Episode 64: Flight paths: about bird migration with Rebecca Heisman
In this episode, we are talking about how we know what we know about bird migration. Our guest, Rebecca Heisman describes herself on her website, as a “bird writer for hire.” Her first book, flight path has the following subtitle: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. This episode...
Episode 63: The Feather Library project with Esha Munshi
This episode is about the wonder of feathers. Salim Ali said that birds were “feathered bipeds.” This episode explores how feathers are marvellously adaptive to suit birds and species. Our guest is Esha Munshi who co-founded the Feather Library, a digital project documenting feathers. Esha read a quote from this book on feathers....
Episode 62: Bird diplomacy with Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud
Photographing birds across continents. In this episode, we interview His Excellency Jacques Pitteloud who happens to be the Swiss Ambassador to the United States. Based in Washington, Ambassador Pitteloud is also a birdwatcher and bird photographer. In 2021, Ambassador Pitteloud’s photograph of a rare painted bunting that...
Episode 61: Bird conservation: experiments that work
In this episode, we highlight conservation experiments that are interesting and have worked. We have chosen three experiments from previous episodes. Our hope is that you will go back and listen or watch sections of these episodes because they are worth your time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxjJ6f_-9h0 The first conservation plan that worked...
Episode 60: The race to save our vanishing birds with Beverly and Anders Gyllenhaal
This episode is about conservation efforts across North America. Beverly and Anders Gyllenhaal are veteran journalists and birdwatchers. They ran newsrooms, assigned features and wrote books. They publish a website called FlyingLessons.US: What We’re Learning from the Birds,’’ and are here with us to speak about their new book, “A Wing and...
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...