I talk with Harish Thangaraj, who was part of the team that re-discovered the Jerdon’s Courser, one of the rarest birds in the world. The Jerdon's Courser is a mysterious species that was once thought to be extinct, but was then rediscovered in 1986 in India. After that, it vanished again for nearly 20 years. That is, until a team of researchers — including Harish Thangaraj — found it once more, and in a completely new area. Today, Harish joins me to share the incredible story of how they made that discovery, what it was like in the field, and what it means for the future of this critically endangered bird.

Learn more at Harish's blog here: https://harryfication.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/dream-come-true-jerdons-courser-discovered-outside-lankamalla-after-125-years-on-the-first-day-of-our-trip/

I talk with Jed Aplaca and Pete Deichmann from Houston Audubon about their efforts to buy a new section of land to preserve in Bolivar Flats as well as the Red-vented Bulbul population in Houston, and more! Help preserve the flats here: https://houstonaudubon.org/conservation/protectbolivar.html

Learn more about the flats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CO0cTfePPMhttps://youtu.be/zTJPxSK8MIY

I catch up with Will Huggins to here about his most recent trip to Panama to find tropical bird species including the elusive Harpy Eagle.

We talk with Ken Behrens of the Naturally Adventurous podcast about our top birding destinations in the United States, how to dip your toes into international travel, and what it's like living in Madagascar! Learn more about Ken and the podcast here: https://www.ken-behrens.com/naturally-adventurous-podcast

On his album titled "Lifer", musician Aaron Grych incorporates bird songs that you may be familiar with, and encourages people to listen more closely to the world around them. Listen to the album here: https://quokkaband.bandcamp.com/album/lifer

The creator of the new documentary "Beyond Our Senses: Bank Swallows" David Busse discusses his film.

Tyler Hoar and Matt Young join the show to give everyone their first look at the 2025-2026 winter finch forecast!

https://finchnetwork.org/winter-finch-forecast-2025-2026?fbclid=IwZnRzaANGJkBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHlBkHKQ8LXOptt0KZzNE8pbC5rIWeAnHNpVWjX-Zv2ViUCX26xlr29V1TG30_aem_SDxiy_-jvGlv8oAFfB6YeA

Mathew Radford discusses his podcast, birding in Oklahoma, Sasquatch. and more!

Peter Mundale (a hawk watcher at Hawk Ridge in Minnesota) discusses fall migration and some trends to look for this year in the bird world.

Danny Bernard is trying to see 100 birds in each of the lower 48 United States in a single calendar year while also meeting different people from those states, and seeing their most iconic places. Hear about Danny's journey, and the best and worst of his trip! Learn more here: https://peopleplacesbirds.net/