hearing from Dan as much as I did.  You can contact Dan by email: danielcasey55 -at-gmail- dot-com  Here is Dan's eBird Profile Be sure to check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more related info and links. Until next time, good birding and good day!

On this episode Matt Aeberhard and I talk about his remarkable carreer and experiences as a world-class wildlife videographer, his birding story, his new project Birds of America: How Birds Can Save Us.  You can see lots more about Matt on his website, or follow him on Instagram @mattaeberhard. As always check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more links, and in this case some embedded video by Matt.  Thanks for listening. Good birding!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #131 I talk with Marcos Trinidad, the Center Director at Debs Park in Los Angeles, an avid birder, a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion in the environmental movement.  We talk about Marco's experiences in finding ways to have cell phones and technology provide positive experiences in nature, how to appreciate the urban nature around us, and his personal birding and life experiences.   You can reach Marcos at the Debs Park Audubon site, on Instagram @huskynaturalist or on Twitter @brownbirder  Thanks for listening. Please leave a rating and review.  Until next time, good birding and good day.

On this episode Bill Young and I talk about his lifelong birding passion and experiences, and focus especially on his interest and work with bird bahavior, as well as his focused birding at Monticello Park in Arlington, VA.  Bill and his  friend Ashley Bradford have developed and maintained the website MPNature where incredibly detailed and useful information about the park can be found. I find this a fabulous example of what can be learned and shared by really paying attention and focusing on a small local patch for birding and more.  As always read and learn more at the Bird Banter Blog. Until next time, good birding!

On this episode we talk about COASST, the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, with Jackie Lindsey, the Science Director and Charlie Wright, the Data Verifier as guests.  I learn about the COASST programs, hear stories of interesting and unusual dead bird discoveries, and enjoy hearing about the program and more from Lindsey and Charlie. You can find more about COASST at their website. On their website you can find about their research publications, how to volunteer or donate, and buy a field guide to beached bird ID.  To read lots more about some of the things we discussed as well as see some photos check out the blog post on the Bird Banter Blog.  Thanks for listening. Good birding.

On this episode I report on birding the Great River Road, and various places nearby, from Memphis to Davenport, Iowa and then on to Omaha.  Overall a great experience, seeing new states, new roads, and getting an appreciation for the great river.  Highlights were great looks at Sedge Wren, some fabulous National Wildlife Refuges, and of course the Mississippi River and all it entails.  For more details, photos and related information see the blog posts under Ed's Birding Notes on the Bird Banter website.  Stay tuned for some great guests coming soon.  Good birding. Good day!

On this episode I fill in between episodes with guests.  On the first week of my planned 3 week road trip up the Mississippi from New Orleans to Iowa, Marian and I bird around New Orleans, venture south to see the destruction, rebuilding and birds of Grand Isle, and head north as far as Memphis.  We bird in 4 states, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee. For listeners this will be a different episode, and I hope you enjoy it, but if not my more typical episodes with guests will return after the trip.   To see more details about the trip check out the Ed's birding notes on the BirdBanter.com website. here and here.  Good birding.

On this episode Alex Marine and I talk about birding Missouri, his birding story and his 2021 Missouri birding big year. Alex also helps me learn about birding in Missouri along the Mississippi river area in preparation for a road trip I'll be taking soon.  You can reach Alex on Facebook or Instagram.  As always learn more about the details and things mentioned on this episode on the Bird Banter Blog.  Until next time. Good birding and good day!

On this episode I talk with Raphael Fennimore about his 2021 King County, WA big year, his experiences with marine mammal research, his scuba diving, his photography experience with a new mirrorless camera and more. I hope you enjoy. Reach Raphael at Raphael.Fennimore - at- gmail - dot- com or via his Instagram Feed @RaphaelFennimore See more details and hopefully interesting information on the BirdBanter.com blog.  Please leave a rating and review.  Thanks for listening.

On this episode Dr. Klem and I talk about one of the leading and least well publicized causes of bird mortality in the world which is collision with glass surfaces. Birds simply don't see glass as a barrier, try to fly through it, and die in startling numbers.  Hear the facts, learn what you can do, and be able to make informed decisions about the ways you can help reduce this tragedy.  Dr. Klem is a professor of ornithology at Muhlenberg College. He recently published a book, Solid Air: Invisible Killer, Saving Billions of Birds from Windows.  You can buy the book at Hancock House Publishing You can find more details at Dr. Klem's website.  Also find lots more details at my blog post on BirdBanter.com

Do you know anyone who does not love Bird Note, the 2 minute immersion into bird life and lore on NPR radio?  I sure don't. My guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #125, Nick Bayard, is the Executive Director of  Bird Note.  I learned that Bird Note is so much more than the NPR Bird Note Today show. Listen, enjoy and learn.  Hear Bird Note Daily here.  Support Bird Note here Subscribe to Bird Note email list-serv here Read more about todays episode on the Bird Banter Blog here.  Until next time,  Good birding and good day!

On this episode Michael Todd, the top eBird lister in Tennessee and I talk about birding his home state, his birding story, his mentors, and more.   Michael mentions several top Mississippi River floodplain hotspots in Tennessee on the episode. Here are some eBird links to those areas.  Ensley Bottoms Maxxon Wastewater Lagoons Tennessee NWR Big Sandy Unit It was really fun to hear about a new place and from a birder who really knows the area well. As always check out the blog post about the episode where by the time this airs I'll have more details about my birding in the Nashville area.  'Good birding and good day!

On this episode David and Dee Simpson talk about their Florida birding, their company Birding with David Simpson, Dee's blog Dee at Eight AM, and their birding stories.  Dee posts a photo and an educational poem about where she is and what she sees every morning on her blog. David does bird guiding in Florida and beyond, and is an avid state and county lister in Florida, with over 150 species seen in every one of Florida's 67 counties.   David has a passion for teaching visitors about everything natural in Florida, and this passion comes through clearly on the podcast episode.   Dee and David have a You Tube Channel with educational videos about birding in Florida that I find really good.  As always see more about the episode on the BirdBanter.com blog post. Until next time, good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #122 Tiffany Kersten talks about her record breaking Lower 48 United States birding big year, seeing 726 species while raising awareness for the safety of women in nature.  It's a great story and Tiffany tells it well.  You can see Tiffany's blog here.  Read more about the year on The Bird Banter blog and find other big years on the podcast prior epsodes #121 Will Brooks and Jason Vassallo, #4 Christian Haganlocher, #5 with Dorian Anderson and his Biking for Birds Big Year, and #79 with Lynn Barber on her Texas and Alaska big years.  As always comments and feedback are welcome, and if you have ideas of guests you'd like to hear on the podcast contact me on the website contact page.  Thanks for listening. Until next time good birding and good day!

On this episode I talk with two young Washington State birders who are good friends, who met in an unusual circumstance, and who undertook big years in 2021.  Jason saw the 9th highest total species list ever seen in the lower 48 states, while documenting every sighting by photo or audio means, and did so while maximizing the fun, adventure and wonderlust experience of the year. Will broke the Washington State big year record by 6 species in a year when arguably the top vagrant location was closed to birding.  Both great accomplishments and it made for a lot of fun conversation. Enjoy. See the Bird Banter blog post for lots more details. Follow Jason's Instagram accounting of the big year. @Jason2021BigYear Watch a video on Seattle News 5 for a brief discussion of Will's year.

On this episode Bob and I talk about his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, his birding story and stories and more. How many birders have birded in Area 51?  My guess is not many.  His career path involved working at many of the great U.S. National Wildlife Refuges including the Loxahatchee NWR in Florida, the Wheeler NWR in Alabama, Kern NWR, Stillwater NWR in Nevada, and the Ridgefield and Columbia NWRs in Washington.  Bob encouages birders to ask their senators Here are contacts for the WA Senators and Representative of that area.  Senator Patty MurrayMurray.senate.govVancouver Office (360) 696-7797Seattle Office (866) 481-9186Senator Maria CantwellCantwell.senate.govVancouver Office (360) 696-7838Seattle Office (206) 220-6400Representative Jaime Herrera BeutlerJhb.house.govVancouver Office (360) 695-6292Washington DC Office (202) 225-3536 Thanks for listening.   Read more on the  Birdbanter.com  blog.  Until next time, good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #119 with Michael and Paula Webster we talk about their 5-year birding adventure in South America. They travelled in a Toyota pop-top camper van, had wild and harrowing experiences and saw remote and wonderful places, people and birds that are almost beyond belief.  They are real, as you can see by watching many of their videos on the You Tube Channel The Condors Feathers.  Michael and Paula decided after careers in business for Michael and as a math teacher for Paula to follow their lifelong birding passion to travel, document and experience places they dreamed of seeing. They spent 5 years traveling throughout much of South America. While there they produced a fabulous video documentary on one of South America’s most endangered bird species, the Hooded Grebe.  It is spectacular.  Check out Tango in the Wind.   Michael has written a book about the adventure, to be released in the U.K. in about February, and in the U.S. later in 2022 called The Condor’s Feather:  Traveling Wild in South America which you can find to pre-order on Amazon or in the U.K. at Waterstones. I loved the chance to meet and talk with this amazing couple, and cannot wait to read the book. Good birding and good day.

On this episode Jim Danzenbaker and I talk about his experiences leading wildlife safaris to the Antarctic region, his pelagic birding experiences, his birding story, career, about Christmas Bird Counts and more.  Enjoy. Find a CBC in Washington here. See the 2021 CBC report from Natioinal Audubon here.  Check out the blog post on the BirdBanter.com blog here.  Until next time, good birding and good day1

On this episode Joe Morlan and I talk about his multifaceted birding career and experiences.  Joe taught birding classes at the College of San Francisco for year, served as member, chair and now as webmaster of the California Bird Records Committee, is an author, and is a really good storyteller.   You can reach Joe from his website. Read more on the BirdBanter.com blog post about this episode. Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day.

On this episode Charlie and I talk about his early birding years, his time on remote Alaskan Islands and on research vessels, and his local birding especially at a new Tacoma hotspot Dune Peninsula Park.  Charlie was an early adopter and volunteer reviewer for eBird and is the data reviewer for COASST.  I'm really excited to have Charlie as a guest and think you'll enjoy hearing his story. Thanks for listening.  As always read more about the episode on the BirdBanter.com blog post.  Good birding and good day.

On this episode I talk with Iván Lau, the birding guide I used on a recent brief trip to Medellin, Colombia.  Iván was really top notch, and we got in a lot of birding in the 3 days I had available.  Medellin was beautiful, the birds were spectacular, and the experience was great.   You can contact Iván at on Instagram @ivanlaulovera or by email at  ivanlaulovera@gmail.com Check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com with more information if you are interested.  Thanks for listening.Good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #114 I talk with Zach Poland, a top Oklahoma birder who I heard about from Pete Janzen of Episode #112.  Zach talks about his birding story, birding in Oklahoma, how his training in geology influences his birding strategies and more. Enjoy.  See the blog post on Birdbanter.com for additional information.  Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

There are few nuances of birding that cause more confusion and frustration than molt. Birds have to replace their feathers every year to survive, and understanding this process called molt can bring a not just a better understanding of birds and bird ID, but make looking at the details of plumage of each bird we see a little more fun. I'm certainly no expert on molt, but hearing about the process from the perspective of a non-expert who enjoys the subject may help listeners wrap their brains around the terminology used and the process. I hope so.  Check out Steven N.G. Howell's great book Molt in North American Birds, which I said I'd link to in these notes, but appears to be out of print.  Borrow a copy from a birder you know if you can.  I'll put up a blog post on BirdBanter.com with more details.  Until next time, good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #112 with Pete Janzen we talk lots about Kansas birding.  Pete wrote books about birds and birding in Kansas as well as a detailed work on the Birds of Sedgewick County, Kansas.  He wants you to know about the best place in the ABA area to book Lesser Prairie Chicken lek viewing with the Gove County group that manages these. You can contact Jim Miliensifer at  jhmillensifer@gmail.com   Here is their web site. Be sure to check out the blog on BirdBanter.com for more details.  Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #111 I talk with Mason Maron, a young birder who is studying at Washington State University, is beginning a research project on Gray-crowned Rosy Finch diet changes over the last 60 years, and was a lot of fun to talk with. You can find his photography on his website Mason Maron Photography and on his @masonmaronphotography Instagram site.  Read more related information on the BirdBanter.com blog post for more information. Until next time, good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #110 with Andy Stepniewski we talk about his passion and interest in the shrub-steppe habitat that remains near his home in Yakima County, WA, his birding story and some of his birding experiences. Andy was mentored by Jim Lane, of bird finding site guide fame, and he was a primary contributor to The Birder’s Guide to Washington.   For more detailed information see the blog post on BirdBanter.com. Until next time. Good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #109 with Jason Vassallo we talk about his 2021 ABA Big Year, his birding story, and other things birding. Jason is a very talented young Washington birder, and it was fun to get to know him better.  I also enjoyed hearing about some of the places he has visited this year.  I'm just itching to visit some of them myself.  Here is a link to Jason's Intagram page @jason2021bigyear Be sure to check out Bird Banter's blog to see more details related to the episode. Thanks for listening. Please leave a review and rating on the podcast platform that you use. Until next time. Good birding and good day!

England has a great collection of bird observatories, mostly spaced around the coastline, some on islands, some on the main island. Sophie Wickham, my guest on this episode is the warden at the Holme Bird Observatory in Norfolk County.  We talk about her job there, the observatory and the system of observatories in England, the birds seen there and British birding in general.   Here is a like to the Holme Bird Observatory website and here is the Norfolk Ornithologists Association site.  See the blog post on the Bird Banter website for more details. Until next time. Good birding and good day.

David Waters, the driving force behind the project to reintroduce Great Bustards to England, is my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #107.  I first met  David when my wife and I visited his home to see his captive Great Bustards (injured birds) and to hear his story of the project. We also got to see some of the reintroduced birds on the Salisbury Plains. You can learn more about this project at The Great Bustard Project Homepage or on my blog post with more information about this episode. Until next time, good birding and good day!

On The Bird Banter Podcast #106 the hosts of The Birder's Show, a YouTube series that debuted during the pandemic, Diego Calderón and Chris Bell are my guests.  We talk about their exciting new show, birding in Colombia, and more. Don't miss this one.  Thanks for listening. For more info see my blog on Birdbanter.com Until next time, good birding and good day!

In episode #12 hose host Ed Pullen talks with Dalton Spencer, a young birder from Lewis County, WA.   Ed first talks about an uncoming trip to Morocco, and then Ed and Dalton talk about life as a young birder.  It brings back memories of when every birding experience was new and exciting, and they discuss how a young birder gets involved in the birding scene.   A link to Dalton's eBird profile:  https://ebird.org/profile/NzUxMTc2/US-WA-041 The Legacy Tours website for the tour group Ed is joining on his upcoming Morocco Trip. https://legacy-tours.com/ A checklist from the 2016 tour with an agenda similar to Ed's Morocco Trip. https://legacy-tours.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/9.April-5th-19th-2016-MOROCCO-BIRD-LIST.pdf As a 16 year old Dalton organized and complied the numbers for a new Christmas Bird Count in Lewis County, WA. Here is a link to a local newspaper article about that effort.  http://www.chronline.com/christmas-bird-count-comes-to-lewis-county/article_c668242c-040f-11e9-b40f-d7bdf9924154.html Please check out BirdBanter.com for more related info, and for news as Ed tours Morocco.   Until next time, Good Birding!  Good Day!

On the 4th day of my Morocco Birding Tour we drove from Marrakech (not the butchered city name I use in this one take recording) to a ski resort on Oukoimeden Mountain in the High Atlas Range.  Our elevation in the parking lot from where we walked up was 8600' and we walked 7+ miles, so I'm about ready to crash as I post this episode. Our in-country guide is Mohamed Bargache, so we joked that today Mohamed took us to the mountain.  The bird mentioned is Crimson-winged Finch, not bunting or sparrow as I said in the recording.  I hope you are enjoying my one-take and publish episodes from this trip.  I'll also post blog summaries of many of the days.  Good birding.  Good day!

On the third day of the Legacy Tours Morocco Trip we birded again in the upland area north of Rabat in heavy rain, and then stopped once at a Gazelle reintroduction preserve on the way to Marrakech.  The birds were cool, but the Medina at Marrakech is the primary topic of this brief episode. Enjoy. Good birding.  Good day!

In this second unedited podcast recording from Morocco Ed talks about the first 2 days experience with Legacy Tours in the areas around Rabat, the Morocco capital city north of Casablanca where the flight landed, and the trip Morocco experience bagan.  The local guide is Mohamed Bargache, a certified local birding guide, and very good Moroccan in-country guide.  Tomorrow we head south again, and will be staying in Marrakech, an ancient city and will be birding our way there after a bit more birding in the north coast area.  Stay tuned for more when I'm able to record and publish another update. Good birding.  Good day!

In this episode Ed does a one-take brief recording from outside the Hotel Toubkal in Casablanca, Morocco about 4:45 AM after a jet-lagged night. Please forgive the errors and the city noise, especially calling Michael Carmody, guest on the last episode, and tour guide whom I call Michael Legacy (his tour group is Legacy Tours) as I'm putting these up unedited, mistakes and city noise and all. The lark I butcher the name of is the Maghreb Lark, recently split from the Crested Lark as its own species. Here is a link to a PDF discussing the status of this group. https://crbpo.mnhn.fr/IMG/pdf/Guillaumet_et_al_2006_galerida_MolPhylEvol.pdf I put up a blog post about our day 1 birding on BirdBanter.com  http://birdbanter.com/index.php/2019/04/16/a-day-in-casablanca-to-recover/ Until next time, Good Birding.  Good Day!

In Episode#12 host Ed Pullen has longtime Mexico and worldwide tour guide and operator Michael Carmody as his guest. Michael is currently leading a Legacy Tours birding trip in Morocco, and Ed along with Bruce Labar from episode #3 are tour participants.  Michael talks about his 30 years of experience as a tour guide and operator in Mexico and around the world.   Here is a link to the Legacy Tours website where you can check out which of Michael's tours you want to go on next. https://legacy-tours.com/ This is the summary from the Legacy Tours website for the trip to Morocco: ‘A Birder’s Introduction’ enjoys evening stays in Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, Atlas Mountains, Sahara Desert, and Anti-Atlas Mountains.  Likely birds include Northern Bald Ibis, Barbary Partridge, Spotted Sandgrouse, Pharaoh Eagle-Owl, Egyptian Nightjar, Levaillant’s Woodpecker, Maghreb Magpie, African Blue Tit, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Desert Wheatear, Atlas Flycatcher, and Trumpeter Finch. Look for photos and updates from the tour on my instagram page @dredpullen as well as my facebook page @birdbanterpodcast   Good Birding. Good day!

In episode #11 the Birdchick, Sharon Stitler is my guest.  Her podcast was the first podcast I ever listened to and she has a really good podcast. She is quite a character as you will see if you visit her web site Birdchick.com In this episode I try a new segment where I play a birdsong recording from my Sibley app and the guest talks about what they hear.  This is designed not as a "stump the guest" but as an opportunity for birders to discuss how they listen to bird sounds, and what goes into identifying the species making the song or call.  Sharon rocked this part, check it out.  Leave a review and rating if you are able on your podcast feed location, and if you like check out my blog, Birdbanter.com to find more related details and other birding relate content. I'll post a video of the hormone crazed DUsky Grouse we talked about on this episode on the blog site.  Birdchick is an expert at digiscoping, where birders take photos through their optics, usually a spotting scope, using a phone camera or other camera.  Here is a link to her YouTube series on digiscoping.  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj80lDyA_RDDt_vJIPE40sY0u-wjaGziY Here is a link to the company web site that makes the PhoneSkope adapter Sharon uses. https://www.phoneskope.com/ Until next time birders. Good birding!  Good day!

In The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #10 host Ed Pullen and John Sterling talk about John's remarkable birding career, and especially his recent participation in the Longzhou Bird Race in southern China.  Oh, I neglected to mention that John Sterling is the #1 lister in California, with a remarkable 636 species on eBird.  Enjoy. Here is a link to Don Roberson's website Who Was Who in California Birding 1965-1989  http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/CAwhoswho.html Here is John Sterlings website www.sterlingbirds.com/about%20SWB.html  It's worth a visit just to see his bird photography.   He is on Facebook where you can follow his adventures.   You can read related blog posts at BirdBanter.com http://birdbanter.com/index.php/blog/ Please subscribe to The Bird Banter Podcast, and give a rating and leave a review whereever you get your podcast feed.  Until next time, Good Birding!  Good Day!

In The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #9 with Shep Thorpe host Ed Pullen and Shep talk about the upcoming Washington Ornithologic Society Annual Conference in Moses Lake, WA as well as Shep’s involvement with WOS, his weekly birding walks at the Billy Frank NWR, and Shep’s experience as a WOS field trip leader.  Washington Ornithologic Society Website.  http://wos.org/ WOS 2019 Annual Conference Signup Page  http://wos.org/annual-conference/current-year/                                                                       Billy Frank Jr. NWR  https://www.fws.gov/refuge/billy_frank_jr_nisqually/ Tahoma Audubon Society  https://www.tahomaaudubon.org/ WA Birder Website  http://www.wabirder.com/ http://abcbirding.com   http://abcbirding.com/ Shep talked about trying to see 300 species in a year in Washington.  Here is a recipe for  seeing 300 species in a year in WA focused around going on most of the ABC Birding field trips plus a few specialty trips.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MXjDic4rF2eNbhg33_Y0lJ1WKR_Vj0c5/view Find me @dredpullen of @birdbanter on Facebook, or @dredpullen on Instagram and Twitter  Find a blog post with more information on topics discussed on this podcast at BirdBanter.com  http://birdbanter.com   Be sure to subscribe to The Bird Banter Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or Spotify Until next time, Good Birding! Good Day!

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #8 with Bill Tweit In this episode host Ed Pullen talks with Bill Tweit about his birding experiences, especially with Westport Seabirds, and how it came to have the longest continuous database of pelagic seabirds in the world.  Bill is a great birder, first rate scientist, and wonderful story teller.  Enjoy the episode. Be sure to subscribe to The Bird Banter Podcast on the iTunes store, Google Play Store, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your RSS feeds.  Leave a ***** rating and a review on the site you get The Bird Banter Podcast, and until next time,  Good birding, and Good Day! Annotated links to things discussed in the podcast: On the bird banter website you can see photos from the Westport Seabirds Pelagic Trip discussed in this episode as well as read an account of the trip.  http://birdbanter.com/index.php/2019/03/17/westport-seabirds-pelagic-trip-3-16-2019-a-three-albatross-day/  Go to the website of Westport Seabirds to schedule your Washington Pelagic Trip, to look at historical sightings or to learn about pelagic birding off the Washington coast.    http://westportseabirds.com/ Here is a place to look at the undersea topography off Gray’s Harbor, WA, i.e. Gray’s Canyon and the continental shelf areas discussed by Bill in the podcast.  Map of the ocean floor off WA coast  https://deepseacoraldata.noaa.gov/habitat-reports/grays-canyon This site discussed the current population and population trends for Short-tailed Albatross  Current data on STAL population  https://abcbirds.org/bird/short-tailed-albatross/ Here is information about the AIS tracking system for boats at sea.   https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=aismain  Here is a site talking about techniques for setting long lines to reduce albatross entrapment  https://wsg.washington.edu/award-winning-researchers-find-methods-to-reduce-seabird-bycatch-in-west-coast-longline-fisheries/ Photo of adult with golden nape plumage Bill talks about on the podcast:   https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489452 A link to an online version of the 1909 Status of Washington Birds by Dawson & Bowles  https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46764/46764-h/46764-h.htm https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46764/46764-h/46764-h.htm  Here is a link to the ABC Birding Club website, the group mentioned by Bill and Ed near the end of the episode.  Ed is the webmaster of the site.  http://abcbirding.com Check out the blog post with photos from the pelagic trip discussed here:  http://birdbanter.com/index.php/2019/03/17/westport-seabirds-pelagic-trip-3-16-2019-a-three-albatross-day/

Podcast Notes TBBP #7 In this episode The Bird Banter Podcast host Ed Pullen has Ben Lizdas, world renowned expert on birding optics, and a well known and avid birder as the guest.  Listeners should learn lots about optics and enjoy the bird banter. Find additional information at the Bird Banter Website http://birdbanter.com Find Ed Pullen @dredpullen on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter Find Ben Lizdas @RedstartBirding or @ben.lizdas on Facebook or at the Redstart Birding website https://redstartbirding.com/ Birding Festivals mentioned on today’s episode: San Diego Bird Festival https://www.sandiegoaudubon.org/events/bird-festival Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival https://scbwf.org/ Rio Grand Bird Festival https://www.rgvbf.org/ Katchemac Bay Shorebird Festival, Homer, Alaska http://kachemakshorebird.org/ New River Birding and Nature Festival, Fayetteville County, West Virginia  https://www.birding-wv.com/ Champions of the Flyway Festival in Israel  http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/

In this episode The Bird Banter Host Ed Pullen discusses a recent birding trip to Southern California, where he takes his mentor and longtime birding friend Ken Brown (guest on The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #2) to try to find Ken some SoCal ABA lifers.  Follow The Bird Banter Podcast on the iTunes Store.  Here is a link to Episode #2 with Ken Brown who I went on the birding trip that is the topic of todays episode. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bird-banter-podcast-episode-2-with-ken-brown/id1450449001?i=1000429362011&mt=2 Follow @dredpullen on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Check out The Bird Banter website http://birdbanter.com Link to the National Audubon Society Page about the Salton Sea  https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas/salton-sea Link to a Bird Watcher’s Digest article on birding Anza Borrego Desert State Park https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/explore/regions/southwest/california/anza-borrego-desert-state-park-california.php Link to the recent San Diego Birding Festival webpage  http://www.cvent.com/events/san-diego-bird-festival/event-summary-f13df7d70cc2428a84786ad5d7bc6a6b.aspx An article about the Bolsa Chica Wetlands birding   https://www.allaboutbirds.org/birds-in-the-burbs-bolsa-chica-ecological-reserve/ Link by Sea and Sage Audubon discussing the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary.  http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/BirdInfo/birdinfoparksoc.htm Correction:  The Lehman mentioned in the podcast as being at the San Diego Pelagic as a leader should be Paul Lehnam, not John Lehman.  My appologies for the mistake.  Good birding.  Good day.

In episode #5 my guest Dorian Anderson discushis ses his Biking for the Birds 2014 Big Year, as well as his birding life before and after the big year.  He is a fascinating person, and a great podcast guest.  Enjoy.   Follow The Bird Banter Podcast on the iTunes Podcast store, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify or on my website http:/birdbanter.com where you can watch directly. Here are links to resources mentioned in the podcast Link to Biking for the Birds  http://bikingforbirds.blogspot.com/ Dorian Anderson Photography  http://bikingforbirds.blogspot.com/ Dorian’s current blog:  http://thespeckledhatchback.blogspot.com/ The tour company Dorian is working with http://alvarosadventures.com  The National Audubon Society program to develop local birding guides in developing countries  https://www.audubon.org/news/audubon-trained-tour-guides-and-community-science Bio of Dorian’s early years birding mentor Robert Ridgely  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_S._Ridgely  The Route of Dorian’s Big Year from his blog site, see the details at his Biking for the Birds blog site link above.     Thanks for listening.  Good birding.  Good day.

Episode #4 of The Bird Banter Podcast with Christian Hagenlocher Christian Hagenlocher is well known in the birding community after his 2016 ABA Big Year where, documented on his blog at The Birding Project http://www.thebirdingproject.com/ Christian has a book coming out in May 2019 at The Biggest Week in Birding Festival at Magee Marsh, where he is speaking and will be a trip leader.   I think you'll find his birding story fascinating and enjoyable. Please leave a review and rating on your favorite podcast feed site.  You can find The Bird Banter Podcast on the iTunes Store https://birdbanter.podbean.com/feed.xml or at Google Play, Spotify, or Stitcher. Follow @birdbanter on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Bird-Banter-2335327946695629 @dredpullen on twitter @dredpullen on instagram Links to sites mentioned in the today's podcst The Birding Project   http://www.thebirdingproject.com/ John Weigel's 2019 ABA Big Year Blog  https://birdingyear.com 2019 Attu Birding Tour  http://www.zbirdtours.com/attu-alaska-spring-migration-may-22-june-8-2019/ Mountains to Sea Birding for Teens  http://hogisland.audubon.org/programs/mountains-sea-birding-teens Biking for Birds - Blog about Dorian Anderson's biking big year.  http://bikingforbirds.blogspot.com/ Olaf Danielson's Big Year (2016) Blog  http://olafsbigyear.blogspot.com/ Sorry to any expecting to hear about my Kenya Trip with James Bradley, as that interview fell through at the last minute. Maybe another time.  See you soon with another episode.  Good birding.  Good day.

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #3 with Bruce LaBar In this episode I talk with Bruce LaBar.  Bruce has the #1 lifelist of bird species seen in Washington State at 452 and in Pierce County 285. Lest you think Bruce is easing off he is currently the #1 eBird lister in both areas for 2019 too!  You can find Bruce LaBar on facebook @brucelabar or Instagram @tacomabruce Links to resources mentioned in the podcast. Westport Seabirds is the longest running database of pelagic trip sightings in the world.  Bruce is a regular spotter on these trips.  Bruce is at the spotting scope in this 1982 photo from Dan Roberson's Website on the history of California Birding.   Shearwater Journeys is Debbie Love Shearwater's Pelagic Birding Company that runs out of Monterey Bay and other northern California ports.  I believe she may be stopping leading these trips soon if not already.  Follow: Bird Banter on Facebook Instagram @dredpullen Twitter @dredpullen and subscribe to The Bird Banter Podcast on the iTunes store, Google Play, Stitcher or Spotify.   Be sure to listen next episode to hear James Bradley's story. It will be good, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it.  Until next time, good birding!

The Bird Banter Podcast- Episode #2.  Ken Brown Ken Brown is a long-time Tacoma, WA area birder. He has taught birding classes for the Tahoma Audubon Society for over 3 decades, is an expert field trip leader, a top birder and is my best and longest time birding buddy.   Here are links to a few of the things discussed in the podcast. ABC Birding Club Website Sibley Guide to the Birds Be sure to follow The Bird Banter Podcast on The iTunes Store or on the Google Play Store, Spotifly or Stitcher.  On Twitter @dredpullen On Facebook @birdbanter On Instagram @dredpullen

In BirdBanter Podcast #1 I'll introduce myself as the host of the Bird Banter Podcast and briefly tell my birding story. In future episodes I'll talk with other birders about their birding story and birding experiences.  I think you'll enjoy our dialogue and the stories we have to tell.  You can find me at Bird Banter Website Instagram @DrEdPullen Twitter @DrEdPullen and can find the podcasts on the Apple App Store, Google Play or other podcast sites by searching for BirdBanter.

Melissa Hafting is my guest on the Bird Banter Podcast #105, and we talk about her work with young birders in BC, her leadership of the BC Rare Bird Alert, and her birding experiences.   You can find Melissa on Instagram @bcbirdergirl Please leave a review and rating on the podcast platform you prefer, and check out the blog associated with this episode on The Bird Banter Blog See Melissa's blog here Check the BC Rare Bird Alert here Until next time. Good birding and good day!

On this episode we talk birding in Australia with R. Bruce Richardson, entertainer, birder and now author of An Australian Birding Year.  Australia has been high on my most wanted list of places to go, and it is even higher after talking with Bruce.  Check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more photos and info about Bruce and the episode.  Thanks for listening.  Until next time. Good birding and good day