The Bird Emergency

Mark Holdsworth has been involved in conservation for what seems like forever, but has developed from his initial skills working in the national parks of Tasmania, to helping save vulnerable populations of birds via pest eradication.

Mark is currently engaged in many invasive pest eradication programs all over the world, with Pest Detection dogs being a major element of these efforts.

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

I have been teasing this episode for a long time.... It seems like a great opportunity to pop out an episode that is not about birds, but where the work concerned will surely have an impact on the native bird populations of Gariwerd (or The Grampians, in whitefella language), in south-west Victoria.

I am speaking with Robin Sinclair, who has been undertaking a B. Sci (Hons), including fieldwork, to monitor the populations of feral cats and foxes through Deakin University.

During a global pandemic, with a state in extended lockdown, how do you get stuff done? Well, Robin did. Find out how in this episode, and learn how Curiosity really is killing the cat.

Follow Robin on Twitter

Follow Robin on Instagram to get more of his photos.

The Bird Emergency on Twitter (where I share a lot!)

DO you enjoy the podcast? If yes, it's very easy to leave a review! https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

Tegan Douglas from Birdlife Australia returns to tell us how easy it is to get involved in National Bird Week and to take part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count, from the 19th to 25th October, 2020.

Tegan discusses the methodology, how to use the special App to do your counting and how you will add to the total base of knowledge (and understanding) of the state of Australia's bird populations.

Register for the Aussie Backyard Bird Count 2020 here

The App is available for both Apple and Android, in the App stores. So get involved this year!

Follow Tegan on Twitter - @TeganDouglas

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

Marking World Migratory Bird Day (October 10th), today meet Heidi Trudell, an architectural consultant, from Michigan in the USA. Heidi advises the building industry and homeowners about the changes they can make to reduce the incidence of deaths and serious injuries to birds by colliding with glass and reflective surfaces. It is estimated that up to a billion birds worldwide meet their end this way annually. It is avoidable, and Heidi is working hard to greatly reduce this number.

Heidi qualifies as a Bird Nerd, and answers the usual Bird Emergency questions, to place herself on our spectrum.

Follow Heidi on Twitter or check out her website - www.justsavebirds.com

The collection work that Heidi does is unpaid, and she supports other volunteers, so please consider supporting her via her Patreon - https://https://www.patreon.com/justsavebirds

Twitter - twitter.com/justsavebirds

Just Save Birds - facebook.com/groups/justsavebirds

Dead Birds 4 Science! - facebook.com/groups/deadbirds

Instagram - instagram.com/justsavebirds

International Faceook groups of relevance:

Proyecto Aves y Ventanas - https://www.facebook.com/groups/289187377950892/

S Korea, Reports on Bird-Glass Collisions - https://www.facebook.com/groups/307904289925035/

I don't have translations for either of these groups:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/308545713368523/?ref=share

https://www.facebook.com/groups/445639272561545/?ref=share

The dead birds that are collected (and fill up Heidi's freezer!) do make a contribution to our knowledge;

Collection - https://abcbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Window_Collision_Bibliography-February-2017.pdf

A study by Heidi -

Hager et al, from Illinois

https://www.muhlenberg.edu/media/contentassets/images/academics/biology/biology/faculty/klem/aco/documents/HageretalBirdWindowMortWJO2008.pdf

Urban Bird Summit 2017 -https://web2.uwindsor.ca/softs/conferences/2017/softs2017-Preliminary-Assessment-of-Bird-Strikes-at-Windows.pdf

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

In this Monday Megaphone, where we break format to discuss issues, somebody who knows what they are talking about tells me about coal-fired power generation, carbon capture and storage, solar, batteries and what individual actions can make a difference to reduce emissions. Please enjoy!

Follow Simon on Twitter - https://twitter.com/simonahac

Check out his bio here - https://t.co/TwnJXCMM3J

Look out for another Megaphone Monday where we examine another policy area impacting on birds and their survival generally.

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

Over four years, Dr. Johanne Martens has been studying the Beak and Feather Disease virus, which is appearing more often among wild bird populations, especially parrots.

Focusing on Crimson Rosellas, monitoring nest boxes, Johannes and her team from Deakin University have discovered much about this disease, and points to some methods to ameliorate the potential effects on both wild and captive populations.

In the usual Bird Nerd part of the show, Johanne tells us how she studied escaped Amazon parrots, gone feral in Europe, and her favourite bird things.

These are the links to all of Johanne's BFDV papers:

Prevalence in common species: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0235406

Persistence of infection: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01584197.2019.1640069

Seasonal fluctuations: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64631-y

Detection in nest boxes: https://peerj.com/articles/9211/

And here are her papers on urban Amazons:

Breeding: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-017-1436-9

Diet: https://bioone.org/journals/Ardea/volume-101/issue-1/078.101.0111/Diet-and-Feeding-Behaviour-of-Naturalised-Amazon-Parrots-in-a/10.5253/078.101.0111.full

And this a link for many of the Animals on the Internet - like the Internet of Things!

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/science/space-station-wildlife.html

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

My guest in this episode is Dr. Clare Hawkins, Citizen Science Co-ordinator at the Bookend Trust, and the driving force behind Where? Where? Wedgie? which could be referred to the Great Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle Count, which monitors the whereabouts of Australia's largest eagle over a couple of weekends in May each year. 2020 was the fourth time volunteers have spread out all over Tasmania to mark the sightings (and non-sightings of eagles).

https://naturetrackers.com.au - see all the Where? Where? Wedgie! details and check out their social media Facebook and Twitter

Photo: Peter Vaughn

Follow Clare on Twitter @Ottercivet

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

Another bonus episode, to mark Plover Appreciation Day and raise awareness of the particular challenges that are facing a varied group of wading birds, that go by names such as dotterel, lapwing and plover, but grouped together as Plovers.

Sonia Sanchez from Birdlife Australia, Rick Simpson from Wader Quest and Andrea Gress from Birds Canada join me to talk about their respective Plover projects.

Andrea Gress

Rick and Ellis Simpson from Wader Quest

Sonia Sanchez from Birdlife Australia

All the details for Wader Quest

Website: www.waderquest.net Wader Conservation World Watch page: https://www.waderquest.net/events/wader-conservation-world-watch/ Twitter: @wader.quest Instagram: @waderquest Facebook: @WaderQuest Here are the BirdLife Australia details for plover projects; Plover Appreciation Day; http://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/beach-nesting-birds/plover-appreciation-day, but best to follow the socials Facebook (@hooded.plover.birdlife) and Twitter and Instagram (@birdlife_hoodie). The program of our Coastal Birds Workshop Series http://www.birdlife.org.au/documents/bnb_Coastal_Birds_Flyer_final.pdf To become a volunteer; https://beachvol.birdlife.org.au/ Birds Canada Website where you can find out more about the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program. Twitter - @birdemergency Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

In a fairly casual conversation, I speak to James Trezise, who is a Policy Analyst with the Australian Conservation Foundation about the challenges for conserving and protecting Australia's natural assets, the current review of the major laws meant to protect species and the biodiversity of the country, and if my approach is too provocative and if it would be effective.

James gives us some hints on how to be effective as an individual who wants to make a difference, and a few things you can do right now to protect our fragile natural heritage.

Follows James on Twitter @james_trezise and the @ACF

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!

This episode of The Bird Emergency introduces you to Dr. Rob Davis, who is based at the Edith Cowan University in Perth, which sits on the Indian Ocean. However, Rob has a passionate interest in the birds of the small islands of the Pacific Ocean, many clinging to existence. He tells us about the Palau Megapode, one of the unusual mound-making birds, who incubate their eggs in piles of leaf litter, scraped into sizeable heaps, and carefully tended by the parents.

The website for his lab is http://wildlifelab.org

The Palau Megapode website is www.palaumegapode.com

Palau Conservation Society is here https://www.palauconservation.org

Currently trying to get some eyes and subscribers on The Bird Emergency on YouTube, so I can put a bit more effort into the video side of things, so if you would like more visual content, please subscribe, and I will watch with interest if that's what you want!