The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #8 with Bill Tweit

In this episode host Ed Pullen talks with Bill Tweit about his birding experiences, especially with Westport Seabirds, and how it came to have the longest continuous database of pelagic seabirds in the world.  Bill is a great birder, first rate scientist, and wonderful story teller.  Enjoy the episode.

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Annotated links to things discussed in the podcast:

On the bird banter website you can see photos from the Westport Seabirds Pelagic Trip discussed in this episode as well as read an account of the trip.  http://birdbanter.com/index.php/2019/03/17/westport-seabirds-pelagic-trip-3-16-2019-a-three-albatross-day/ 

Go to the website of Westport Seabirds to schedule your Washington Pelagic Trip, to look at historical sightings or to learn about pelagic birding off the Washington coast.    http://westportseabirds.com/

Here is a place to look at the undersea topography off Gray’s Harbor, WA, i.e. Gray’s Canyon and the continental shelf areas discussed by Bill in the podcast.  Map of the ocean floor off WA coast  https://deepseacoraldata.noaa.gov/habitat-reports/grays-canyon

This site discussed the current population and population trends for Short-tailed Albatross  Current data on STAL population  https://abcbirds.org/bird/short-tailed-albatross/

Here is information about the AIS tracking system for boats at sea.   https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=aismain 

Here is a site talking about techniques for setting long lines to reduce albatross entrapment  https://wsg.washington.edu/award-winning-researchers-find-methods-to-reduce-seabird-bycatch-in-west-coast-longline-fisheries/

Photo of adult with golden nape plumage Bill talks about on the podcast:   https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489452

A link to an online version of the 1909 Status of Washington Birds by Dawson & Bowles  https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46764/46764-h/46764-h.htm

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46764/46764-h/46764-h.htm 

Here is a link to the ABC Birding Club website, the group mentioned by Bill and Ed near the end of the episode.  Ed is the webmaster of the site.  http://abcbirding.com

Check out the blog post with photos from the pelagic trip discussed here:  http://birdbanter.com/index.php/2019/03/17/westport-seabirds-pelagic-trip-3-16-2019-a-three-albatross-day/