looking at birds

My guest is Derek Sallmann, one half of the sibling-duo behind Badgerland Birding, a popular YouTube channel with a focus on birding, bird-feeding and nature in general. They recently launched a new birding podcast: The Badgerland Birding podcast. You can also find Derek and his brother Ryan, out and around Wisconsin, leading birding tours.

For more from Derek and Badgerland Birding, check out the following:

• Blog - http://badgerlandbirding.wordpress.com
• YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@BadgerlandBirding
• Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/7wtoWCxAaj0dvQuXq2nxYD?si=e9365264ac694f5f
• Their YouTube Episode on the Grenada Dove -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqEQkzqRugc

Chapters

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:57 - Derek’s Recent “First of the Year” Birding
• 06:54 - How Derek Became Interested in Birding
• 10:39 - Derek’s Earliest memory of a Bird
• 11:33 - Derek’s Memorable Encounter with a Bird: Grenada Dove
• 14:06 - Bird of the Episode: Snowy Owl
• 25:02 - How the Badgerland Birding YouTube Channel Began
• 33:58 - Derek Shares about the new Badgerland Birding Podcast
• 38:04 - Derek Shares One Last Thing 
• 38:44 - Outro

For pictures of the Snowy Owl taken by Derek and Ryan, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram. 

Thank you for listening!

My guest is Jon Dunn, lead author of the Field Guide to the Birds of North America by National Geographic, most recently the 7th edition in 2017, and a Tour Guide for WINGS, who has had a passion for birds most of his life. He’s led a few trips at this year's Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival and I’m happy he was able to join us for this episode. 

Chapters

• 00:00 - Introduction
• 00:33 - Jon’s Recent Birding
• 02:40 - Some of Jon’s WINGS’ Trips
• 04:35 - How Jon Joined WINGS
• 05:18 - Some of Jon’s Upcoming Trips
• 06:12 - Birding in Idaho
• 07:16 - How Jon became Interested in Birds
• 08:11 - Earliest Memory of a Bird (Stellar’s Jay)
• 09:18 - One of Jon’s Memorable Encounter with a Bird 
• 12:44 - Bird of the Episode: Clapper Rail
• 20:02 - Jon & The Field Guide to the Birds of North America by National Geographic
• 22:30 - Bringing Visual Representations of Birds to the Pages
• 26:30 - Jon & Peterson’s Guide to Warblers
• 28:34 - Connecticut Warblers that Walk?
• 32:46 - Jon & the AOS Checklist Committee 
• 37:50 - Before We Go
• 39:33 - Outro

For pictures of the Clapper Rail, please checkout the podcast's Instagram: @lookingatbirdspodcast

Thank you for listening,  I hope you enjoy the holidays and have a happy new year!

For this episode, I recorded interviews with visitors that stopped by my table at the Birders Bazaar of the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. In addition to those interviews, a returning guest, Victor Lawrence, spoke with us about the Kookaburra. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Chapters

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:33 - Welcome to the RGVBF
• 01:04 - Janine from Harlingen
• 08:06 - Jessenia from McAllen
• 10:15 - Cathy from Palm View
• 12:55 - Jeff from Edinburgh
• 16:43 - Keri from Port Isabel
• 21:01 - Scottie from Harlingen
• 24:16 - Ivan from Victoria, Mx
• 28:32 - Susan from Harlingen
• 30:46 - Bird of the Episode: Kookaburra w/Victor
• 43:42 - Outro

For pictures of the Kookaburras and some of the other birds discussed this episode, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram.

Thank you for listening!

My guest is Robert Gallardo, a California native who moved to Honduras in 1993 for the Peace Corps and then stayed for the tropical birds. He is now considered the country's leading authority on both birds and butterflies. He leads tours for Naturalist Journeys and Fauna Ventures to Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago. Robert is the current President of the Pro Nature Honduras Foundation, a small non-profit which promotes nature-based sustainable tourism and environmental education. He is also the co-founder of the Honduran Ornithological Society. He has authored two editions of the "Guide to the Birds of Honduras." Along with his most recent book: "Guide to the Butterflies of Honduras.” 

For more information on some of the tours Robert leads, you can check out:

• https://www.naturalistjourneys.com/
• https://faunaventures.com/

For more information about both of his books, you can check out the following article:

• https://blog.naturalistjourneys.com/2022/07/29/butterfly-guide-book/

For pictures of some of the birds discussed in the episode, please check out the podcast's Instagram: @lookingatbirdspodcast

Chapters

• 00:00 - Intro
• 01:17 - Recent Birding Trip to the Sky Islands
• 02:18 - Birding background
• 05:43 - Memorable Encounter with Snowy Cotingas
• 09:21 - Bird of the Episode: Ocellated Quail
• 20:34 - Guide to the Birds of Honduras (Not a Field Guide)
• 25:45 - Before we Go
• 26:29 - Outro

Thank you for Listening!

My guest is Peg Abbott, she is the owner and lead guide of Naturalist Journeys, LLC. Peg has been designing, guiding, and organizing natural history tours for more than 35 years; working for the National Audubon Society and other organizations before launching Naturalist Journeys in 1998. Her work has taken her all over the world, from Alaska to Africa and many other locations. She has conducted research on several bird and mammal species and keeps a close interest in Yellowstone and Mexican Wolf reintroduction projects. After 20 years in and around the Yellowstone area, Peg made the move to the wonderful birding location of Portal, AZ, where she currently resides.

For more on Naturalist Journeys:
Website - https://www.naturalistjourneys.com/
Instagram - @naturalistjourneys

Chapters

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:34 - Peg’s Recent Trip to Bhutan
• 04:08 - Peg’s Birding Background
• 05:31- Peg’s Earliest Memory of a Bird
• 06:23 - Some of Peg’s Memorable Encounters with Birds
• 09:16 - Bird of the Episode: Elegant Trogon
• 28:48 - A Bit about Naturalist Journeys
• 40:40 - Ideas for Picking Your First Birding Trip
• 43:29 - What Keeps Peg Going After so Many Years
• 44:41 - One of Peg’s Favorite Domestic Birding Locations
• 48:15 - One Last Thing from Peg and her Next Birding Trip
•  50:03 - Outro

Eared Quetzal Call Credit: Derik Bowen, XC567245. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/567245.

For pictures of some of the birds discussed on the podcast, including the Elegant Trogon, please check out the podcast's Instagram: @lookingatbirdspodcast

Thank you for listening!

This is my second time at the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival and similar to my other festival episodes, I interviewed birders visiting the Nature Expo. We talked about some of their memorable birding experiences as well as their experience at the festival.

Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:47 - DJ from Tucson
05:48 - Lindsey from Tucson
09:27 - Eileen from Green Valley
11:51 - Mary Beth from Tucson
15:12 - Marta from Tucson
18:17 - Kate from North Dakota
24:02 - Outro

Thank you for listening!

For pictures of some of the birds discussed on the podcast, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram.

My guest is Frank Mead, an Arizona native who’s spent the last 10 years in the horticulture industry. Some of his experiences include working in the Conservation Core, a branch of Americore, where he helped to build trails in national parks and cooperated with fire crews during fire season. While he doesn’t have a formal background in birding, his older sister is an avid birder and has taken him along for many birding outings.

Conveniently, right before the backyard bird segment began, a nearby Northern Cardinal began calling!

I apologize for all the cicadas in the background, as their sounds come and go throughout the episode. 

Chapters

• 0:00 - Intro
• 00:59 - Some of the Birds that Visit Green Things
• 01:36 - Frank’s Background with Birds
• 05:07 - Bird of the Episode: Northern Cardinal
• 8:53 - Native Plant: Desert Ironwood / Olneya Tesota
• 16:11 - Canyon Hackberry / Cletus Reticulate
• 22:22 - Yellow Bells / Tacoma Sans
• 29:33 - About Green Things
• 31:28- About Poinsettias
• 33:08 -  Frank’s Role at Green Things
• 34:25 - Upcoming Classes @ Green Things
• 35:43 - Outro

For more about Green Things, please check out:

• Their website: https://greenthingsaz.com/ 
• Their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenThingsAZ
• Their Instagram: @greenthingsnursery 

For pictures of the Northern Cardinal and some of the native plants discussed, please check out the podcast's Instagram: @lookingatbirdspodcast

Thank you for listening!

Today my guest is Abby Wing, an owner, designer and builder here at Rozet Nursery. Abby spent 17 years in the San Francisco Bay area before moving out here to Tucson, there she pursued formal education, including her California Naturalist Certification, and acquired experience working with a number of gardeners, herbalists and contractors. Here at the nursery, Abby specializes in sustainable design, medicinal and edible plants, rock work, custom pots and gardens for children.

She's joining us today for our second episode focused on backyard birds and native plants that might attract them.

For more about what's going on at Rozet Nursery, please checkout their Instagram: @rozetnursery

For some pictures of the plants we discussed, a few nursery visitors and the Gila Woodpecker, please check out the podcast's Instagram: @lookingatbirdspodcast

Chapters

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:34 - Rozet Nursery Avian Visitors
• 02:59 - Abby’s Background with Birds
• 05:49 - Bird of the Episode: Gila Woodpecker
• 11:33 - Native Plants: Saguaro, Blue Palm & Yuccas
• 14:05 - Tip: Water Drainage Test
• 20:02 - Next plant: Brahea Armada / Mexican Blue Palm
• 20:38 - Tip: Deep Watering
• 24:17 - Native Plants = Velvet Mesquite + Blue Palo Verde
• 27:14 - Tip: Planting Proximity
• 29:03 - Tip: Mulching
• 33:15 - Native Plants: Yuccas 
• 34:14 - A bit about Rozet Nursery
• 40:43 - Upcoming events at Rozet Nursery
• 43:03 - Outro

Thank you for listening!

Today my guest is Sara Pike, a birder of 30 years and currently a Tour Manager for WINGS birdwatching Tours, she manages 20+ domestic tours in the US along with Guyana and even a sub-antarctic New Zealand cruise. Before WINGS, Sara worked with the Tucson Audubon for 11 years, where she was involved with retail, operations, marketing and even helped launch the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. Today, she still volunteers with them and helps with the annual Tucson Bird Count.

This is the first episode of two that focuses on the Tucson Birdathon, through the eyes of a local team, the Wrenagades. This episode, we'll talk about what a birdathon it is, and how this team will approach it this year. This episode was recording before the actual birdathon, and the next episode will be with another team member and will be recorded right after the birdathon.

Chapters

• 00:00 - Intro
• 0:34 - Recent Birding
• 4:09 - Birding Background
• 6:13 - What is a Birdathon? 
• 9:02 - Memorable Birdathon experience
• 10:48 - The Wrenagades
• 16:21 - Some of their Birdathon Stops
• 20:45 - Some Avian Regulars they Hope to See
• 21:25 - Bird of the Episode: Elf Owl
• 21:57 - Add Elf Owl call
• 30:17 - Outro

Thank you for listening!

Please checkout the podcast's Instagram - @lookingatbirdspodcast -  for some pictures of the Elf Owl and some of the birds that were around Tucson Audubon's Mason Center where this episode was recorded.

This is part 2  of a 3-part series covering avian mating behaviors, their nests and finally their eggs. Today my guest is Karen Vandergrift, who you might remember from Episode 8 and Episode 30. Certified as a Master Naturalist in both California and Arizona, with experience as a docent on Alcatraz Island, at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and most recently at the Laboratory of Tree ring research at the University of Arizona. Karen also leads birding field trips for the Tucson Audubon Society.

Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro
01:10 - Karen's Recent Trip to Uruguay
04:32 - Introduction to Nests
06:55 - Cup Nests
17:25 - Spherical Nests
24:22 - Ground Nests
28:40 - Underground / Burrowing Nests
30:45 - Platform Nests
33:36 - Cavity Nests
39:26 - Floating Nests
42:25 - Pendant Nests
46:26 - Crevice / Ledge Nests
49:10 - "Oddball" Nests
53:46 - Bird of the Episode: Rufous Hornero
60:54 - Outro

For pictures, please check out the Podcast's Instagram: @lookingatbirdspodcast

To look at birds while you listen to the podcast, please check out the Podcast's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lookingatbirds

Thank you for listening!

This is part 1 of a 3-part series covering avian mating behaviors, nesting behaviors and finally their eggs. Today my guest is Jeff Babson, you might remember him from a number of other episodes, namely 7, 16, 22 and 23, all of which I encourage you to check out, if you haven’t already listened to them.

Jeff is an all-around naturalist who currently works for the Pima County Department of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, as the county’s Wildlife Viewing Program Specialist. He also runs his own eco-tour and environmental education company, called Sky Island Tours. You will often find Jeff leading walks that focus on birds, insects and plants. You can join Jeff on a Bird Walk at El Rio on the 1st Tuesday of every month.

Pima County Environmental Education and Interpretive Programs
https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/one.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=32567

Southwest Wings
https://www.swwings.org/

Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Recent Birding at El Rio
02:38 - Spring-time Avian Visitors
04:04 - Curve-billed Thrasher in the Background
04:21 - Jeff's Time in the Bahamas
06:26 - How James Bond got his Name
07:19 - Clapper Rails, Key West Quail Doves and White-crowned Pigeons
10:53 - Tips for Visiting the Bahamas for Birding
12:32 - Book: A Guide to The Birds of the North Andros Island
15:04 - Bird of the Episode: Great Lizard Cuckoo
25:55 - Focus of the Episode: Avian Mating Behaviors
26:07 - Hummingbirds and Promiscuity
29:07 - Hermit Hummingbirds are a Little Different
31:37 - House Finches and Monogamy
33:33 - Tree Swallows and Extra Pair Copulations
34:36 - Cooper's hawks and Long-term Pair Bonds
38:41 - Harris's Hawks and Cooperative Breeding
41:08 - Summary
41:46 - Upcoming Birds Walks with Jeff and Southwest Wings
43:03 - Outro

Please check out the podcast's Instagram @lookingatbirdspodcast

My guest is Kendall Kroesen, the Community Outreach Coordinator for Mission Garden. With a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology he participated in a number of archaeological and conservation projects. In the early 2000s, he left social science and joined the Tucson Audubon society, where he created the Urban Bird Habitat Program and was involved with rural habitat restoration. These days you are most likely to find him working with plants or looking at birds.

Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
00:29 - Birds this Morning and Recent Birding
05:31 - Kendall's Birding Background
12:10 - Bird of the Episode: Verdin
22:52 - Verdin's Call
23:18 - More about Mission Garden
28:20 - Upcoming Events at Mission Garden
30:48 - How Kendall got into this Role
34:15 - A Typical Day at the Garden
39:17 - A Little More about Mission Garden
41:53 - Outro

Check out the links below for more on Mission Garden:

• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/missiongarden/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missiongardentucson/
• Website: https://www.missiongarden.org
• Address: 946 W Mission Ln, Tucson, AZ 85745 
• Hours: Wednesday to Saturday
  • 8am - 2pm (October to March)
  • 8am - Noon (April to September)

For pictures of some of the birds discussed on the podcast, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram.

My guest is Kristi Dranginis, the founder of Bird Mentor and an avid bird lover who enjoys sharing her love for birds with others. She has banded terns on Great Gull island and  hummingbirds at Mesa Verde National Park. Kristi also presented, and led field trips at, a number of birding festivals.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:35 - Kristi's Birding Background
• 19:22 - Bird of the Episode: Blue Jay
• 35:48 - Bird Mentor
• 56:52 - Outro

To connect with Kristi and learn more about Bird Mentor, please visit https://birdmentor.com

For pictures of some of the birds discussed on the podcast, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram.

My guest is Tom Brown, owner of Focus on Feathers, an organization that coordinated photography-based birding tours in the past, but now focuses on marketing Tom’s photography. He has led birding field trips in Mexico and across the United States. You might have seen some of his photography in various tourism-focused publications and maybe even his weekly column on Ten Thousand Birds, a few years ago.

Tom talks about his background in birding, how he got into photography, his year birding around the world and he also shares about the Western Screech Owl.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:35 - Tom's birding background
• 06:14 - Focus on Feathers
• 07:20 - Birding in Mexico
• 13:00 - Bird of the Episode: Western Screech Owl
• 23:15 - Western Screech Owl call
• 23:54 - Tom's year birding around the world
• 41:44 - Outro

For more about Tom and his photography, please check out: https://www.focusonfeathers.com

For pictures of some of the birds discussed on the podcast, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram. 

My guest is Javier De Leon, a Park Superintendent who has been at Estero Llano Grande for the last 8 years and other local nature centers for the last 17 years. He tells us about how get into birding, his role as Park Superintendent, more about the park and also a resident that many come to see - the Common Pauraque.

For more on Estero Llano Grande, please check out:
Website - https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/estero-llano-grande
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/esterollano

Time Stamps

• 01:30 - Javier's Birding Background
• 11:09 - Bird of the Episode: Common Pauraque
• 23:23 - What is the World Birding Center?
• 26:42 - More about Estero Llano Grande
• 35:10 - More about Javier's role as Park Superintendent

For pictures of some of the birds discussed on the podcast, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram.

My guest is John Brush, the resident Urban Ecologist and Park Naturalist at Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen, Texas. He provides environmental education to visitors and grows native plants to rewild and enhance the park. He tells us about how became interested in birds, got into this role and also shares about the Clay-colored Thrush, a bird that I was fortunate to see on my way out of the park, after the interview. 

Time Stamps

• 00:35 - John's background in birding.
• 06:18 - Bird of the Episode: Clay-colored Thrush
• 14:48 - More about Quinta Mazatlan

This is the second episode that I'm adding chapter markers to, hope some of you find them useful!

For pictures of birds discussed on the podcast (and some plants from this episode) please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram.

For this episode, I have two guests: Andrew Core, an avid birder who frequents the El Rio Preserve and Jay Grodman, the Natural Resources Supervisor for the Town of Marana, who will tell us more about the preserve, its origins, and explain the lack of water you might’ve noticed if you’ve visited recently. As a result of the this decrease in water, there wasn’t as much bird activity in the background, but you will hear a few friends. 

For more information on the preserve, please check out: https://www.maranaaz.gov/elrio

And if you’d like to see some pictures of birds discussed on the podcast, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram. 

I apologize for the one-day delay in the release of this episode, but I just got back from my first visit to the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival, so I was unable to release it on Sunday like I usually do. In the coming weeks, you can look forward to some great content from the festival and some guests I met around the Rio Grande Valley area. 

My guest is a familiar one, from Episode 8, Karen Vandergrift. This episode, she talks about her ranch in Uruguay, birding around there and the bird of the episode is the Raven. She tells us about the Common Raven and Chihuahuan Raven, while delving into some cultural perceptions of these birds and how those perceptions are connected to actual traits they possess. While cicadas can be heard during portions of this episode, they do quiet down long enough to hear some of the nearby birds.

For photos of some of the birds from each episode, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram. 

My guest is Alyce Bender, a Wildside Nature Tour Leader, Contributing Writer to the Journal of Wildlife Photography and a Tamron Ambassador that has photographed birds all over the world. She talks about birding in Japan, wildlife photography, one of her favorite owls in Arizona - the Western Burrowing Owl and then the bird of the episode: the Whooping Crane. 

Learn more about Alyce @ https://www.abenderphotography.com 

Check out her photography on Instagram @abenderphoto

For this episode, I have 8 guests! I tried something a little different and brought my setup to the Nature Expo at the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. I asked each guest to share  a memorable birding experience and how they got into birding.