Bird Facts

In this episode Kristen surprises Maeve with an episode about Maeve's favorite bird, the Eastern Screech Owl. They learned so many interesting facts about this cute, tiny, and effective predatory bird. The Eastern Screech Owl is native to the eastern portion of the United States, nests in holes in trees, and is so well camouflaged that you may have seen one and did not even know!

We will be taking a break for some of winter and will return sometime in the spring. In the meantime, please continue to write in with your stories and requests. We love you all!

Come learn with us about the Common Raven. 

Research for today’s episode came from the following sources: 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/lifehistory

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/eastern-screech-owl

https://www.hawkmountain.org/raptors/eastern-screech-owl

Additional Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi5ry3AZje8

Video from Auburn University Raptor Center - get up close with two individuals one of each color

Eastern Screech owls hanging out in trees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snmhUoTSsP0

Fast Facts about Eastern Screech Owls - Brookfield Zoo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDBwVJloiRU

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Join Kristen and Maeve as they speak with Janet Macklin, one of our listeners located in Wisconsin. Janet is involved with some local bird rescues in the area and tells our hosts about her experiences helping rescue birds in need of help. She also provides some tips such as what to do if you spot a bird in distress, and what sort of fishing tackle is best for bird safety.

Note that Janet is not speaking as a representative of any of the organizations she mentions, and opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the opinions of those organizations. Do not handle any wild animals without training and authorization from a reputable organization.

Additional Resources:

These are the Wisconsin organizations that Janet mentions in the episode:

REGI - Raptor Education Group, Inc. https://www.raptoreducationgroup.org/

Wisconsin Loon Rescue

https://www.facebook.com/groups/942848699396690/

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Thanks for listening, and happy birding!

Come join our hosts as they speak with special guest Dr. Eric D. Mortensen, professor of religious studies at Guilford College. Eric tells Kristen and Maeve about his experiences working with ravens and studying their languages and use in augury in Tibet.

Here is list a of the materials that Eric recommended to listeners:

Bernd Heinrich has several books that include or are about ravens

John M. Marzluff, In the Company of Crows and Ravens

Candace Savage, Bird Brains

Kimberley Christine Patton, Religion of the Gods

Thank you listeners for your patience around our technical issue and the late release of this episode. Join us next time for a discussion about bird rescue organizations in Wisconsin.

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Twitter: @birdfactspod

Thanks for listening, and happy birding!

Come learn with us about the Common Raven, a large all-black bird that is found in many different habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere. These birds are known for their curiosity and intelligence, and feature prominently in folklore and mythology around the world. Kristen also tells Maeve a little about how to tell crows apart from ravens, and see some of the links below for more information.

In our next episode we are joined by special guest Dr. Eric Mortensen, John A. Von Weissenfluh Professor of Religious Studies at Guilford College, who tells Kristen and Maeve about raven languages and augury.

Let us know what else you might like to learn about ravens!

Research for today’s episode came from the following sources: 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/overview

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/common-raven

https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/the-ravens/#gs.4ko193

https://www.audubon.org/news/how-tell-raven-crow

Additional Resources:

Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven, read by James Earl Jones. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcqPQXqQXzI

Ravens hopping https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyKoVREALec

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Thanks for listening, and happy birding!

In this special episode we celebrate our 1 year anniversary covering everyone's favorite bird, Big Bird, from the kid's television program Sesame Street. Kristen and Maeve are joined by special guest Sarah (she/they) who is on Maeve's other podcast, Mystics and Mulder.

Kristen tells Sarah and Maeve all there is to know about Big Bird's species, bigus canarius, as well as fun facts about Big Bird and a little about the history of Sesame Street. They also learn about Carol Spinney, who provided the voice of Big Bird as well as the puppetry for most of the history of Sesame Street.

All photos that Kristen showed Sarah and Maeve will be available on our Instagram account, which is linked below.

If you are interested in connecting with Sarah, follow them on medi.okra. Please also check out Mystics and Mulder, a fantastic podcast that Sarah and Maeve do together that addresses the link between faith and popular culture. Kristen has even been on one episode! You can find Mystics and Mulder on many streaming services.

Research for today’s episode came from the following sources: 

-Borgenicht, David. (1998). Sesame Street Unpaved: Scripts, Stories, Secrets, and Songs. Children's Television Workshop.

-Davis, Michael. (2008). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. Penguin Books. 

-Itzkoff, D. (2018, October 17). Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves ‘Sesame Street’ After Nearly 50 Years. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/arts/television/sesame-street-big-bird.html

-LaMattina, D., & Walker, C. N. (Directors). (2014). I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story [film]. Tribeca Film. 

-Muppet Wiki. (n.d.) Big Bird. Fandom. https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Bird

-Sesame Street Unpaved

-Throughline. (2022, August 3). Getting to Sesame Street [audio podcast episode]. In Throughline. npr. https://www.npr.org/2023/07/31/1191069674/getting-to-sesame-street-2022

Additional Resources:

-Big Bird deals with Mr. Hooper's death

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Thanks for listening, and happy birding!

Join our hosts as Maeve tells Kristen about the most recent three episodes of Extraordinary Birder, a new show hosted by the intrepid birder, Christian Cooper! The show is available for your streaming pleasure on Hulu and Disney.

Join us for our next episode where will learn about Big Bird.

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Email us: [email protected]

Thanks for listening, and happy birding!

In our latest episode, and the funniest one to date, Maeve tells Kristen about the first three episodes of Extraordinary Birder, a new show hosted by the intrepid birder, Christian Cooper! The show is available for your streaming pleasure on Hulu and Disney.

Cooper travels to Puerto Rico, New Nork City, and Hawaii, encountering numerous bird species and other exciting adventures along the way. Come learn with Kristen about some very unique birds, environmental issues, and so much more about the wondrous world of birding!!

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Thanks for listening, and happy birding!

In this episode Kristen tells Maeve about the American Woodcock, a request sent in by one of our dear listeners. This is a cute, plump shorebird with short legs and short neck. They prefer deciduous or mixed woods with much young growth and moist soil, such as thickets along streams. These birds have a cool adaption with their bill that allows them to sense invertebrates moving in the soil and grab onto them while they are still underground. Our hosts’ favorite thing about this bird is a strange as-of-yet scientifically unexplained ‘dancing’ behavior. Links to the videos Kristen shows in the show notes below. 

Research for today’s episode came from the following sources: 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Woodcock/overview

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-woodcock

https://www.audubon.org/news/10-fun-facts-about-american-woodcock#:~:text=In%20an%20extraordinary%20feat%20of,have%20longer%20bills%20than%20males.

Additional Resources:

Videos of courtship displays:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx-iRZPts6E

“Dancing” videos that Kristen Showed Maeve:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF3-LvmHM4E

https://www.tiktok.com/@kmkamp20/video/7242838441162018090?_op=1&_r=1&_t=8dgST1TGibK

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Email us: [email protected]

Twitter: @birdfactspod

Thanks for listening, and happy birding!

** content warning ** This episode is about birds in horror films, so we do discuss dead birds, and describe the deaths of birds as well as cats. Our discussion is not graphic in our minds, but we trust that you can make the best decision for yourself whether to listen or to expose to younger ears.

Join Kristen and Maeve as they discuss a paper that Kristen wrote for a class last semester. The paper was titled “The Use of Birds as Tropes for Portents of Death in Horror Films.” The title says it all, but our hosts discuss three specific horror tropes that inform the audience when the horror begins in a film. They also discuss why birds are used for these tropes, referencing mythology and folklore. Birds are used in horror films in many other ways as well, so we are planning a follow up episode with a special guest. 

Please note that our release schedule will probably be a little bit off this semester after all, as Kristen and Maeve are both deeply involved in academic and/or professional endeavors that are more time consuming than expected. Happy birding!

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Research for today’s episode came from the following sources: 

-Bude, Tekla. “What is a Trope? Definition and Examples.” School of Writing, Literature, and Film. Oregon State University, Accessed April 24, 2023. https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-trope-definition-and-examples

-Fahy, Thomas. “Introduction.” In The Philosophy of Horror, edited by Thomas Fahy, 1-13. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2010.

-Feher-Elston, Catherine. Ravensong: A Natural History of Ravens and Crows. New York: Penguin Books, Ltd., 1991.

-Nickel, Philip J. “Horror and the Idea of Everyday Life: On Skeptical Threats in Psycho and The Birds.” In The Philosophy of Horror, edited by Thomas Fahy, 15-41. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2010

-Moreman, Christopher M. “On the Relationship between Birds and Spirits of the Dead.” Society & Animals 22, no. 5 (2014): 481-502. DOI: 10.1163/15685306-12341328

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Follow us on Instagram: @birdfactspod

Email us: [email protected]

Twitter: @birdfactspod

Thanks for listening, and happy birding!