There are few nuances of birding that cause more confusion and frustration than molt. Birds have to replace their feathers every year to survive, and understanding this process called molt can bring a not just a better understanding of birds and bird ID, but make looking at the details of plumage of each bird we see a little more fun. I'm certainly no expert on molt, but hearing about the process from the perspective of a non-expert who enjoys the subject may help listeners wrap their brains around the terminology used and the process. I hope so.  Check out Steven N.G. Howell's great book Molt in North American Birds, which I said I'd link to in these notes, but appears to be out of print.  Borrow a copy from a birder you know if you can.  I'll put up a blog post on BirdBanter.com with more details.  Until next time, good birding and good day!  

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The Bird Banter Podcast #113: Ed on Molt

On The Bird Banter Podcast #112 with Pete Janzen we talk lots about Kansas birding.  Pete wrote books about birds and birding in Kansas as well as a detailed work on the Birds of Sedgewick County, Kansas.  He wants you to know about the best place in the ABA area to book Lesser Prairie Chicken lek viewing with the Gove County group that manages these. You can contact Jim Miliensifer at  jhmillensifer@gmail.com   Here is their web site. Be sure to check out the blog on BirdBanter.com for more details.  Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast#112 with Pete Janzen

On The Bird Banter Podcast #111 I talk with Mason Maron, a young birder who is studying at Washington State University, is beginning a research project on Gray-crowned Rosy Finch diet changes over the last 60 years, and was a lot of fun to talk with. You can find his photography on his website Mason Maron Photography and on his @masonmaronphotography Instagram site.  Read more related information on the BirdBanter.com blog post for more information. Until next time, good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast #111 with Mason Maron

On The Bird Banter Podcast #110 with Andy Stepniewski we talk about his passion and interest in the shrub-steppe habitat that remains near his home in Yakima County, WA, his birding story and some of his birding experiences. Andy was mentored by Jim Lane, of bird finding site guide fame, and he was a primary contributor to The Birder’s Guide to Washington.   For more detailed information see the blog post on BirdBanter.com. Until next time. Good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast #110 with Andy Stepniewski

On The Bird Banter Podcast #109 with Jason Vassallo we talk about his 2021 ABA Big Year, his birding story, and other things birding. Jason is a very talented young Washington birder, and it was fun to get to know him better.  I also enjoyed hearing about some of the places he has visited this year.  I'm just itching to visit some of them myself.  Here is a link to Jason's Intagram page @jason2021bigyear Be sure to check out Bird Banter's blog to see more details related to the episode. Thanks for listening. Please leave a review and rating on the podcast platform that you use. Until next time. Good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast #109 with Jason Vassallo

England has a great collection of bird observatories, mostly spaced around the coastline, some on islands, some on the main island. Sophie Wickham, my guest on this episode is the warden at the Holme Bird Observatory in Norfolk County.  We talk about her job there, the observatory and the system of observatories in England, the birds seen there and British birding in general.   Here is a like to the Holme Bird Observatory website and here is the Norfolk Ornithologists Association site.  See the blog post on the Bird Banter website for more details. Until next time. Good birding and good day.  

The Bird Banter Podcast #108 with Sophie Wickham

David Waters, the driving force behind the project to reintroduce Great Bustards to England, is my guest on The Bird Banter Podcast #107.  I first met  David when my wife and I visited his home to see his captive Great Bustards (injured birds) and to hear his story of the project. We also got to see some of the reintroduced birds on the Salisbury Plains. You can learn more about this project at The Great Bustard Project Homepage or on my blog post with more information about this episode. Until next time, good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast #107 with David Waters

On The Bird Banter Podcast #106 the hosts of The Birder's Show, a YouTube series that debuted during the pandemic, Diego Calderón and Chris Bell are my guests.  We talk about their exciting new show, birding in Colombia, and more. Don't miss this one.  Thanks for listening. For more info see my blog on Birdbanter.com Until next time, good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast #106 with The Birder's Show Guys

Melissa Hafting is my guest on the Bird Banter Podcast #105, and we talk about her work with young birders in BC, her leadership of the BC Rare Bird Alert, and her birding experiences.   You can find Melissa on Instagram @bcbirdergirl Please leave a review and rating on the podcast platform you prefer, and check out the blog associated with this episode on The Bird Banter Blog See Melissa's blog here Check the BC Rare Bird Alert here Until next time. Good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast #105 with Melissa Hafting

On this episode we talk birding in Australia with R. Bruce Richardson, entertainer, birder and now author of An Australian Birding Year.  Australia has been high on my most wanted list of places to go, and it is even higher after talking with Bruce.  Check out the blog post on BirdBanter.com for more photos and info about Bruce and the episode.  Thanks for listening.  Until next time. Good birding and good day 

The Bird Banter Podcast #104 with R. Bruce Richardson

The pandemic has kept lots of us from getting out birding with larger groups. It has crushed the ecotourism industry, but even birding clubs like our ABC Birding club here in Tacoma, WA have missed the social and birding gatherings we enjoyed prior to Covid.  In this episode I share thoughts on birding with friends, mentorship, and a bit about our first group trip in the reopening. Enjoy.   Please contact me on the Bird Banter site to suggest guests you'd like to hear on the show. Good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast #103: Birding with Friends Again

Russell Rogers is a talented birder who has changed his primary area of field work and study from birds to beetles. We talk about his birding story, including his time in Washington State where I met him, and about how he diverged into the less common study of beetles. Beetles are the order Cleoptera, the largest order in the Insect class of animals.  Listen to learn more about these cool bugs from a birder turned beetle-guy.  Enjoy. 

The Bird Banter Podcast #102 with Russell Rogers

Kathleen Foley, program director for the Westermn Bluebird San Juan Reintroduction Project is my guest on this episode. We talk about the project, her experiences both with bluebirds and birding on the islands and elsewhere.  Really cool stuff IMO. Check out the project at at the San Juan Preservation Trust website here.  See more on the Bird Banter website blog post. Until next time. Good birding and good day. 

The Bird Banter Podcast #101 with Kathleen Foley

On the 100th!!! numbered episode of The Bird Banter Podcast I talk with  father-daughter birders Scott and Sierra Downes.  There are lots of birding families, but IMO lots more birders who have not been  blessed with children who become avid birders.  We talk about birding together, as well as their travels and experiences.  Sierra was the recipient of the Patrick Sullivan Young Birders Award and plans to attend the BSBO Camp Chiricahua this summer, Covid allowing. Be sure to check out the BirdBanter.com blog post with more details on this episode.

The Bird Banter Podcast#100 with Sierra and Scott Downes

On this episode I talk with avid eBirder, San Juan County, WA birder, longtime Yellow Island resident, and bird song audio recording enthusiast Phil Green. He has an interesting story and I hope you enjoy getting to know Phil as much as I did on this episode.   Here is a link to Phil's Yellow Island Blog.  Here is his eBird profile.  Check out the Bird Banter blog post for more details.  Thanks for listening. Good birding and good day!

The Bird Banter Podcast #99 with Phil Green

Birders discussing Birding. The Best Damn Birding Podcast Period.

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