Dudley Edmondson’s writing and photography spotlight Black, Indigenous, and People of Color on the frontlines of conservation. Edmondson is a role model for People the Planet Needs Now, which is also the title of his latest book. He lives the talk by managing his yard as bird habitat. We talk about his favorite birds, influencing his neighbors, and what is was like to be in the room where the America's Great Outdoors Initiative was signed.

More information about Dudley Edmondson

https://dudleyedmondson.com/

Bird Vocalizations

Golden Eagle call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/164698

Peregrine Falcon call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/136378

Tennessee Warbler song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/136170

American Goldfinch song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/230747651

Cerulean Warbler song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/147601691

Rough-legged Hawk call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/137553

Sharp-shinned Hawk call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/4153

About the podcast

Your Bird Story is an initiative of Local Nature Lab. The podcast is hosted by Georgia Silvera Seamans and produced by Pod to the People. 

Support Our Work

It costs $100 to produce each episode. Donate here. We also appreciate follows, likes, and reviews.

Are you ready for it…a new way to court and find love? In 2020, Wenfei Tong released her book, Bird Love, which dives into the fascinating world of avian mating and parenting strategies, was published. Fast forward to 2022 when Bryony Angell picks up Tong’s book for the second time. What happens next is the topic of this podcast. You’ll hear about Tong’s inspiration for writing Bird Love, Angell’s successful attempt at pair bonding (with a human), and more.

More information about our guests

Bryony Angell’s writing: https://www.bryonyangell.com/portfolio-bryony-angell

Wenfei Tong’s books including Bird Love: https://www.wenfeitong.com/work/books

Bird Vocalizations

Crimson Sunbird https://xeno-canto.org/483932

Osprey https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/106651

Herring Gull (call)  https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/186415451

Black-capped Chickadee (song) https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/94959121

About the podcast

Your Bird Story is an initiative of Local Nature Lab. The podcast is hosted by Georgia Silvera Seamans, and produced by Pod to the People. 

Support Our Work

It costs $100 to produce each episode. Donate here. We also appreciate follows, likes, and reviews.

This month we talk with Christine Mott about her new book Free Bird: Flaco the Owl’s Dreams Take Flight, and the rights of animals. Mott was raised in New York City but wrote the book from Southern California. She was the Chair of the Animal Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association. CONTENT NOTICE: This episode contains descriptions of violence towards people and animals in a discussion about animal welfare legislation.

More Information

Learn more about Free Bird at Lantern Publishing. 

Bird Vocalizations

American Robin (songs) 

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/148704811

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/151051571

Pigeon (song) https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/44449551

House Sparrow (song) ​​https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/138707321

Snowy Owl (calls)

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Owl/sounds 

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/138288

About Us

Your Bird Story is an initiative of Local Nature Lab. The podcast is hosted by Georgia Silvera Seamans, and produced by Pod to the People. 

Support Our Work

Like and review this episode. Subscribe to the podcast. Or, make a financial donation.

Birds of a feather flock together, and more. Dr. Joan Strassmann studies cooperation and conflict within and between species, mostly social amoebas. In her latest book, The Social Lives of Birds, Strassmann trains her lens on the sociality of birds. The book is a riveting set of profiles of the how and why birds band together to breed, nest, and raise their young. The opportunity to hear from Strassmann directly was even more compelling.

More Information

Learn more about The Social Lives of Birds at Penguin Random House. Curious about social amoebas? Explore Dr. Strassmann’s research lab at Washington University in St. Louis.

Bird Vocalizations

Northern Flicker https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/30597061

Sociable Weaver https://xeno-canto.org/793359

Taiwan Yuhina https://xeno-canto.org/976799

Northern Gannet https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/133317

Superb Fairywren https://xeno-canto.org/935812

About Us

Your Bird Story is an initiative of Local Nature Lab. The podcast is hosted by Georgia Silvera Seamans, and produced by Pod to the People. 

Support Our Work

Like and review this episode. Subscribe to the podcast. Or, make a financial donation.

Matthias Garff is an artist based in Germany. His sculpture practice is 80% focused on birds. His passion for birds developed through his relationship with his grandfather, who sent poems about the birds in his garden in Buenos Aires. We spoke with Garff about his year-long International Studio & Curatorial Program Residency in New York City, where he used discarded materials to create life-sized birds of the city. Garff’s goal is to "show biodiversity or...this variety of life around us.”

*Leave a review. Share the episode with a friend.*

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Follow Matthias Garff on his website and on Instagram.

⁠Click here⁠ to learn more about the International Studio & Curatorial Program.

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Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans

Producer and Editor: Pod for the People

Vocalizations: 

American Robin (song) https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/151051571

Blue Jay (call) https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/107289291

Pigeon (song) https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/108565061

Eurasian Jay (call) https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/254553511

Jenn Lodi-Smith is a PhD psychologist and founder of The Spark Bird Project. The initiative flickered into life at the Hog Island Audubon Family Camp where Lodi-Smith was introduced to the concept of "spark birds." Lodi-Smith and her colleagues record and analyze contributed stories to better understand how people become birders and why they continue to bird. The Spark Bird Project shares its research findings with community partners to help organizations engage with established and new birders.

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The Spark Bird Project website

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Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans

Producer and Editor: Pod for the People

Vocalizations: 

Atlantic Puffin call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/62361

Atlantic Puffin bill rattle https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/216892

Barred Owl (duet) https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/28839251

Screech Owl https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/107446

Atlantic Puffin bill rattle https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/216892

In this episode, we talk with Amy Berkov, a research scientist specializing in beetles and plant chemistry. Dr. Berkov shares her journey from artist to scientist, and her strong expertise in insect ecology, and the relationships among plants and birds.

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Read Amy Berkov’s research.

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Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans

Producer and Editor: Pod for the People

Vocalizations: 

American Goldfinch song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/230747651

Montezuma Oropendola https://xeno-canto.org/522867

Red-winged Blackbird song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/223686181

Hooded Merganser call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/229281

Wood Duck call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/136505 

Edmundo Martinez’s patches are Starlight and Concrete Parks in the Bronx. He has seen inland birds including warblers and woodpeckers as well as aquatic birds like herons and egrets. The Bronx River, New York City’s only fresh water river, flows through these parks. Martinez birds big parks like Pelham Bay Park (2,722 acres) and small parks like Hunts Point Riverside Park (1.4 acres). He purposefully birds smaller parks in Black and brown communities to show that you don’t have to leave your neighborhood to observe the species of birds typically associated with Central Park. Martinez found his way to birding while cycling; “I’m a big cycling guy,” he said. Observing birds has become a form of meditation for him, bringing him peace and joy. 

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Follow Edmundo Martinez @bxmundo.

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Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans

Producer and Editor: Pod for the People

Vocalizations: 

Downy Woodpecker drumming https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/62766

Hairy Woodpecker drumming https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/211304391

Laughing Gull flock call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/97299221

Great Black-backed Gull long call https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/171253471

Pileated Woodpecker drumming https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/63086

Northern Flicker drumming https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/534422

Kelli Hata founded the Haecceity Project to chronicle the birds who die by colliding with glass structures on the Yale University campus. The word haecceity was coined by John Duns Scotus, a Medieval scholar. Wikipedia defines haecceity as meaning “each individual entity has a unique, unrepeatable quality that makes it different from every other entity.” The bird care work which Hata has been involved with for years in California and in New Haven embodies the sacredness and innate value of each and every bird. We also discuss practicalities--(1) the preventability of glass collisions and (2) the responsibility of universities to conserve birds as they migrate through their campuses.

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Follow the Haecceity Project, Yale @yale_haecceity.

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Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans

Producer and Editor: Pod for the People

Vocalizations: 

Scrub Jay: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/225405191

Mockingbird song: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/213457711

Prothonotary Warbler song: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/99435531

Dark-eyed Junco song: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/85243

What do you do when there isn’t a bird guide for neck of the woods? You write one. Aaron N.K. Haiman is the author of the new book,Birds of the California Delta. Haiman talks about Delta habitats and shares his insights into the lives of a few of the 25 bird species profiled inBirds of the California Delta. Web search “Yellow-billed Magpie” now! Haiman is also a mentor, paying forward his passion and expertise by supporting young people in birding including a bird-a-thon team.

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You can findBirds of the California Deltaathttps://www.heydaybooks.com/catalog/birds-of-the-california-delta/ or your local bookseller. Haiman is on Instagram as@ abirdingnaturalist andYouTube.

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Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans

Producer and Editor: Pod for the People

Vocalizations: 

Sandhill Crane juvenile callhttps://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/42404971

Great-tailed Grackle callhttps://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/210599

Sandhill Crane callhttps://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/28803581

Yellow-billed Magpie callhttps://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/199531981

American Kestrel callhttps://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/133146