Discover the link between birdwatching and mental health. This episode is about what happens in your brain when you birdwatch, and the science of mindfulness.

Links:

* Luke's website - smithneuropsychology.com

* Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies - website - monash.edu/consciousness-contemplative-studies

* Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies - Twitter/X - @Monash_M3CS

* Kings College research - Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment reveals mental health benefits of birdlife - nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20207-6

Bird Illustration: Silver Gull

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Weekend Birder is back for Season 2! Here’s a preview of what’s to come.

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

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Be inspired by good news stories from WWF-Australia. This episode is about Grey Fantails and how people are working together as part of bird conservation.

Links:

* Darren on Twitter - @DarrenGroverWWF

* WWF-Australia - website - wwf.org.au

* WWF-Australia - Artificial Nests Aim to Increase Shy Albatross Breeding Success - wwf.org.au/news/2017/artificial-nests-aim-to-increase-shy-albatross-breeding-success/

* WWF-Australia - Gouldian Finch - https://wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/gouldian-finch/

* WWF-Australia - Hope for the Glossy Black Cockatoo - wwf.org.au/blogs/hope-for-the-glossy-black-cockatoo/

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

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Learn the calls of Australia's common honeyeaters, including the Eastern Spinebill, New Holland Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater and White-plumed Honeyeater.

Links:

* Eastern Spinebill recording by Ramit Singal (XC567413) - xeno-canto.org/species/Acanthorhynchus-tenuirostris

* Eastern Spinebill recording by Marc Anderson (XC340221) - xeno-canto.org/species/Phylidonyris-novaehollandiae

* New Holland Honeyeater recording by Marc Anderson (XC172248) - xeno-canto.org/species/Phylidonyris-novaehollandiae

* Noisy Miner Honeyeater recording by David Vander Pluym (XC387136) - xeno-canto.org/species/Manorina-melanocephala

* Yellow-faced Honeyeater recording by Greg McLachlan (XC361497) - xeno-canto.org/species/Caligavis-chrysops

* White-plumed Honeyeater recording by Henk Krajenbrink (XC241047) - xeno-canto.org/species/Ptilotula-penicillata

* Red Wattlebird recording by Catherine Clover (XC505693) - xeno-canto.org/species/Anthochaera-carunculata

* Little Wattlebird recording by Jeremy Hegge (XC168208) - xeno-canto.org/species/Anthochaera-chrysoptera

* Brown Honeyeater recording by Colin Trainor (XC131086) - xeno-canto.org/species/Lichmera-indistincta

* Marc Anderson's recordings were licensed from wildambience.com

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

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Get to know the calls of Australia's wetland birds, including the Buff-banded Rail, Lewin's Rail, Australian Spotted Crake and Spotless Crake.

Links:

* Buff-banded Rail recording by Greg McLachlan (XC442303) - xeno-canto.org/species/Hypotaenidia-philippensis

* Buff-banded Rail recording by Richard Boon (XC512703) - xeno-canto.org/species/Hypotaenidia-philippensis

* Chestnut Rail recording by Bram Demeulemeester (XC410635) - xeno-canto.org/species/Eulabeornis-castaneoventris

* Lewin's Rail recording by Ramit Singal (XC495636) - xeno-canto.org/species/Lewinia-pectoralis

* Australian Spotted Crake recording by Richard Boon (XC783360) - xeno-canto.org/species/Porzana-fluminea

* Baillon's Crake by Dan Lane (XC466563) - xeno-canto.org/species/Zapornia-pusilla

* Red-necked Crake recording by Phil Gregory (XC346424) - xeno-canto.org/species/Rallina-tricolor

* Spotless Crake recording by John Graff (XC166674) - xeno-canto.org/species/Zapornia-tabuensis

* Spotless Crake recording by Nigel Jackett (XC127745) - xeno-canto.org/species/Zapornia-tabuensis

* White-browed Crake recording by Marc Anderson licensed from wildambience.com

* Marc Anderson's recordings were licensed from wildambience.com

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn the calls of Australia's nine whistler birds, including the Golden Whistler, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler and White-breasted Whistler.

Links:

* Gilbert's Whistler recording by Marc Anderson (XC689149) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-inornata

* Golden Whistler recording by Craig Robertson (XC766524) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-pectoralis

* Grey Whistler recording by Phil Gregory (XC208148) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-simplex

* Mangrove Golden Whistler recording by Todd Mark (XC246713) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-melanura

* Olive Whistler recording by Marc Anderson (XC201322) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-olivacea

* Rufuous Whistler recording by Khristos Nizamis (XC593350) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-rufiventris

* Red-lored Whistler recording by Niels Poul Dreyer (XC40769) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-rufogularis

* Western Whistler recording by Marc Anderson (XC382793) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-fuliginosa

* White-breasted Whistler recording by Nigel Jackett (XC239864) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-lanioides

* Marc Anderson's recordings were licensed from wildambience.com

* Book - Where Song Began by Tim Low - timlow.com/where-song-began

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

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Learn the calls of Australia's seven lorikeets, including the Little Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet and Varied Lorikeet.

Links:

* Episode 27 - Red-tailed Black Cockatoos with Richard - weekendbirder.com/episodes/28-red-tailed-black-cockatoos-with-richard

* Episode 8 - Aussie Bird Count with Sean - weekendbirder.com/episodes/08-aussie-bird-count-with-sean

* Little Lorikeet recording by Greg McLachlan (XC372859) - xeno-canto.org/species/Parvipsitta-pusilla

* Musk Lorikeet recording by Marc Anderson was licensed from wildambience.com

* Purple-crowned Lorikeet recording by Marc Anderson was licensed from wildambience.com

* Red-collared Lorikeet recording by Tobias Sheppard (XC507827) - xeno-canto.org/species/Trichoglossus-rubritorquis

* Scaly-breasted Lorikeet recording by Henk Krajenbrink (XC170701) - xeno-canto.org/species/Trichoglossus-chlorolepidotus

* Varied Lorikeet recording by Phil Gregory (XC287809) - xeno-canto.org/species/Psitteuteles-versicolor

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn the calls of four different types of pardalotes - Forty-spotted Pardalote, Red-browed Pardalote, Striated Pardalote and Spotted Pardalote.

Links:

* Episode 20 - Songbirds with Nicholas - weekendbirder.com/episodes/20-songbirds-with-nicholas

* Episode 26 - Bushbirds with Bridget - weekendbirder.com/episodes/26-bush-birds-with-bridget

* Forty-spotted Pardalote recording by Barry Edmonston (XC794625) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pardalotus-quadragintus

* Red-browed Pardalote recording by Eddy Smith (XC744046) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pardalotus-rubricatus

* Striated Pardalote recording by Eddy Smith (XC750215) - xeno-canto.org/species/Pardalotus-striatus

* Striated Pardalote recording by Marc Anderson was licensed from www.wildambience.com

* Birds in Backyards - Top 40 Bird Songs - birdsinbackyards.net/birds/featured/Top-40-Bird-Songs

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

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Hear the story of Charuka Abhayawickrama, who challenged himself to photograph 600 birds in one Big Year.

Charuka Abhayawickrama had a successful career in IT over 25 years. On his 45th birthday, he walked away from all his businesses and discovered a love of wildlife photography. When the pandemic hit, Charuka turned his attention to birds and in 2022 ended up doing an accidental Big Year. He ended up breaking the Australian record for number of birds photographed in one year. And he almost beat the Australian birdwatching Big Year record, seeing 773 bird species in total. Charuka is now a patron of many wildlife conservation projects that are close to his heart, both in Australia and Asia.

Links:

* Charuka on Facebook - @charuka.abhayawickrama

* Charuka on Instagram - @charuka.photography

* Charuka on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/charuka-abhayawickrama-3443611/

* Charuka's Big Year website - australianbigyear.com

* Charuka's photography website - charuka.com

* Australian Geographic interview with Charuka - www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2023/02/charukas-big-year/

* White-throated Grasswren recording by Joshua Bergmark (XC577277) - xeno-canto.org

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

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Create a safe haven for Australian birds in your garden, balcony or nature strip with the advice from ecologist Tom Hunt.

Tom Hunt is an ecologist on the Wild Deserts project, with work focusing on birds, plants, habitat restoration and wildlife conservation. Growing up surrounded by bushland and birds in the Adelaide Hills, Tom has been a keen nature lover for as long as he can remember. The career he’s made out of that passion that has taken him to every corner of Australia to work on conservation projects. He also tries to sneak in as much extra birdwatching as he can both at home and in the field.

Links:

* Tom on Twitter - @moth_nut

* Tom on Instagram - @moth_nut

* Wild Deserts Project - nsw.edu.au/research/ecosystem/our-research/wild-deserts

* ABC interview with Tom - How to Attract Native Birds to Your Garden - abc.net.au/everyday/how-to-attract-native-birds-to-your-backyard/100005282

* Birdlife Australia - Birds in Backyards - Gardening for Birds - birdsinbackyards.net/Your-Garden-How-make-it-safe-haven-birds/Gardening-Birds

* Birdlife Australia - Birds in Backyards - Nest Box Plans - birdsinbackyards.net/Nest-Box-Plans

* Darryl Jones books about feeding birds - unsw.press/authors/darryl-jones/

* Safe Cats Safe Wildlife - safecat.org.au

* Bird calls were recorded by Marc Anderson and licensed from www.wildambience.com

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

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