The Bird Emergency

In this episode, I am joined my Kevin Burgio, PhD, to discuss the rapid decline and eventual extinction of the Carolina Parakeet, the only endemic parrot of continental North America.

Kevin has been using historical records to examine the known rages of both sub-species of this parrot and shed some light on why this bird declined so rapidly.

Hopefully some lessons can be learned from his work to prevent future losses.

Follow Kevin on Twitter @KRBurgio and check out the NYC chapter of the Audubon Society.

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!

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency

Just for a bit of fun, here's Looking For Lewis and Clarke, by the Long Ryders, as discussed by Grant and Kevin

In this episode, you will hear the discussion I had with Dr. Holly Parsons, the Urban Bird Program Manager, BirdLife Australia, which encompases the Birds In Backyards program and Dr. Maggie J. Watson, Lecturer at Charles Sturt University, specialist in parasites and other disorders in birds and other wildlife, who has an interest in rodenticides.

We tackle the issues around pest control in a domestic setting, and in broadscale production systems, identifying the ingredients in different products, and what are the preferred choices to make. In summary, remember First Generation rodenticides.

The discussion was wide ranging - we tackled a lot of pest control issues.

Here's the link we referred to for letting the Federal Environment Minister know something;

https://minister.awe.gov.au/ley/contact

Here is the link for biodiversity sensitive Urban Design, mentioned by Holly (look out for more about this in future episodes of the show);

https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/news-and-media/latest-news/biodiversity-sensitive-urban-design-the-future-of-cities

We wandered onto mistletoe and tree health, so here is a link to a story about that;

https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/the-misunderstood-magical-mistletoes-of-australia/11505510

And a little more about mistletoe, from ABC Gardening Australia;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjwdyqJJGVM

And we even talked about Emus, so meet Dr Dave.... I know you will love Dr Dave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8sey9JuqiI

Follow Maggie on Twitter @terngirl

Follow Holly on Twitter @backyardbirdo or Birds In Backyards @birdsinbackyards

Follow Grant and the show on 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!

Australia has a famous lyrebird, the one everyone has seen in the David Attenborough shows, imitating all manner of man-made sounds and the sounds of the forest it lives in. But, there is a lesser-known lyrebird, which is equally gifted with vocal talents, and has a stunning display, which takes place in the subtropical forests in the border region of New South Wales and Queensland.

Seldom seen, Albert's Lyrebird is giving up some of it's secrets to intrepid researcher, Fiona Backhouse, who is attempting to learn more, to ensure the encroachment of housing and other development does not lead to it's demise.

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!

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency

Formerly known as the Monkey-eating Eagle, the Philippine Eagle is large, imperious eagle of the remote forests of The Philippines. Sadly, it is clinging to a meaningful existence only through the assistance of a dedicated team throught the Philippine Eagle Foundation, based in Davao, on the island of Mindinao.

I was fortunate to have a conversation with Jayson Ibanez, Director of Research and Conservation, with the Foundation.

Jayson has an interest in indigenous studies, which has informed his conservation work and he has a significant connection to Australia. I hope you learn as much about this fabulous raptor as I did.

The Philippine Eagle Foundation has a really good website, and if you want to read a lot of aticles, there are plenty here to dive into - philippineeaglefoundation.org

If you can, consider supporting the efforts of the Foundation to study and protect the Philippine Eagle.

Jayson is on LinkedIn and Twitter @falcon2car

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!

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency

We are talking photography, bird photography again, and how Christy Bharath snaps the birds in an urban fringe in India with a consumer level camera. He takes great smnaps, and we learn about the birds seen in an urban setting in one corner of India.

Discover Christy on Twitter @contentbirder

Check out Ewen on Twitter @ewester and the hashtag #blirbs

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency

The Gouldian Finch is one of the most desired cage birds in the world. Inhabiting northern Australia, in the tropical savannah habitat, it has been under intense pressure for many decades, first as trapping to supply the cagebird market, and then as habitat has been cleared for agriculture, and now the changed fire regimes pose a severe threat to these remote populations.

A further issue is the reduction in the availability of suitable hollows as nest sites, as the Gouldian Finch is very fussy in this regard.

Meet Leigh-ann Woolley from WWF, and hear about her work, and the support WWF is giving to try to maintain this species in the wild, in Australia's Top End.

If you can, support the efforts that WWF are making to protect the Gouldian Finch.

https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/gouldian-finch#gs.6ze11t

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!

Here is the terrific panel discussion live streamed earlier this week, discussing all the issues around the loss of hollows for wildlife, and the various methods to provide artificial hollows for birds and other wildlife.

You can hear Dr Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia (@BirdsInBackyards), Mick Callan from Habitech Australia (@HabitechA), Dan Fuller, host of the Plants Grow Here Podcast (@PlantsGrowHere) and Grant Williams (@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!

As we see more and more habitat being lost, replaced by new housing developments, new and wider roads, expansions to agriculture and industry, one critical part of the habitat tapestry is being lost, and takes many, many decades to be replaced by revegetation efforts. Those crtical things are hollows.

MIck Callan has been researching what could be produced to adequately replace these living spaces for wildlife. Hear Mick discuss the development of the artificial hollows he has developed, and what he hopes can be achieved in the future with the Habitech hollow.

Check out the latest on the development of Mick's hollows at Habitech Australia on Facebook, Instagram or follow Mick on Twitter.

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!

Here is a bonus for you! This is the Live Stream event/panel/seminar (whatever you want to call it) that took place on Monday July 5th, featuring Dr. Holly Parsons, the manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia. You may know it as Birds in Backyards. Dan Fuller, the host of the Plants Grow Here podcast is here too, and the discussion is directed by Grant Williams, host of The Bird Emergency.

The key points discussed and where to get the Flowering Calendars mentioned in the show will be available on The Bird Emergency website later in the week.

Birds In Backyards

Plants Grow Here

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!

Chris MacColl has been unlocking the secrets of the elusive Red Goshawk in northern Queensland and across the Top End of Australia.

The work has involved trapping these fearsome-looking raptors and fitting them with harnesses, fitted with GPS transmitters, and analysing the movements of the birds over an entended period of time. Since Chris and I had our conversation, the team have managed to trap male birds, and have harnesses fitted, so they are closer than ever to unlocking to mystery that has been the movement of both sexes in the non-breeding season.

Chris explains the methodology of the study, and what secrets the team hope will be unlocked as a result of the data collected and the lengthy observations made in the field.

You can follow Chris on Twitter and check out the latest on the Red Goshawk Project @CMacColl

Also, have a look at the other partners in the project;

Australian Wildlife Conservancy - website and Twitter @awconservancy

Rio Tinto Weipa

QLD Dept of Environment and Science and

University of Queensland - Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation

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!

Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency