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Birding 101: Learning How to Strike Out
When you go birding, sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time and there are more species than you can count. Other times, not so lucky. Striking out when looking for birds is frustrating…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Rainwater Basin
For 20,000 years, spring rains and melting snow have filled the playas of the Rainwater Basin of south-central Nebraska. As winter ends, 10 million waterfowl rest and feed there before continuing nor…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Sandgrouse: Desert Water-carriers
Sandgrouse live in some of the most parched environments on earth. To satisfy the thirst of their chicks, male sandgrouse carry water back to the nest in a surprising but effective way: by carrying i…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
The Nasally Fish Crow
The harsh caws of American Crows are one of the most familiar bird calls in North America. Fish Crows sometimes join flocks of American Crows as they forage for food. The two crow species look simila…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Introducing Aviary, the Shapeshifting Bird Superhero
In this episode, we meet Aviary: the superhero alter-ego of a mild-mannered birder bitten by a radioactive feather mite. Aviary became able to shapeshift into any of the birds they've seen in their t…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Tree Swallows Spend the Winter
Most swallow species that nest in North America eat almost nothing except flying insects. When the bugs die off in the fall, the swallows head south to winter in the tropical zones of Central and Sou…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Using Birdsong to Check a River’s Health
John Zaktansky leads the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, which is using recording devices to identify birds by sound on different parts of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. John’s ho…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Great Horned Owls Nest II
When Great Horned Owl eggs hatch, the downy owlets are the size of newborn chickens. Their mother broods them day and night. A few weeks later, the owlets can be left alone while both adults resume h…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Giving Chimney Swifts a Place to Live
Before chimneys existed, Chimney Swifts relied on old hollow trees for nesting and roosting. They can’t perch, they can only cling to a rough vertical surface. As developers cleared old growth forest…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Birdbaths in Winter
Does the image of a frozen birdbath bring to mind a small yellow bird with ice skates? Birds need water in all seasons, for drinking and for bathing. When the water is frozen, you can thaw it with ho…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago