🦅 How is climate change affecting birds and what can bird populations tell us about the future and health of our planet? In this episode of Birds & Nerds, host Ramona Schindelheim speaks with Chad Wilsey, Chief Scientist at the National Audubon Society, about how birds serve as early warning signs for climate change, habitat loss, ecosystem stress, and biodiversity decline. Drawing on Audubon's climate research, Chad explains why nearly two-thirds of North American bird species are at risk from climate change, how extreme heat, drought, flooding, false springs, and sea level rise are changing bird habitats, and why grassland birds have become one of the clearest warning signs of environmental change.

🌎This conversation also explores hopeful climate solutions, including citizen science such as the Christmas Bird Count, native plant gardening, clean energy, natural climate solutions, and Audubon's Conservation Ranching program, which supports healthier habitats for birds while helping ranchers and communities thrive.

🎧 Listen now to learn how protecting birds can help protect clean air, clean water, healthy ecosystems, and the future we all share. If you care about climate change, conservation, birdwatching, biodiversity, sustainability, or practical climate action, this episode offers science-based insight and hopeful solutions.

💻 Watch the full interview on the Birds & Nerds YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/a7ey7tp_oMw

🔗 Learn more about the work of the National Audubon Society: https://www.audubon.org/

🔗 Follow Chad Wilsey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadwilsey/

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https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

🤷🏻‍♀️ Ramona Schindelheim is an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything!

🔗 Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

#ClimateChange #Birds #Audubon #BirdWatching #Conservation #Biodiversity #Sustainability #CitizenScience #ChristmasBirdCount #ClimateAction #HabitatLoss #GrasslandBirds #ConservationRanching #NativePlants #ClimateWeekNYC

💻 Apple did not begin in a garage, and the real story behind its 50-year rise, fall, and miraculous rebound is even wilder than the myth. In this episode of Birds & Nerds, host Ramona Schindelheim is joined by seven-time Emmy winner and pioneering tech writer David Pogue, author of Apple: The First 50 Years. Pogue reveals how Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and a nearly forgotten third founder helped launch a company that was once rejected, nearly bankrupted, and then transformed into the most valuable business on Earth. He unpacks the hidden origins, the brutal lows, and the comeback that changed everything.

📱 Pogue also breaks down Apple's AI strategy, including private cloud compute, on-device processing, and the company's effort to make generative AI useful without turning it into a cheating machine or a deepfake factory. He explains what Apple is building next, why smart glasses and AirPods may matter more than you think, and what geopolitical, manufacturing, and cultural headwinds could shape the company's future.

🐦 The conversation takes a delightful turn into the natural world, as Pogue tells the internet-famous story of the finch family nesting on his porch. A small camera captured every twist: the eggs hatching, a crow attacking the nest, the family's emotional investment, and the eventual fledging of the surviving finch.

🦢 It's part birdwatching, part nature documentary, part internet soap opera—and a perfect example of how technology can pull us into the real world instead of away from it.

🎙️ This episode is essential listening if you want the inside story of Apple's rise, the future of AI and privacy, and a reminder that birds, like great companies, can reveal a lot about the world we're living in.

🔗 Learn more about David Pogue's work here: https://davidpogue.com/

🕊️ Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

🤷🏻‍♀️Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

#birds #bird #viralfinchfamily #davidpogue #applehistory #ai #stevejobs #stevewozniak

What do Apple, AI, climate change, film, journalism, language, and cocktails have in common? On Birds & Nerds, the answer is always more surprising than you expect. Each episode starts with a curious conversation about a random topic—technology, culture, science, storytelling, current affairs, or whatever sparks the question—and then follows the trail until it lands, somehow, on birds. Smart, funny, and full of unexpected connections, this is the podcast for anyone who likes to learn something new and leave with a fact worth repeating.

Season 2 of Birds & Nerds kicks off on Wednesday, September 9!

Watch the trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ieXlQwztVfY

Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

Hosted by award-winning journalist and storyteller Ramona Schindelheim, who is curious about everything! Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

Think human parenting is exhausting? Wait until you hear what happens in the animal kingdom. In this special summer episode of Birds & Nerds, host Ramona Schindelheim talks with science journalist Elizabeth Preston, author of "The Creatures' Guide to Caring," about the surprisingly tender—and sometimes deeply unsettling—world of animal parenting.

Some animal parents cooperate, sacrifice, and support each other in ways that feel shockingly familiar to exhausted human moms and dads. But nature also has a darker side: spiderlings that eat their mothers and birds that make brutal survival choices when resources are scarce.

From robins taking a "driveway moment" before feeding their babies to monkeys raising young as a team, Elizabeth reveals what nature can teach us about burnout, community, and why humans may not be built to parent alone.

🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛And then there are the crows. 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛

Ramona and Elizabeth also dig into Elizabeth's article in the summer issue of Audubon magazine, "Are Crows Really Our Friends?" It features the story of Sal and Pal, two neighborhood crows who may have formed something that looks a lot like a relationship with humans. They dig deep into the crow-human relationship. Are crows just using us for snacks? Can they recognize us? Hold grudges? Choose favorites?

You may never look at parenting—or the crow in your yard—the same way again.

‼️Listen if you've ever wondered:

* Are humans parenting the wrong way?

* Do animals get burned out too?

* What's the weirdest parenting strategy in nature?

* Can crows actually be friends with people?

* And what can wild creatures teach us about raising our own kids?

🔗 Learn more about Elizabeth Preston and buy her book "The Creatures' Guide to Caring": https://elizabethgpreston.com/

🔗 Read and subscribe to the Audubon magazine: https://www.audubon.org/magazine

🎧 Listen now on all podcast platforms.

💫 Watch all episodes on the Birds & Nerds YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BirdsAndNerdsPodcast

🐦 Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

This episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast was recorded live on stage at SXSW 2026 in Austin, featuring Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the National Audubon Society, and podcast host and journalist Ramona Schindelheim. This conversation explores how birds serve as vital indicators of planetary health, powerful drivers of conservation, and sources of personal wellbeing, creativity, and community. National Audubon Society CEO Dr. Elizabeth Gray explains that birds are often the first species to disappear from degraded habitats and the first to return when areas are restored, making them key signals of environmental change and climate impacts across the Americas.

Also during the live taping at SXSW 2026, host Ramona Schindelheim also explores bird intelligence and social behavior—from cooperative formations in migrating geese to the grudges held by crows—using these behaviors as metaphors for leadership and resilience. They connect birdwatching to mental health, citing research that observing birds increases brain matter in regions related to attention and perception and can lower stress, with universities now testing bird-focused interventions for older adults with cognitive issues. Other highlights: 🐦 There are more than 96 million birders in the U.S. over the age of 16 and why birding is becoming more popular with people of all ages. 🐦 Efforts by the National Audubon Society to halt and reverse declines in bird populations in the Americas through habitat protection and restoration. 🐦 How individuals can support birds by creating bird‑friendly yards and supporting conservation groups like Audubon. 🐦 Birds inspire music, art, and literature. 🐦 Meet Austin's most famous bird species.

This episode is sure to entertain and inspire! What it here or download it wherever you get your podcasts!

Visit the National Audubon Society website: https://www.audubon.org/

Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

Bestselling author Amy Tan says ten years ago she was so overwhelmed with despair at the state of the world, she turned to the natural beauty in her own backyard — specifically birds — in search of hope. Her book The Backyard Bird Chronicles is a beautiful collection of sketches and reflections on that personal journey. In this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Ramona Schindelheim, Tan shares her creative journey, exploring the transformative power of writing and the influence of her family relationships. She discusses how despair led her to find hope through nature and birdwatching, using birds as a metaphor for life and emotional understanding. Tan emphasizes the importance of compassion and conservation, encouraging listeners to connect with the natural world and discover the joy of observing birds.

Learn more about Amy Tan at https://amytan.net/

🐦Listen now on all podcast platforms.

Watch all episodeson the Birds & Nerds YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BirdsAndNerdsPodcast

Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

A specific song can be our own powerful time machine — reminding us of a past experience — good or bad. And it can also help us make sense of the current world around us. In this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast, host Ramona Schindelheim is joined by the always delightful Eric Alper — a music publicist and industry expert — who has spent his career exploring what it takes to create that magic through the right combination of notes and lyrics.

Musicians often take their inspiration from birds, both figuratively and literally — think Blackbird, Fly Like and Eagle, When Doves Cry, and so many songs that are a part of our music history. And the music we hear in nature — birdsong — can reduce stress and improve our overall well being. Research shows it can also improve our memories, so being called a "bird brain" is not necessarily an insult.

Eric is passionate about music and the joy it brings to people. He shares his own journey in the music industry, discussing the emotional connections people have with certain songs — good and bad — and the generational shifts in music appreciation. Do we like the same music as our parents? Do our kids like the same music we do? Has it changed in 50 years?

Listen now on all podcast platforms. Watch here on the Birds & Nerds YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BirdsAndNerdsPodcast

Follow Eric Alper on social media at @ThatEricAlper. You'll be glad you did!

Learn more about him at www.thatericalper.com Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

Have you ever fallen in love with a city hours after you first stepped off the plane? Did it make you want to pack your bags and move there, even if it was in another country? That happened to Mike Huckman, former journalist and now principal of life sciences consulting company Huckman Group. In this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast, Mike and journalist and host Ramona Schindelheim discuss what attracted him to San Miguel de Allende, a small town about three-and-half hours from Mexico City with a thriving expat community.

If you're thinking about taking flight yourself, Mike shares how he made the move from the U.S. to Mexico and the secret weapon for making it work. Part of the attraction of San Miguel de Allende is the spectacular nature that surrounds it, so, of course, we talk about the birds of Mexico, some of them familiar and some new.

Learn more about Mike here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-huckman-71b21412/

Learn more about Huckman Group here: https://www.huckmangroup.com/

Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

Did you know that birds are living dinosaurs? 66 million years ago, a huge asteroid struck Earth, triggering earthquakes, tsunamis, and global wildfires, plunging the planet into darkness, and wiping out most species, including non-bird dinosaurs.

In this episode of Birds & Nerds, we're asking why did birds survive the KPG impact and what else can we learn from this catastrophic event. Paleontologist Roger Benson of the American Museum of Natural History is the lead curator of the museum's new exhibit IMPACT: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs. He joins me to talk asteroids, dinosaurs, and, of course, birds, including the inaccessible island rail, penguins, pelicans, and more.

Learn more about the exhibit: https://www.amnh.org/

Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything!

Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

If you love birds, you're going to love this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast. National Audubon Society CEO Elizabeth Gray joins host Ramona Schindelheim in a discussion about what's behind the boom in popularity of birdwatching in the United States — 96 million people self-identify as bird lovers!

They also look at the alarming decline of bird populations in North America and what Audubon is doing to reverse it. Elizabeth shares how everyone be a part of the effort to protect birds and their natural habitats, including through community science projects like the upcoming Christmas Bird Count, which starts on December 14.

You can also help the effort financially by becoming a member of the National Audubon Society!

You can watch the episode on our YouTube channel here: Birds & Nerds Podcast

Learn more about the National Audubon Society and join here: https://www.audubon.org/

Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/

Learn more about Ramona Schindelheim, award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything, by following her on LinkedIn: Ramona Schindelheim