Episode 59: The big year of birding with Noah Strycker
In this episode, we talk to Noah Strycker. Noah is the Associate Editor for Birding Magazine and author of several popular books about birds. He set a world record in 2015 by finding more than 6,000 species of birds in one calendar year. 6,042 species to be precise. Noah has made more than 70 expeditions to Antarctica and the high Arctic,...
Episode 58: Where bar headed geese and black tailed godwits visit in the winter
This episode is set in Hadinaru Kere, a lake outside Mysore in India. In the winter, the lake attracts a number of migratory birds. Some 85 species have been recorded in March 2023. This episode talks about the black-tailed godwit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsuNI3-tN44 To understand the difference between black- and bar-tailed godwits,...
Episode 57: About Australia and birdsong with author Tim Low
In this episode, we talk to author Tim Low, whose book, “Where Song Began” has been credited with turning the map upside down in terms of ornithology’s Northern hemisphere bias. Tim proves that the world’s cleverest birds originated in Australia. Tim Low is an award winning author, biologist, consultant and speaker. You can read...
Episode 56: BR Hills in Karnataka: a recent visit
In episode 28, we spoke to Dr. Samira Agnihotri about bird song and how the Solega tribals interacted so closely with the forest around them. This episode is about a recent visit to the BR Hills. It talks about how humans and wildlife can live together in the forest. Watch how the Solega tribals live and worship a Magnolia champaka tree or a...
Episode 55: Demoiselle Cranes in India
This episode is about demoiselle cranes congregating in a village in India. Last month, on a trip to Rajasthan, I visited the village of Kheechan. To get here, you have to fly to Jodhpur and drive two hours North. The thing about this place is that every winter, some 20,000 Demoiselle cranes congregate here because they are fed...
Episode 54: The Great Indian Bustard: Update
Our first episode was about the Great Indian Bustard. The logo of the Bird Podcast is the Great Indian Bustard or GIB as it is called. Salim Ali wanted this bird to be India’s national bird for three reasons: it is indigenous to India, it is a large and charismatic bird, and it deserves protection because its numbers were dwindling, even in...
Episode 53: Birds of Australia: Stories and Species
This episode gives a glimpse into the birds of Australia, told through the eyes of Franck Masna, an aboriginal elder who tells us the story of how birds got their colours and also through the eyes of Michael Simmons who runs Tweed Escapes to show tourists the sights and sounds of the Tweed River in Australia. This video is about the Tweed Valley,...
Episode 52: Amazing bird species: Wood Storks
This is a story about a wood stork called Flinthead. He lived with his partner in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Florida. The wood stork couple depended on the wetlands in Florida for not just their survival but also to bring up their babies. This is a post-episode trailer of Episode 5 where I interviewed Dr. Jerry Jackson....
Episode 51: The importance of wetlands: Post episode trailer
This episode is about wetlands. This is a post-episode trailer of Episode 5 where I interviewed Dr. Jerry Jackson. Even though the audio isn’t perfect, Episode 5 is worth listening to because he covers so much ground. Ecology, wood storks, wetlands, anhingas, and much more. Here I focus on one aspect of that episode: wetlands...
Episode 50: How Israel tackles bird conservation with Professor Yossi Leshem.
Barn Owls, Israeli Air Force and Satellite tagging of storks In this episode, we have Professor Yossi Leshem from Israel joining us to discuss several things: tracking migratory storks with GPS, working with barn owls as pest control agents, regional cooperation, reducing aircraft collisions, and working with defense forces. Dr. Leshem has...