BirdCallsRadio

Bird Calls show with Jeffrey A. Gordon, American Birding Association president, as the guest. What does the ABA have in store for 2012? What advances did it make in 2011? How does one fashion a career in birding and become the president of a major birdwatching organization?

Dennis Varza, age 59, of Fairfield, passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2013. Born in Bridgeport, son of the late Victor and Marie Broderick Varza. Dennis had been a Fairfield Town resident for most of his life. Dennis graduated from Shippensburg State College in Pa and did his graduate work at LSU where he earned a MS in Zoology and went on to the University of Oklahoma where he studied aquatic ecology. He had worked for many years as a contract biologist for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection setting up programs to protect Piping Plovers and Least Terns plus many other projects.

Bird Calls Radio show with live updates from the Christmas Bird Counts around the state. First we checked in with the Westport Circle boat crew of Towny Dickinson and Larry Flynn, then Brian O'Toole of the Greenwich/Stamford Count stopped into the studio for a live update, then we heard from Scott Heth of the Lakeville/Sharon Count in northern CT, then finally Twan Leender of the Litchfield Hills Count. It's a fun, hectic show with lots of great information.

Our first guest was Denise Savageau, conservation director for the Town of Greenwich. We discussed Greenwich's IBA's (including Great Captain's Island), the importance of clean water and a ton of other environmental issues. Mardi Dickinson, Westport Christmas Bird Count compiler, talks about the annual Christmas Bird Count. I also introduce a few new features to BirdCallsRadio.

Judy Richardson, master bird bander and regional director for CT Audubon. Richardson also owns a property in Costa Rica and bands birds there, too.

BirdCallsRadio show featuring Al Levestin.

Catherine is an artist and birder who is doing a Big Year of sorts, as she explains during the show. She has seen more than 500 bird species this year and is also concentrating on studying and drawing birds. Her favorite birds? Sparrows. Why?

Bird Calls radio show featuring an interview with "The Big Year" author Mark Obmascik. He discusses the movie, the book, the characters in the book and his own passion for birdwatching.

John Fitzpatrick, director of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. John is a significant figure in birdwatching and bird conservation in America.

Bird Calls radio archive with Patrick Comins _ director of bird conservation for Audubon Connecticut. Patrick discusses protecting land for birds and how that process happens. He also discusses the importance of protecting space and the politics involved. Patrick also talks about what's next in terms of conservation and also discusses birding in general.