reintroduction

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Dustin Smith from the North Carolina Zoo to discuss a conservation program for Virgin Island Boas. They begin by discussing Dustin’s career trajectory and the dedication required to succeed in the zoo field. Next, they delve into the natural history of Virgin Island Boas, covering aspects such as their distribution, habitat, reproduction, diet, status, and threats. Then, they explore a comprehensive program aimed at conserving the boas, which includes field surveys and monitoring, captive breeding and reintroduction, as well as the control of invasive predator populations.

Connect with Dustin at the North Carolina Zoo.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Dr. James Bogan, Director of the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation and Central Florida Zoo. They have an in depth discussion of Cryptosporidium (Crypto) in snakes. First, they talk about the disease itself and how it impacts snakes. Second, they discuss how to test for it and treat it. They also discuss how Crypto has been found in the captive population of indigo snakes that is being used for their conservation and how they have effectively managed it to prevent its spread within the captive colony and into the wild. If you are interested in snakes either in the wild or captivity, or if you are interested in conservation or diseases this is one you don’t want to miss.

Connect with James at the Central Florida Zoo.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Matt Buehler, a Ph.D. Candidate studying indigo snake genetics. They begin with how Matt found himself working with indigo snakes and cover some interesting steps in his career including studying Sea Kraits. They start the discussion of indigo snake genetics by talking about what has already been done, including a study using mitochondrial data that showed there are two clades of Eastern Indigo Snakes and a second study showing that there is gene flow between the clades. They talk about Matt’s research, including looking at population structure of indigo snakes and understanding the indigo snake genome. The results from all these studies are important for developing reintroduction strategies.

Connect with Matt on his website.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

In this episode we head to the banks of the River Tay in Perthshire to meet with NatureScot’s beaver team and hear about the work they’re doing to help everyone in Scotland live alongside beavers again.

Recorded at a recent demonstration event held by the team to teach volunteers and land managers the skills to be self-sufficient and carry out effective tree protection in Tayside, we spoke to staff from NatureScot and The Beaver Trust as well as volunteers who were keen to learn more. We find out about the history of beavers and how they came to be in Scotland after such a long absence, what impacts beavers can have on our waterside woodlands and what can be done to mitigate some of those impacts. A really interesting listen.

More information:

Protecting trees from beavers using wire mesh

Beaver Mitigation Scheme

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Robert Hill, Curator of Herpetology at Zoo Atlanta. They discuss his path to getting to where he is today and about how people can get into working in the zoo field. They talk about Zoo Atlanta including their reptile facility and the animals you might expect to encounter there. Finally they discuss the wide array of education and conservation projects the Herpetology Program works on, including declining amphibians, Eastern Indigo Snakes, and Guatemalan Beaded Lizards.

Connect with Robert at Zoo Atlanta.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

Get to know Jessie and Colleen again! With the podcast now over 3 years old, we’re going to reintroduce ourselves! A lot has changed from when we started in 2019, so it’s time to give y’all an update and list off some accomplishments we’re proud of from the past few years.

What to do next...

1. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
2. Join the Half-Dead Pancreas Club
3. Follow the Pod on Instagram
4. Follow Colleen on Instagram
5. Follow Jessie on Instagram
6. Follow us on TikTok

Red Kites are one of our most striking and widespread birds of prey – but did you know they almost went extinct in the UK a few decades ago and we wouldn’t be seeing them now if it wasn’t for a re-introduction programme that took place in the 80s. So in this episode I chat to my aunt Karen who was involved in this work to bring them back from the brink.

P.S apologies for the rumbly microphone sounds throughout.

RSPB website - Red Kite
RSPB website - Red Kite conservation

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Howard Inns to discuss the work of the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARCT).  They start by talking about Howard’s interest in reptiles and amphibians and how it led to him becoming one of the early leaders at ARCT.  Chris and Howard talk about the species and natural history of snakes in the United Kingdom.  Then they go in-depth about the ARCT and the work they are doing to conserve species in this often herpetologically overlooked corner of the world.  They talk about projects to create reserves, conduct research, educate citizens and reintroduce species. Tune in to learn about snakes in a place few of you have probably thought about.

Learn more about ARCT.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

How can we begin to reverse the destruction of our countryside, the pollution of our rivers - and our disconnection from the Natural World?  Beavers, of course.  Eva Bishop of the Beaver Trust tells of the UK introduction of beavers and puts it in a whole-system context.  

The Beaver Trust is a small group of committed individuals who understand the deep interconnectedness of life.  By bringing beavers back to the UK where once they flourished, they are seeing whole ecosystems grow back to life.  In their work with farmers and landowners, they are able to open gateways to radical restoration of our landscapes and biodiversity, reversing the catastrophic species loss of the past five decades. 

Eva Bishop is their Communications Director. In this week's episode, we explore the work of the Trust and it's place in the wider systemic change we need if we're going to make it through the current bottleneck. 

The Beaver Trust https://beavertrust.org
The Lodge Cast podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-lodge-cast/id1530950902
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeaverTrust/
All We Can Save: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/All-We-Can-Save-by-Ayana-Elizabeth-Johnson-editor-Katharine-K-Wilkinson-editor/9780593237083

Taking the from the Poddecks Episode Idea Deck we go Reintroductions! 
So we are taking this episode to reintroduce ourselves, WARNING, we are not good at this.

The project to reintroduce white-tailed eagles to the Isle of Wight continues, and in this - the second year of five - seven birds have been released.  This podcast picks up the story from when they were taken south from Scotland to their new home - pilot Graham and his daughter Helen Mountford of Civil Air UK making two voluntary trips to fly the birds to the Isle of Wight - but instead of focussing on the fortunes of this year's birds, we look instead at a major milestone in the project overall.  One bird - G3-24 - has returned to the Isle of Wight after two months in Scotland. What this means for the project as a whole is discussed by Roy Dennis and his colleagues, as they outline what they hope for the future and reflect on the wider purpose of this reintroduction project.

Producer: Moira Dennis
Contributors (in order of appearance): Tim Mackrill, Steve Egerton-Read, Graham Mountford, Helen Mountford, Ian Perks, Fraser Cormack, Leanne Sargeant, Roy Dennis, Lucy Allen

Music credit: Realness by Kai Engel, form the Free Music Archive
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In the previous podcast, Ian Perks described his work collecting eagles for translocation from nests in the Western Isles to a new home on the Isle of Wight.  Now, the chicks safely collected, it's time to care for them while they wait to be taken south. This is the 2020 cohort for the white-tailed eagle reintroduction programme, a joint venture between the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England which had a successful start twelve months ago.  In this year of lockdown, though, it's not as straightforward as it might be, with the usual team unable to travel to help feed the eagles and drive them south.

The challenges of this year of Covid 19 are dealt with, though, and the birds successfully taken for release on the Isle of Wight, thanks largely to a father-and-daughter volunteer team with exactly the right skills for this project.

Producer: Moira Dennis
Contributors (in order of appearance): Leanne Sargeant, Ian Perks, Moira Dennis, Roy Dennis, Graham Mountford, Phoebe Dennis, Helen Mountford

Music: Realness by Kai Engel, downloadable from the Free Music Archive

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/



 

The white-tailed eagle had been absent from Scotland for forty years when the very first attempt at reintroduction took place in 1958. A later project, led in 1968 by Roy Dennis and George Waterston on Fair Isle, between Orkney and Shetland, was groundbreaking but also unsuccessful, due largely to the very small number of birds involved.  This podcast, though, hears from John Love, in conversation with Roy, as he talks about his ten years on the Hebridean island of Rum, site of the first successful reintroduction of sea eagles to Scotland, led by John in partnership with Roy and others. Eleven consecutive years and a total of 83 eagles brought in from Norway (with invaluable support from the RAF) led to success for this precursor to similar reintroduction projects, such as the current one on the Isle of Wight.

Producer: Moira Hickey
Contributors (in order of appearance):  John Love, Roy Dennis

Music credit:  Realness by Kai Engel, downloadable from the Free Music Archive
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hannah and Erik meet up with Travis, the Lead Avian Curator at the Oregon Zoo to talk about California Condors.  Travis along with the Oregon Zoo team and other teams around the country are working to restore the California Condor population throughout the US.  

How’s it going?  Where will you be able to see them in the future?  Listen in to find out all these answers and more!

Show Notes:

Queens Birding Club Universal Laws
Oregon Zoo California Condor
California Ban on Lead Ammunition
Lucky Hammock/Froggy Pond WMA
Oregon Zoo eBird Checklist 

Apps we use:

Recforge 2
eBird
iNaturalist
Record the Earth
iBird
BirdNET

Connect with us at...
 IG: @Hannahgoesbirding and @Erikgoesbirding
Twitter: @WeGoBirding
Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding
Email us at HannahandErikGoBirding@gmail.com
Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com

It’s a momentous night for this teenage eastern quoll – she’s leaving home.

It’s a momentous night for this teenage eastern quoll – she’s leaving home.