Birdcallsradio

The authors of “Life Along the Delaware Bay: Cape May, Gateway to a Million Shorebirds,” will be the next guests on BirdCallsRadio. Dr. Lawrence Niles, Dr. Joanna Burger, and Dr. Amanda Dey have worked extensively with the birds _ especially shorebirds _ of the Delaware Bay and have written a fascinating and exceedingly informative book about the area and its importance to birds.

Kim Todd, an associate professor at Penn State Behrend and author of “Sparrow,” was the latest guest on BirdCallsRadio, which originally aired Sunday, July 29, 2012. Listen as Kim describes the interesting history of the House Sparrow, its introduction to the United States and its impact on the native wildlife in the U.S. Kim previously authored “Tinkering with Eden,” a book about the introduction of exotic species to the U.S. ecology.

BirdCallsRadio archive show featuring Wayne Petersen as guest on July 22, 2012.  Petersen is the director of the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Important Bird Area (IBA) program. He was also the field ornithologist for Mass Audubon for 15 years before taking on his current role. Listen as he discusses the IBA program and what it takes for a property to be considered an IBA. He also talks about seabirds and some of his state’s IBA properties off shore.

BirdCallsRadio archive with nature photographer Lloyd Spitalnik as the guest. Lloyd discusses his photo book “Visions: Earth’s Elements in Bird & Nature Photography,” as well as nature photography in general, the equipment he uses and how he captures some of his amazing shorebird photos. He also discusses Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and its annual shorebird festival.

Show featuring Chuck Westfall, technical advisor for Canon USA. Westfall shares knowledge about Canon’s line of cameras for nature photographers, from beginners to advanced. Point and shoots have come a long way for photographers, some with a reach of more than 800mm. Canon also continues to improve their high-end camera bodies and lenses as well. Listen as Westfall describes what’s new. It’s a must listen for anyone interested in nature photography.

BirdCallsRadio show featuring guest Kelly Fuller, Wind Campaign Coordinator for the American Bird Conservancy. Wind energy is a hot topic among the birding community. No doubt we need to find alternate and renewable sources of energy, but it must be done in a bird- and wildlife-friendly way. Listen as Fuller explains what “bird-friendly” means when it comes to wind power. Proper placement of the wind mills is crucial. Fuller also explains a new lawsuit filed by American Bird Conservancy against the federal government regarding how information is shared among the government and those in the wind power industry.

show featuring naturalist and wildlife illustrator Jen Brumfield. Listen as we have a lively discussion with Jen about her illustrations, birding in northern Ohio, getting children involved in nature, “extreme birding,” and a host of other topics. Jen Brumfield, Bird illustrator at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. ©Sherri Duris 2012. All Rights Reserved Jen is known for her enthusiasm for birding and that certainly comes through in this interview/discussion.

BirdCallsRadio archive featuring Eric Powers as the guest. Powers is a biologist and founder of Your Connection to Nature (www.yc2n.com). He conducts programs with schools on Long Island Sound whereby teachers hatch Northern Bobwhite eggs and Powers broods them and eventually releases them to control the tick population in local parks.

BirdCallsRadio show featuring John Marzluff and Tony Angell, authors of “Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans,” which was recently released by Free Press on June 5, 2012.  Listen as the authors discuss in detail crows, other corvids, and some of the amazing stories associated with these amazing and interesting birds.

BirdCallsRadio show featuring Greg Hanisek as the guest. Greg is an editor and nature columnist for The Republican-American, a daily newspaper in Waterbury, Connecticut. He has been birdwatching for more than 50 years and is a well-known and active birder in the state. Greg is an active participant in bird surveys in CT, is the editor of the Connecticut Warbler (the newsletters of the Connecticut Ornithological Association) and is a member of the Avian Records Committee of Connecticut.

BirdCallsRadio show featuring an with Florence “Flo” McBride. Listen as this popular Connecticut birdwatcher describes how she gets children excited about learning about nature and birds. She even does her “Blue Jay rap” — twice. Nice!

Show featuring Katie Fallon, author of “Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird,” by Ruka Press. Katie discusses the plight of the Cerulean Warbler, a beautiful blue warbler that is declining rapidly. Katie went to South America to visit the birds’ winter habitat. She discusses in this interview the various challenges the birds face on their winter and summer homes, as well as on their migration routes. She also tackles mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia and encourages consumers to drink shade-grown coffee.  

Featured Soundkeeper Terry Backer, who has devoted much of his life to preserving and protecting Long Island Sound. Terry, who is also a state Representative in Connecticut, talks about important initiatives that will protect the Sound, what the Soundkeeper organization (now 25 years old) has done over the years to protect the Sound, and, of course, birds. Terry has been fishing and shellfishing on Long Island Sound nearly all his life and offers an interesting perspective on the waters. 

BirdCallsRadio show featuring special guests Michael Moccio and Patrick Dugan. Michael and Patrick were instrumental in preserving a section of Cove Island Park in Stamford, CT, at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary. What was once a brush dump is now a wildlife sanctuary with habitats such as fields, woods, beaches and brushy areas. Check out the archive to find out how they did it. Patrick is also known for his bird imitations and he does several during the show. Be sure to check that out, too. He even does his famous winter wren call.

Derek Lovitch show, originally aired Sunday, April 29, 2012. Derek talks to BirdCallsRadio about his new book, “How to be a Better Birder,” published by Princeton University Press. He also discusses the Whole Bird and More approach to bird identification, using radar and weather to find more birds, conservation and special moments at Bradbury Mountain in Maine.

Show with Kenn Kaufman. It originally aired on Sunday, April 22, 2012. Kenn is one the most recognized birders in the U.S. and is the author of several books on birds. He is also the founder of the Kaufman Field Guides published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company of Boston.

BirdCallsRadio show featuring Julie Zickefoose, wildlife artist, wild rehabilitator, naturalist and author of “The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds,” a recent Oprah Book club “Book of the Week.” Julie discusses her book, as well as reads a passage from the book and describes some of the artwork. She also discusses a variety of other topics related to nature. You don’t want to miss her discussion about barn swallows and a black rat snake!

BirdCallsRadio show with Julian Hough as the special guest. Julian discusses wildlife photography and art, as well as birdwatching tips, the Ct Avian Records Committee, and coming to America from England and meeting up in Cape May, N.J., with folks such as Richard Crossley, Pete Dunne, and Kevin Karlson.

Show with renowned wildlife photographer Kevin Karlson. He is also the co-author of The Shorebird Guide. His latest book, Birding by Impression, is due out soon. Listen as Kevin describes the concept of birding by impression, a more holistic approach to birdwatching. Kevin also talks about The Shorebird Guide and the plight of the Red Knot.

BirdCallsRadio show with naturalist Mary Warren of Magee Marsh Wildlife Area in Ohio. Magee Marsh has been named a Top 10 spot for birdwatching in the United States. Listen as Mary discusses bird migration, other wildlife, Magee Marsh, and how she became a naturalist late in life and encourages others to follow their dreams. Mary also discusses the importance of getting kids involved in the outdoors.