American Dipper – Naturalist Minute Ep. 1
The American Dipper is the enigma of the songbirds…it swims and dives for its food. Living on the wildest of mountain streams, American Dipper is uniquely at home in the torrent. The Dipper has an extra translucent eyelid for seeing underwater. The Dipper’s feathers are water repellent, and it flies, yes FLIES, underwater. The dipper […]
Gunnar Engblom – Kolibri Expeditions – More Than Birds – Episode 9
Gunnar Engblom is a Swedish expat who has made Peru his birding home. Gunnar has been leading birding tours in South America for more than 20 years. Also, he has a killer pisco sour recipe, and remember use only Peruvian pisco, not that Chilean stuff. Please subscribe/rate/review More Than Birds via iTunes Pisco Sour Ingredients: 3 […]
Chairman Mao and the Sparrows
They started waving bright red flags, and banging pots and pans at dusk. The frantic commotion sustained for days. Terrified Eurasian Tree and House Sparrows wheeled in distraught flight overhead as they searched in vain for a place of respite. Exhaustion took hold of the little birds, and they soon littered the ground. Children and […]
Jeffrey Gordon – American Birding Association – More Than Birds – Episode 8
Jeffrey Gordon, President of the American Birding Association, talks with me about the current state of birding and its future. Also we chat about his emergence as a birder and naturalist. NOTE: My portion of conversation is of horrible sound quality…apologies in advancement. Please subscribe/rate/review More Than Birds via iTunes
Review: The Unfeathered Bird
Feathers. We see birds as collections of feathers. The majority of our identification tools are based on the feathers of a bird. We note the feather color, structure, and location of almost every bird we see, almost unconsciously . We even pay considerable attention to which feathers are missing as a result of the molting process. But […]
Beach Boys and the Birds of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire
Sometimes I dream about escaping the lingering flurries and barely tolerable temperatures of February in Montana. I want to feel sand filtering its way through my toes as the tropical sun ever so gently radiates upon my shoulders (maybe even a little sunburn). I start thinking of Jack Johnson and the Beach Boys tunes – oh yeah, […]
Jeremy Roberts – Conservation Media – More Than Birds – Episode 7
How does a film-maker make a difference? Help scientists and conservation organizations produce and distribute their own content without a corporate filter. That is exactly what Jeremy Roberts does for his career. Jeremy launched Conservation Media with this noble ideal. Plus, he has done research on chickadee vocalizations in relation to predators. While peer-reviewed literature […]
Another Birding Podcast? (or How Birding Can Change the World)
“We just saw 50 Sage Grouse on the lek this morning,” I blurted out as the waitress’s eyes rolled with such force that her head jerked backward. The Bearded Bird Freak Barricade landed at her table, and boy, was she duly impressed. Well, at least, she will have a new story now about the 3 […]
Owls of the World – Hey, It’s Owling Season
I have been on an absolute owl tear lately. I have found and photographed Northern Pygmy Owl and Great Gray Owl along the Bitterroot River. I accompanied owl researcher Denver Holt on one of his owl trapping/banding field days where I got up close and personal with a Long-eared Owl. All of these experiences have serviced to […]
Mat Seidensticker – The Naturalist’s Mercantile – Episode 6
What does every community need? A store specializing in bird feeding and naturalist knowledge, of course. In Missoula, we have the Naturalist’s Mercantile, the ultimate nature geeks emporium. The store’s co-owner, Mat Seidensticker, talks with about the store, bird feeding, and his past work as an owl researcher. My favorite portion of the conversation centered […]
The Inked Naturalist with Tristan Reid – More Than Birds – Episode 5
Tristan Reid is the Inked Naturalist, who over the last 20 months has been tattooed with 24 birds that are representative of the Turkey. His tattoos have gone up both arms and even into his head. He did all this as a method of raising awareness of proposed hydrologic projects in Turkey that would devastate […]
More Than Birds Field Trip – Owl Banding – Episode 1
I spent the day with Denver Holt and staff of the Owl Research Institute as they captured Long-eared Owls for their research. We were also joined by a dozen students from a local high school as part of their wildlife biology class. We observed 12 Long-eared Owls, a couple of Great Horned Owls, and one […]
Birds of Melanesia: Tropical warmth for the chilly birder
The temperature has climbed to nearly 25 degrees F this afternoon as the sun finally broke throw the dense inversion layer. Over the Bitterroot, a lone Belted Kingfisher rattled its call as it hovered above the ice-free center of the river. With a quick dive, it captures a hapless minnow. Bursting from the river with […]
Forrest Rowland – The Business of Birding – Episode 4
Forrest Rowland is a guide and coordinator for Rockjumper Worldwide, a birding tour company. We discuss the positive and negative impacts of birding tourism as well as Oman and how he finding Montana birding. Forrest is entertaining and thoughtful as he relates stories of his life and career, the dream career for many of us…a […]
The Enthusiastic Traveler with John Eickert – More Than Birds – Episode 3
Imagine trekking in Tibet, seeing the sunrise at Machu Picchu, and learning about cultures other than your own. Well, that is exactly what John Eickert does for living. We have a great conversation about his adventures around this little blue marble.