Bird Sh*t Podcast

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! In honor of our favorite wizard's 39th birthday, we're talking about the wonderful birding world of Harry Potter. Special guest and birding guru Laura Erickson—the internet's Professor McGonagowl—joins us to discuss details on all of the real (and magical) birds of Harry Potter. For instance: why is Ravenclaw's emblem an eagle? Could a snowy owl really carry a Nimbus 2000? What's up with phoenixes?

Laura is an expert in the bird field with more than a dozen books written about birds, including National Geographic’s Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America, the American Birding Association’s Field Guide to Birds of Minnesota, and the one she considers most important, 101 Ways to Help Birds. She was science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for a couple of years and the first woman (and, shamefully, so far the last) to win the American Birding Association’s highest honor: the Roger Tory Peterson Award. She even dresses up as Professor McGonagowl for Harry Potter events! Learn some amazing facts, like if a snowy owl can carry a broom, to share with your Harry Potter friends!

Drop us a digital line! Email [email protected] or find us on Instagram (@birdshitpodcast) and Twitter (@hellobirdshit)

USEFUL RESOURCES
SWEET HARRY POTTER SHIT

• Laura Erickson's incredible website on the birds of Harry Potter...this woman is amazing!
• Meet the real-life Nicholas Flammel (and sorcerer’s stone)
• The etymology of some Harry Potter names 
• JK Rowling's love of owls, said from the legendary lady herself. 
• Get sorted into your house on Pottermore!
• Depictions of ravens throughout magical history
• All about the birds of alchemy: this is some serious shit, you guys.
• The mythology of the phoenix

BIRDS WE MENTIONED (in order)

• Snowy Owl (Hedwig)
• Great Grey Owl (Errol)
• Little Owl
• Eurasian Scops Owl (Pigwidgeon)
• Common Raven
• Carrier/Homing Pigeons

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The problem with birdwatching is that, once you start, your only goal in life is to ALWAYS BE AROUND BIRDS. One way you can do that is by beautifying your home with plants that birds freakin’ love. 

We’ll cover plant species that attract specific kinds of birds for various regions in the United States. Don’t worry if you have a black thumb (like Sarah). Most of these plants are low maintenance and native to specific regions. That means low-key gardening and high-reward birding. Make sure to check out the resources listed below to get native plant recommendations for birds near you! 

BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED

USEFUL RESOURCES

• NestWatch: get certified to monitor your birdhouses for research!
• YardMap: match birds and plants based on your region
• YardMap also has useful info on native bird-friendly plants by region
• Audubon’s amazing zip-code-specific recommendations for plants that birds love!
• Super specific Bluebird box sizes, dimensions, and recommendations

BIRDS WE MENTIONED (in order)

• Great Lakes Piping Plovers
• Mallard
• Orange-Fronted Parakeet
• Cedar Waxwing
• Northern Cardinal
• Finches
• Orioles
• Hummingbirds
• Brown Thrasher
• Red-Eyed Vireo
• Eastern Bluebird
• European Starlings
• House Sparrows
• Savannah Sparrow

BIRDS IN THE NEWS

• Mamby music festival canceled in Chicago!! YAY piper plovers
• Parakeet back from the brink of extinction thanks to lots of sex

OTHER COOL SH*T

• Sarah’s favorite plant: artificial IKEA wheatgrass in a pot.
• Hilarious “House Hunters” tweets making fun of the insane budgets on the show

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We’re not big into euphemisms. This episode is all about birds having sex. With so many different bird species in the world, it’s no wonder that there are hundreds of different ways birds attract, court, and lock down a mating partner. 

In addition to “doing the birdie dirty,” learn about the clever, generous, and romantic ways birds woo a mate. Maybe you’ll pick up some great courtship moves, like the Great Crested Grebe tango, the Red-Capped Manakin moonwalk, the free fallin’ Bald Eagle death spiral…ok, maybe not that last one unless you’re into some seriously kinky sh*t. One thing’s for certain: human courtship will look preeeeetty boring after this. Prepare to start nesting.

USEFUL RESOURCES

• Info about the infamous “necrophilia duck” research article
• Bald Eagle courtship rituals
• A helpful overview (that we used a lot!) discussing the different kinds of bird courtship
• Cool examples of Bowerbird bowers (aka their colorful bachelor pads)
• Here’s how forced perspective works
• Find free condoms and STD testing near you (for humans)
• Email us your bird sex questions (or other bird questions)! [email protected]
• Stalk us on Instagram: @birdshitpodcast

BIRDS WE DISCUSSED (in order)

• Lake Duck
• Indian Peafowl (aka Peacock)
• Mallard
• Bald Eagle (listen to our special Bald Eagle episode!)
• Birds of Paradise
• Red-Capped Manakin (MOONWALKING DANCE! AWESOME VIDEO!!)
• Great Crested Grebe
• American Robin
• Bowerbirds (general)
• Satin Bowerbird

OTHER COOL SH*T

• “Let’s Talk About Sex” by Salt-N-Pepa: just a little warm-up music to get you into the mood for this episode
• Teeth might be the scariest movie ever…?
• “Angel of Music” a la Phantom of the OperaI
• We don’t get into it much, but there are some funky Birds of Paradise dancing rituals out there
• Actual Great-Crested Grebe “weed dance”
• Humans and Hobbits showing how forced perspective works in film
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There are many unsung bird heroes throughout history. There was the dove that Randy Johnson struck with a fastball. Or the bird that pooped on your dad during a family vacation. #memories

Unlike these nameless legends, other birds have withstood the test of time and are in our history books (ok, probably only our history books, but they're still well-known). Meet seven famous birds from throughout history. We'll give you their full backstories, introduce the supporting (mostly human) counterparts that helped them rise to fame, and provide fun anecdotes about their famous antics so you can marvel in their birdy brilliance.

Got a favorite famous bird we missed? Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram @birdshitpodcast and share it with us!

BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED
USEFUL RESOURCES (about the famous birds in this episode)

The birds from “The Birds”

• Short clip showing why The Birds is so scary (you should go watch the whole thing if you haven’t seen it, unless you don’t want to be scared of birds)
• Jimmy Stewart = LOVE

Jimmy the Raven

• Lots of info about Jimmy the Raven
• Turns our Stewart Little had a Roadster, but there was that creepy “The Mouse and the Motorcycle” movie from the 1980s. 

Alex the Gray Parrot

• A touching feature on Irene and Alex the Gray Parrot (by Neil deGrasse Tyson!)
• ALEX WAS SO SMART YOU GUYS.
• Help save parrots from being illegally traded.

Pierre the Penguin

• Pierre the Penguin in his wetsuit
• Chicken capes, in case you need one…

Dick the Mockingbird

• Thomas Jefferson and his mockingbirds
• Other presidential pets
• The mockingbird song from “Dumb and Dumber”

Rufus the Hawk

• Meet Rufus the Hawk (and his handler, Imogen Davis)
• Great feature on Rufus the Hawk (this bird is super famous, guys.)
• Rufus the Hawk’s Twitter handle…sexy profile pic or nah?)

Gertie the Duck

• Photos and backstory on how Gertie became so famous: straight from the Milwaukee Journal (Sentinel) itself. 
• Buy 

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ICYMI, America is turning 244 years old. We're skipping the fireworks, hot dog eating contests, and awkward beach sunburns this year and celebrating with a (bird)sh*t ton of facts about America's favorite poster bird. Learn about the history of the Bald Eagle as America's symbol and some cool facts about these North American birds of prey!

Drop us a digital line! Email [email protected] or find us on Instagram (@birdshitpodcast)

BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED
USEFUL RESOURCES 

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: info on Bald Eagles
• History.com: the Bald Eagle's history in early American Congress
• (another source about Congress and the Bald Eagle...maybe not legit?)
• US Fish & Wildlife Service: DDT and its impact on Bald Eagles
• Mental Floss: cool facts about Bald Eagles
• Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring (highlighting DDT's impact on Bald Eagles)

BIRDS WE MENTIONED (in order)

• Bald Eagle
• Turkey Vulture
• Peregrine Falcon
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Red-Shouldered Hawk
• Wild Turkey
• Northern Cardinal
• Osprey

OTHER COOL SH*T

• We don't really eat meat, but here are the Vienna Natural Casings Hot Dogs if you're into that stuff. 
• Upcoming bird debate in Chicago area: which bird should be the state bird of Illinois? (Just for funsies, not legit legislative) 
• "Fly Like an Eagle" -- Seal did it best.
• Seinfeld theme song: the boop-iest theme song ever.

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Binoculars are simple tools, in theory: they make it easier to see things—like birds—that are far away. But how do binoculars work? What do the numbers on binoculars mean? How much should you pay for a pair of birding binoculars? What should you name your binoculars?

Thanks to our special guest, self-proclaimed-optics-nerd Griffin Dennis, you'll have the answer to all these questions by the end of this episode. Learn everything you've ever wanted to know about how to choose a pair of binoculars for bird watching, whether you're just getting into birding or looking to "level up" your gear.

Plus, we ponder the plights, perils, and pleasing post-Sandy payoffs of Piping Plovers. (Sorry, that was a bit much.)

BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED
USEFUL RESOURCES 

• Audubon’s “Getting Started” binocular recommendations
• Audubon’s “Good Value” binocular recommendations
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s advice for choosing bins
• An excellent binoculars overview from REI
• Sign the petition to protect Chicago’s nesting Piping Plover pair
• Located in Chicago? Email [email protected] and volunteer to protect the nesting Piping Plovers at Montrose Beach
• eBird is a great, free birding app to help you ID birds (like tricky shorebirds)

BINOCULARS RECOMMENDATIONS

• Griffin: Nikon Prostaff 3s 8x42
• Mo’s binoculars (aka Oscar): Celestron Nature DX 8x42
• Sarah’s binoculars (aka Bindi): YOU DON’T WANT THESE.

BIRDS WE MENTIONED (in order)

• Killdeer 
• Piping Plover
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch
• White-Breasted Nuthatch

• BIRDS IN THE NEWS
• Piping Plovers threatened by rising Great Lake water levels
• Piping Plovers threatened by Chicago music festival
• Piping Plovers benefiting from Hurricane Sandy

OTHER COOL SH*T

• Listen to our trip from Point Pelee, Canada!
• Sid (and Brainy) from the “Hey Arnold!” cartoon
• Follow Griffin (our guest) on Instagram
• More about rising water levels in the Great Lakes
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Giant corporations are coming out of the woodwork for Pride Month and Bird Shit Podcast is jumping on the bandwagon. (The "bandwagon" is like a party bus, right?) We aren't sporting a rainbow logo this month, but we are celebrating with some fabulous tales of homosexual and transgender behavior exhibited by birds.

Scientists have observed same-sex relationships in quite a few bird species. According to National Geographic, there are male ostriches that only court their own gender, and pairs of male flamingos that mate, build nests, and even raise foster chicks. Join us to hear about four bird species that love who they love and stay true to themselves.

Also, in Birds in the News, we uncover (more) new insights into the world's end—and the birds going down with it. YAY, OPTIMISM.

BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED
USEFUL RESOURCES
Researcher Bruce Bagemihl’s book, Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity

BIRDS WE MENTIONED (in order)

• Chinstrap Penguins
• Guianan Cock-of-the-rock (smaller than we thought…)
• Laysan Albatross
• Superb Birds of Paradise
• Long-wattled Umbrella Bird
• Black Swan
• Mute Swan
• Saltmarsh Sparrow
• American Crow

BIRDS IN THE NEWS

• Recap: "I evolved twice thousands of years apart" bird
• Recap: "I murdered the fool who tried to keep me captive" bird
• “Rapidly Declining Songbird Won’t See Federal Protections Anytime Soon”
• “Portland bans use of bird poison on city property after crow deaths”

OTHER COOL SH*T

• Birdcage = most famous gay “birds”
• Roy and Silo: adorable gay penguin couple at New York’s Zoo
• Fake chicken eggs encourage hens to lay!
• Awesome Birds of Paradise footage from Planet Earth!
• RuPaul owns the runway (and so many other things!)
• Not the Black Swan we discussed, but still noteworthy
• “Earth” by Lil’ Dicky: save the world!!
• ICYMI, the world is ending in 2050. 
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