The Backyard Naturalists

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

Chris Matthews serves the citizens of Mecklenburg County as Division Director, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources. In this week’s installment, Chris joins Debbie and Laurie in the studio to have a conversation around coyotes. Chris gives us the backstory on how Mecklenburg County started tracking them. He differentiates fact versus fiction, gives us tips on how to protect our pets and what efforts are being taken to control the coyote population.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Chronic Wasting Disease (Zombie Deer Disease), “is a prion disease that affects deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer and moose. It has been found in some areas of North America, including Canada and the United States”.

In this week’s episode, Debbie and Laurie take a call from Moriah Boggess, a deer biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to learn more about this disease. We take a deeper dive into what exactly is Chronic Wasting Disease, which animals are affected and how it spreads.  

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company in Matthews, North Carolina.  Good Cup Coffee Company is giving away a free $20.00 gift card and if you’d like to win, please listen through the entire episode. There’s one gift card available to the first person to stop by and you’re only allowed to win an offered prize once every 90 days. Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market this Saturday morning. 

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

Tony Lombardino returns to the show this week to offer a wealth of information on birds and their fall migration. Tony has a PhD in neuroscience and he has studied how the brains of birds allow them to sing and produce their songs in adulthood. He researched and studied songbird neurology for twelve years, taught high school and college courses in biology and psychology and has lead bird walks for the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University.

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company in Matthews, North Carolina.  Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market this Saturday morning. 

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

“The Bradford pear tree is an ornamental commonly planted tree in North Carolina. Sure, it has pretty blossoms, but it’s also structurally weak, stinky, and harmful to our native ecosystems! Bradford pears can breed with other varieties of pear trees and spread in natural forests, replacing native trees and creating “food deserts” for birds.” – NC Cooperative Extension

This week, Debbie and Laurie talk to Leslie Moorman, Executive Director of the NC Urban Forest Council on two upcoming events in Matthews and Monroe, NC to help eliminate these invasive species in our area.

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company in Matthews, North Carolina.  Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market this Saturday morning. 

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists, the podcast about anything and everything connected with nature. We love to engage with our listeners and have a few fabulous prizes we’d love to share with you. As a part of helping us grow our social media and online presence, we’re giving you an opportunity to score a few of them we talk about in several previous episodes.

This week, Alden Picard joins us to talk about opossums or possums as some folks say. Alden has an MS Degree, is a Certified Interpretive Guide, serves as an Environmental Educator with Mecklenburg County’s Park and Rec/Nature Preserves and Natural Resources and love talking about animals, especially opossums.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists, the podcast about anything and everything connected with nature. We love to engage with our listeners and have a few fabulous prizes we’d love to share with you. As a part of helping us grow our social media and online presence, we’re giving you an opportunity to score a few of them we talk about in this week’s show.

This week, Debbie and Laurie share a few neat little items designed to make your natural life, just a little easier. These are products to help deter mosquitoes, feed hummingbirds, clean your bird bath and keep you bird food fresh. All of these items are available from our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists, the podcast about anything and everything connected with nature. We love to engage with our listeners and have a few fabulous prizes we’d love to share with you. As a part of helping us grow our social media and online presence, we’re giving you an opportunity to score a few of them we talk about in this week’s show.

Monica Macoubrie makes a return trip to our podcast this week to discuss a few of the many mental and physical benefits from being outdoors, in nature. Monica works with Nebraska Wildlife Education to allow their “diverse constituents to have an appreciation and understanding of our state’s natural resources and participate in the conservation of these resources”.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists, the podcast about anything and everything connected with nature. Before we get into the meat of this week’s show notes, please don’t forget to click the subscribe button on your favorite podcasting platform then leave us a five-star rating and a nice review.

Currently, The Backyard Naturalists have been listened to in 49 states across the US and in more than 30 countries around the world. In all parts of the globe, mosquitoes not only present a pesky nuisance, but a dangerous one as well. In this weeks show, Debbie and Laurie offer a few tips, ideas and suggestions on how to eliminate mosquitoes from your natural habitat in manners that will pose less of a risk to wildlife. Remember, although mosquitoes annoy and pester humans, they’re a food source for not only birds, but bats and other creatures too.

While getting rid of, “skeeters” we want to offer you options that will allow you to continue to have a sustainable wildlife habitat, without increasing the risk of poisoning or harming yourself, neighbors or other creatures.

During this week’s show, Debbie and Laurie talk about the, “Bucket of Doom” from Doug Tallamy. Click here to go to Doug’s YouTube channel and see the video.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

In a previous episode of The Backyard Naturalists, you learned that water is essential for all wildlife as well as a requirement for your Certified Wildlife Habitat. This week, Debbie and Laurie spend a few minutes exploring water accessories and features for you bird bath, garden and wildlife habitat.

Our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds, has a long list of these accessories such as water wigglers, misters and solar fountains. If you’re on a budget and are looking for an item suitable for birds to perch on while enjoying your water, pebbles and rocks are great and serve the purpose.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalist, the podcast about anything and everything related to nature.

Kat Ramos with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation joins Debbie and Laurie this week to have a fascinating conversation about the Red Wolf Recovery program.

It’s highly unlikely many of our listeners have seen a red wolf in the wild so, to kick off the discussion, Kat paints us a picture of what a red wolf actually looks like and it’s comparison, in size, to the grey wolf and coyote.  

During this weeks installment, we learn a great deal about the red wolf including it’s diet, their population in North Carolina (both in captivity and in the wild) and Kat dispels a few myths and “old wives tales” about this marvelous creature.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].