~ cueing up the show ~
~ pulling every episode ~
The American Birding Podcast — Every episode — OmList
om
list
Swipe
Tournament
Lists
Friends
All
Movies
TV
Books
Games
Music
Podcasts
People
▾
Sign in
Every episode
The American Birding Podcast
30 episodes
10-32: Feathered Forest with Marina Richie
Aug 13, 2026 · 35 min
Birds and trees are a natural combination, and in author Marina Richie's latest, Feathered Forest: Aloft With Birds in Ancient Trees, she meditates on the big forests of her home in the Pacific Northwest and the birds that inhabit them. From Pacific Wrens on the forest floor, to Vaux's Swifts high above the canopy, each bird offers insights into the grandeur of these places. Also, thought we were done with NACC taxonomy? But wait, there's more! Nate updates listeners on the last proposal packet…
10-31: Slyglow and Community Science with Lauren Pharr
Aug 6, 2026 · 35 min
Migration is a tough time of year for many birds, as they make their long dangerous journey between breeding grounds and wintering territories. The path taken by many sees them passing over or stopping to nest in increasingly urban landscapes. These landscape changes affect birds in many ways, some obvious, some more subtle. That is the work of researcher Lauren Pharr, at the time of this interview, a PhD student studying urban noise and light pollution and their affect on birds. She joined host…
10-30: This Month in Birding - July 2026
Jul 30, 2026 · 1 hr 15 min
It's the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for another This Month in Birding panel. July marks the turning point of the year, and the inexorable slide to fall. This month's panel features Jody Allair, Stephanie Beilke, and Nick Lund, who join host Nate Swick to talk AI's intrusion into birding, wind turbines marked for birds, and our favorite bird frenemies. Links to articles discussed in the episode: AI-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk Bio-informe…
10-29: The White-eyes are Coming with Rajan Rao
Jul 23, 2026 · 39 min
The White-eyes are coming! And in a few parts of the ABA Area, they are already here and spreading. Introduced non-native species often fly under the radar of birders until the moment comes that they simply cannot be ignored any longer, and it seems like we are at that point with White-eyes, who are an increasingly common part of the landscape in the west. Rajan Rao is a California birder and Cornell University student. whose article about white-eyes was the cover story of the May 2026 issue of…
10-28: Kestrels and Community with Emmy Broeg
Jul 16, 2026 · 37 min
Many birders across the continent have been aware of, and concerned by, the state of American Kestrels and their steady decline from places where they had once been common. Thankfully, the species the focus of a lot of conservation attention too, namely the construction and monitoring of nest boxes across the US and Canada. Emmy Broeg is one of those kestrel advocates in her role at New Jersey's Wild Bird Research Group. You might also know her as @emmybebirdin on Instagram and TikTok, where she…
10-27: 2026 Splits and Lumps with Nick Block
Jul 9, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
Split and Lump season is here again, and as we have since this podcast began, we welcome Dr. Nick Block of Stonehill College to discuss the exciting bird taxonomy changes that might be coming to a life list near you via the AOS NACC. Could this be the year we finally see the long awaited splits of Willet and Marsh Wren? Will Great Egret be picked apart into its continental forms? Is Prairie-Chicken on the way out in favor of Prairie-Grouse? We answer all those questions and more! Also, Nate fact…
10-26: Random Birds, July 2026, with Ted Floyd
Jul 2, 2026 · 59 min
Host Nate Swick welcomes back Birding magazine editor Ted Floyd for another round of Random Birds. This time the random number generator wants to keep us ar the end of the checklist, prompting discussion on owls, jaegers, wrens, and finches. Also, Nates shares some observations about Breeding Bird Surveys in the drizzle. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!
10-25: This Month in Birding - June 2026
Jun 25, 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
It's the end of the month, and that means it's time for another This Month in Birding episode, featuring a panel of birders gathering to talk aout recent bird news and science. This month we welcome Jason Hall, Tim Healy, and Sarah Swanson to talk grassland birds, ravens and wolves, and the "unseen 95%" of birding. Links to articles discussed in this episode: The joys of reporting on 3 teenagers chasing glory in the World Series of Birding More grass, more birds, more problems Ravens anticipate…
10-24: Birding the Black Belt with Andrew Lydeard and Chris Joe
Jun 18, 2026 · 49 min
Alabama Audubon has invited your own podcast host, Nate Swick, to be the keynote speaker at the 2026 Black Belt Birding Festival. The festival highlights the birds, the ecology, and the civil rights heritage of the region. To get excited for this summer's event, we welcome Andrew Lydeard, Alabama Audubon's Program Coordinator, and Chris Joe, third generation farmer whose family's 200 acre cattle farm in Newbern, Alabama, is an important site for the festival and a great example of the conservati…
10-23: Living and Birding in Labrador with Vernon Buckle
Jun 11, 2026 · 44 min
The easternmost province in mainland Canada, Labrador doesn't get the attention afford to its island provincial partner Newfoundland. Its position on the continent, however, affords its birders the opportunity for some unique avian opportunities from unlikely rarities to birding by snowmobile. Labrador birder Vernon Buckle joins guest host Frank Izaguirre for a conversation about birds and birding in one of the continent's most unique places. Also, Frank shares some thoughts about the new intern…
10-22: Looking for Lost Birds with John Mittermeier
Jun 4, 2026 · 53 min
There are bird species that are extant and those that are extinct, but between those two seemingly immutable categories, lies one hundred odd species of birds that are considered "Lost". This means that they hasn't been documented in many years but have not yet been determined to be extinct by authorities for any number of reasons. It is the search for those birds that is the work of John Mittermeier, Director of the Search for Lost Birds, an effort from the American Bird Conservancy, BirdLife I…
10-21: This Month in Birding - May 2026
May 28, 2026 · 1 hr 19 min
It's the end of May, the season for bald cardinals, baby birds, and buggy birding. But most importantly, it's the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for This Month in Birding, our monthly panel discussion of bird news and science and we have rounded up another great group of birding friends to have that discussion. Host Nate Swick is joined by Mikko Jimenez, Jordan Rutter, and Brodie Cass Talbott, to talk vagrant birds, robo-grouse, and birdy World Cup crests. Links to articles…
10-20: Take it or Leave it LIVE!
May 21, 2026 · 1 hr 20 min
The ABA hosted a membership drive livestream earlier this week, and part of the four hours of birdy entertainment was a LIVE version of the American Birding Podcast favorite segment, Take it or Leave it. Panelists Nick Lund and Martha Harbison joined host Nate Swick to hash out some very hot birding takes on topics like four-letter codes, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and ugly birds. You can find the livestream on the ABA's YouTube channel. The membership drive is still live until the end of th…
10-19: Ten Birds that Changed the World with Stephen Moss
May 14, 2026 · 43 min
Birds and humanity have interacted for as long as there has been humanity, and various bird species have proven to be constants, influencing mythologies, religions, art, economics, and even warfare. Natural history, as it turns out, is human history, and that is the idea behind the book 10 Birds that Changed the World. Stephen Moss is the author, he is one of Britain's most influential nature writers and broadcasters. You can find him writing a monthly Birdwatch column for the Guardian and appea…
10-18: Sharing Spark Birds with Jenn Lodi-Smith
May 7, 2026 · 41 min
The concept of the "spark bird", the transformative moment with a particular species that turns you from a normal person into a real-deal birder, is one that many birders are familiar with. These personal testimonies frequently tell you as much about the birder as they do about the spark bird itself. The human element of a natural experience is what excites Dr Jenn Lodi-Smith, a professor of psychology at Canisius University and scholar in residence at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, and it's…
10-17: This Month in Birding - April 2026
Apr 29, 2026 · 1 hr 19 min
It's the end of April and that means it's time again for another This Month in Birding panel with a great group of birding friends joining host Nate Swick to talk about recent birding news and science. Jody Allair, Gabriel Foley, and Jennie Duberstein discuss birding and your brain, guano and civilization, and our favorite birding April Fools. Links to items discussed in this podcast: Backyard birdwatchers help scientists uncover what hawks really like to eat Becoming an Expert Birder Can Reshap…
10-16: Mob Tape Malpractice? with Marty Freeland
Apr 23, 2026 · 39 min
Pishing, mob tapes, and playback are all tools that birders frequently use to supplement their birding experience, be it to show other birders a great bird or to bring birds close for photographs. They have typically been seen in the community as benign but the ease of their use certainly raises questions about how they affect the birds we enjoy. Marty Freeland is a Stanford student who has not only been thinking about these questions, but has attempted to answer them in a scientific manner. His…
10-15: Saving Birds to Save the Planet with Scott Weidensaul
Apr 16, 2026 · 59 min
Scott Weidensaul is the author of nearly 30 books about birds, birding, and natural history. His latest is The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet, a globe-trotting look at look at bird conservation successes from re-wilding efforts in England to vultures in Romania, to the puffins and plovers of North America. It is a soothing balm in this time of great anxiety about bird populations and a critical look at what still nees to be done. He joins host Nate Swick to talk abo…
10-14: How to be Hawky with Janet Ng
Apr 9, 2026 · 47 min
The wide open spaces of the North American west are frequently spotted with signs of human industrial energy production. Oil and gas wells, massive wind turbines, and the like are impossible to miss and impact, occasionally significantly, the birds that live in these vast prairie ecosystems. Dr Janet Ng studies the effects of this industrial incursion into these wild places in the southern Canadian plains, and works with various partners to keep landscapes "hawky". Also, Peter Pyle has some inte…
10-13: Random Birds, April 2026, with Ted Floyd
Apr 2, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
Host Nate Swick leans once again on Birding magazine editor Ted Floyd for another Random Birds discussion. The Random Number Generator has a certain late winter/early spring bias with warblers and gulls and warblers and gulls on the agenda. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it! This episode is brought to you by Birding Louisiana.
10-12: This Month in Birding - March 2026
Mar 26, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
They say March comes in like a lion and out like an American Birding Podcast This Month in Birding episode, and this month panel is an exceptional one to end a month with. Host Nate Swick is joined by Stephanie Beilke, Andres Jimenez, and Ryan Mandelbaum for a fun and birdy conversation covering Airtags on birds, the most bouba and kiki species, and Tom Johnson's last piece of amazing bird science. Links to topics covered in this episode: Using Apple AirTags to Document Dispersal and Exploratory…
10-11: The Feather Wars with James H. McCommons
Mar 19, 2026 · 47 min
The early years of bird conservation in North America, is a fascinating period, featuring colorful characters and countless battles fought in the pages of newspapers and magazines regarding the need for conserving the continent's wildlife. It is a history thoroughly recounted in the book The Feather Wars and Great Crusade to Save America's Birds by James H. McCommons. The author joins the American Birding Podcast to talk about the creation of the bird conservation movement that not only saved a…
10-10: Bird Collections, From the Inside, with Nick Mason
Mar 12, 2026 · 48 min
The state of Louisiana hosts one of the world's largest repositories of ornithological knowledge, the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural History. With nearly 200,000 bird specimens, including important collections from the tropical Americas, this institution informs a lot of what we know about bird taxonomy in this hemisphere. Dr Nick Mason is the curator of that collection, and he joins us to talk about the fascinating work done at this place and what museums are doing to make sure bi…
10-09: World Without Birds with Nick Lund
Mar 5, 2026 · 45 min
The specter of a World Without Birds is certainly a sobering one, but one that could, though, inspire new birders and environmentalists to support the efforts needed to make sure that world is never a reality. In Nick Lund's latest book aimed at younger readers, he tells the stories of birds made extinct by human hands and also those of birds that have been rescued from that fate. Nick and Nate also tell stories of birds seen in unlikely places, and the birding goals of a marathoner in a wide-ra…
10-08: This Month in Birding - February 2026
Feb 26, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
February is the shortest month, but thankfully our end of the month roundtable discussion is long on fun and insight. This month's This Month in Birding brings together Jason Hall, Mikko Jimenez, and Sarah Swanson to discuss birds and plants, whether birds can be illegal immigrants, and our favorite avian romantic gestures. Plus, in a TMIB first, Mikko brings his own science to the discussion. Links to articles discussed in this episode: Ancient bird routes mapped via plant diversity Can a bird…
10-07: The Nature of Nutcrackers with Peri Sasnett
Feb 19, 2026 · 38 min
One of the most iconic and beloved birds of the North American west is the Clark's Nutcracker, the highlight of anyone's trip to the high country. It will come as no surprise to anyone that the bird's relationship to the ecosystem goes beyond begging for trail mix from hikers, a fascinating symbiosis that was recently the topic of Glacier National Park's Headwaters podcast, whose host, Peri Sasnett, joins us to talk nutcrackers and conservation. This interview previously ran in August 2022. Also…
10-06: How to Make a Meadowlark with Johanna Beam
Feb 12, 2026 · 40 min
In 2023, ABA Area birders welcomed Chihuahuan Meadowlark to the official ABA Checklist, and subsequently to many life lists. Previously considered a distinct subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark, the split was the result of work done by Dr. Johanna Beam while she was an undergraduate researcher. Informed by her background as a birder, Johanna used museum specimens, audio recordings, and genetic tools to inform the eventual split. She joins host Nate Swick to talk about how it's done, and what other…
10-05: Random Birds, February 2026, with Ted Floyd
Feb 5, 2026 · 59 min
Birding editor Ted Floyd returns for another episode of random birds. This time around, the random number generator wants passerines, and Ted and host Nate Swick must oblige. We cover the ABA's Bird of the Year for 2026, and a number of other grassland species. Also, the ABA Checklist Committee's recent update suggests a new direction for the ABA Checklist, at least partially. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a re…
10-04: This Month in Birding - January 2026
Jan 29, 2026 · 1 hr 11 min
It's the first This Month in Birding panel of the new year, and Nate welcomes a crew of birders featuring Mollee Brown, Frank Izaguirre, and Jordan Rutter to discuss predation of penguins, evolving junco bills, and weird bird stuff in our houses. Plus, is pishing an ethical birding practice? Links to items discussed in this episode: Penguins Become Prey for the Pumas of Patagonia Without campus leftovers to pick through, the beaks of this bird changed shape during the pandemic Bias in density es…
10-03: Wildest Vagrants of 2025 with Tim Healy & Alex Lamoreaux
Jan 22, 2026 · 1 hr 11 min
2025 was an exciting year for rare bird sightings in the ABA Area, with two first ABA records and a fascinating array of interesting and unexpected records from all corners of the US and Canada. North American Birds editor Alex Lamoreaux and writer and teacher Tim Healy join host Nate Swick to have some fun remembering the highlights of last year. Check out the 2026 Bird of the Year merch available NOW at aba.org/store Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your…
← Back to the show
