The Avian Behavior Podcast

We sit down with the Griz Kid! Wildlife biologist Wes Larson, bear expert, co host of the Tooth and Claw Podcast, and all around awesome person talked with us about his work with HawkWatch banding Golden Eagles. Wes and Hillary discuss what it means to get a job as a wildlife biologist and of course, all about the challenges facing golden eagles in the United States. A fascinating conversation about why longterm research is so necessary.

As a professional free flight bird trainer with high visibility, Hillary has heard from many different companion parrot free flyers of various experience levels. Here she examines several questions, including 1) What is parrot free flight and how does it work? 2) What are some ideal qualities in a parrot free flight trainer? 3) Can you learn to free fly your parrot from the internet? 4) What are some best practices in free flying and several more.

Hillary talks about her evolution on the principle of applying negative reinforcement with the help of other trainers in using space as a reinforcer to reinforce calm behavior in challenging birds to help the listener understand why this is such an incredible tool for our behavior change processes. She also uses her experience as a guest speaker at the ABMA 2021 conference to discuss the challenges of women in STEM and how we can disagree and still use science in our discussions rather than fear-based emotions.

Avian Behavior Lab members Harry and Hailey sit down with Hillary and talk about adopting Paulie the Quaker parakeet during the pandemic. Everything from the first meeting to socialization is different during quarantine in place orders. When everything is different and the only thing that stays the same is change, Harry and Hailey do an amazing job working with their new friend and building skills.

How does understanding the brain is wired for thought help the animals in our care as well as conservation? From concepts of how we handle behavior questions we don't know the answer to all the way to consuming information on documentaries, we look at how asking questions and filling in the picture can help us understand how science works and how the natural world is still very much a part of who we still are, technology and all.

There are behavior challenges, and then there is what comes with adopting a male umbrella cockatoo. Avian Behavior Lab member Liv Morton talks to Hillary about the work that she has done adopting her Umbrella Cockatoo Scout and all of the ways that utilizing the science of behavior has led her to success.

Does falconry still have a place in the modern world? It's an old heritage sport, and there are a lot of misconceptions about what it entails. In this episode, Hillary uses her experience and insights as a licensed American falconer to discuss what the commitments and responsibilities of a falconer are. This episode includes a very frank and candid discussion of hunting, so if that is not your thing, it's recommended that you skip it!

What kind of jobs are there if you love birds and want to spend your life sharing your enthusiasm? It turns out, there are many types of jobs, and in this day and age, you can also make your own way.

In this episode, we talk about some of the useful strategies we have seen in the entry level animal trainers and other care givers we have worked with to get a toehold in the competitive field of the science of bird care. We even share some of our insights in to resumes and interviews, some of which may not be the most conventional, but we are here to help you stand apart and find your path!

Being intentional about your choices in animal training and behavior, the shortcuts you take or don't take in your relationships with people and animals all make up a mosaic that is our behavioral repertoire and learning evolution. How much that we recognize how our actions impact future decisions for the individuals around us makes us better animal trainers and more cognizant, inspirational leaders. Trust comes with honesty, and honesty comes with introspection and self reflection. This podcast ties in thoughts on being a business owner during the pandemic as well as putting together actionable steps for a building trust in a relationship with your bird for a huge toolkit and incredible behaviors.

We are going all in on the behavior analysis term of extinction (not the existential crisis) and why ignoring problem behavior is problem behavior in and of itself. See what we did there?

We use loads of examples, from parrots to cranes, hornbills to vultures, to cover this topic. We talk about other fallout scenarios and drawbacks from using extinction procedures, like riding the extinction burst, fallout frustration and aggression and other scenarios.