Our adventure through the pages of the book The Feather Thief continues! We’re thrilled to have Jason Weckstein join us again. Jason is an enthusiastic fly fisherman and fly-tier, and also an amazing ornithologist. He joined us last week, and is back with even more laughs, stories, and an extraordinary depth of insight into the quirky worlds of both fly tying and bird watching.

We dive into one of the birds mentioned in the book: the Argus Pheasant. Shannon has some captivating info about these birds’ remarkable feathers, and the unique way that they produce the color blue. We also get into the similarities and differences between fly-fishing and birdwatching. 

Jason is an Associate Curator of Ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Associate Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University. 

As always, you have John Bates, Shannon Hackett, Amanda Marquart, and RJ Pole here for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to [email protected]

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We are doing a mini-series on The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson. This week we have a very special guest, Jason Weckstein, join us for a conversation about the intricacies of fly-tying. Jason is not only an avid fly fisherman and fly tier but also a passionate ornithologist. Jason is an Associate Curator of Ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Associate Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University. 

Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to [email protected]

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Part two of our Feather Thief mini-series!  This week we cover chapters on Walter Rothschild’s infamous museum, the fashion madness known as "feather fever," which drove people to decimate millions of rare and exotic birds. Then we’ll explore the aftermath—how a group of determined women, appalled by the devastation, sparked a movement to protect birds, culminating in the founding of the Audubon Society. 

We are doing a mini-series that will break down parts of the book, and to sum it all up will be talking with the author Kirk Wallace Johnson. 

Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. 

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In this special mini-series, we’re diving into The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson, a gripping blend of true crime and cultural exploration. This fascinating story explores the themes of obsession, beauty, and the extreme lengths people will go to in pursuit of something they can’t have. In 2009, a daring thief broke into the British Museum of Natural History and stole hundreds of rare bird skins, all to fuel his obsession with the niche hobby of fly-tying for fly-fishing—a subculture that even has a secret society on the dark web.

This mini-series is perfect for bird enthusiasts, nature lovers, museum buffs, and true crime fans alike. We’ll break down key sections of The Feather Thief and delve deep into the bizarre, true story behind the theft. Plus, stay tuned for a special conversation with the author, Kirk Wallace Johnson, to wrap up the series. Don’t miss out on this wild, unthinkable tale that you won’t believe is real!

Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to [email protected]

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We’re stepping away from our usual routine to dive into something a bit different—The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson. This is a story of a museum heist, someone who stole rare bird skins from a museum in order to sell them on the dark web to fly-fisherman. 

Two of our hosts, John Bates and Shannon Hackett, are curators at the Field Museum in Chicago, making them perfect guides to unravel this strange and captivating story.

We’d love for you to join us by picking up a copy of the book and reading along. We’ll be offering behind-the-scenes insights into the world of museum work and its bird collections—you won’t want to miss a word.

For those who haven’t had the chance to read it yet, we thought we’d share the prologue, which sets the stage for the book’s, dark, and twisted tale. 

The reading of the prologue is the only part of the book that we’ll be reading aloud in this mini-series. Our regular lineup—John, Shannon, Amanda, and RJ —will be back for the rest of the episodes. And we’ll be joined by ornithologist and fly-tier Jason Weckstein for a few chats along the way. Then we’ll cap it all off with an interview with the author himself, Kirk Wallace Johnson. 

So, sit back, relax, grab your binoculars, and enjoy the prologue!

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This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together, John returns from the Falkland Islands after studying Gentoo Penguins, and we ask him all about the experience.

Gentoo Penguins are among the most charismatic and recognizable penguins in the world, known for their bright orange bills, white head markings, and incredible swimming ability. In this episode, we dive into what it’s actually like to study penguins in the wild, from life in remote penguin colonies to the fascinating behavior and ecology of these iconic seabirds.

Field Museum ornithologist and curator of birds John Bates shares stories and observations from the trip, while Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Pole discuss Gentoo Penguin behavior, nesting habits, penguin adaptation, seabird ecology, and what makes the Falkland Islands such an important location for wildlife research and bird conservation.

We also explore what scientists can learn from penguin populations, how Gentoo Penguins survive in harsh environments, and why these birds continue to fascinate birders, wildlife lovers, and nature enthusiasts around the world.

If you love penguins, birding, birdwatching, seabirds, wildlife science, ornithology, conservation, and fascinating bird facts, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

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We are kicking it off the new year by revisiting an older episode that we did on the Willard’s Sooty Boubou. This was a bird that John and the team at the Field Museum were responsible for describing as a new species. We are doing a mini-series on the book The Feather Thief in a few weeks, so we wanted to share an episode that highlighted what John and Shannon do at the Field Museum before we kick that off. Bird specimen at The Field Museum led to describing the new species, and John tells us about his trips to Africa to study this new species. 

Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. 

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We're still down for the holidays but are sharing a segment that we did on the Archaeopteryx at The Field Museum. Birds are the only group of dinosaurs that survived when an asteroid hit the Earth 66 million years ago. A fossil called Archaeopteryx, with feathers, hollow bones, clawed wings, tiny teeth, and a long tail, is the earliest known dinosaur that also qualifies as a bird, and is on display at the Field Museum where two of our hosts John and Shannon work. 

Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. 

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! This week we revisit a segment on the Christmas Bird Count. We also answer a question on the book the Feather Thief. We also finish it off with an exciting announcment for 2025 (spoiler, we are going to do a mini-series all about The Feather Thief!)

Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to [email protected]

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We talk about what the four of us have learned so far on our podcast journey. It's a fun reflection from RJ, Shannon, John, and Amanda. Enjoy!

Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to [email protected]

Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Blue Sky Social and tik tok as well!!

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