Laura Erickson's For the Birds

One of the most important things we can do for birds is to keep cats indoors.

In 2006, Laura brought home a feral cat from Ohio. It worked out better than you might expect.

What birds are turning up on Peabody Street?

Today is an appropriate day for Laura to talk about superstitions.

What’s turning up on Peabody Street?

Laura’s birthday brings her thoughts of numbers and gallinules, and one unpleasant memory.

Laura talks about how to find owls, and why seeing one is lucky, not a sign of death.

Why are people so superstitious about owls?

How we use natural predators to symbolize death is extraordinarily inconsistent.

Why do we think birds carry messages between heaven and earth?

November can be a miserable month, but Laura has two reasons to love it.

Wind turbines kill plenty of birds, but our dependence on fossil fuels is killing orders of magnitude more birds.

Why didn’t non-profits do more to expose BP’s ways of minimizing their liability in 2010?

BP managed to change a rule to vastly understate the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on wildlife, when the oiled wildlife number is what determines an oil spill’s impact on wildlife.

In July 2010, Laura went down to the Gulf for a few weeks during the BP oil spill. It was far worse than people were saying, and Laura is still outraged.

Laura’s had a frustrating and a fun time watching birds in the October snow.

Laura speculates on how adult birds maintain pretty much the same appearance during the time they have dependent young.

Laura is part of the BirdWatching magazine team that will be participating in Global Bird Weekend tomorrow, planning to have a lot of fun in a safe, socially-distanced way, and hoping that her participation will help BirdLife International’s campaign to end the illegal bird trade.

Laura’s new grandbaby and the neighborhood crows and jays are making her think about dependent young of all species.

Laura got this year’s catalogue for the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s annual Birds in Art exhibit.

For Laura, bird watching has been very much like spending her life in one wonderful awe walk.

The New York Times did a story last week about the value of “awe walks”–taking walks while trying to look at things with fresh, childlike eyes–and how after eight weeks, the people doing this were happier, less upset, and more socially connected than people taking as many walks but without being told to focus on new things with those childlike eyes.

WXPR listener Jo Simon asked Laura a simple and obvious question: What are geese honking about as they fly overhead? No one knows for sure, but Laura has a few ideas.

Laura shares her affection for one bird song with Robert Frost.

Laura’s had an interesting array of mammals in her yard in recent weeks and months.

Laura is using a combination of staking out birds out the window and taking photos via three trail cams to keep track of what’s going on.

A difficult-to-find bird may be nondescript, but it has an exceptionally weird mating system.

Fall migration is getting exciting in Laura’s yard.

Huge numbers of birds have been found dead and dying in New Mexico. We don’t know exactly why.

After living on Peabody Street for 39 years, Laura has a hard time adding new birds to her yard list, but Friday she added a surprising new one! This one goes out with music.

James Stone got Laura thinking about the West Nile virus epidemic that hit the US twenty years ago. That virus didn’t hurt anywhere near as many people as we first feared, but it continues to kill Ruffed Grouse and other wildlife.

What birds are migrating through right now? James Stone of Northome brought Laura up to date with his birds, and she’s had some interesting experiences in her own yard, too.

Laura can’t get enough of her backyard Blue Jays.

In June, the American Ornithological Society changed the name of McCown’s Longspur to the Thick-billed Longspur, raising the dander of some people.

Laura talks about a bird whose name was changed to the Long-tailed Duck in 2000.

Canada Geese learn their migration route from their parents, and then find their lifelong mate on their wintering grounds. Come spring, they want to return to where they hatched out. KUMD’s Lisa Johnson asked Laura which young goose in a pair gets to return where it hatched, and which is willing to go along.

Recently, women have been making important discoveries about the singing abilities of female birds, overturning centuries of conventional wisdom about how many female birds sing. Is this coincidence, or powerful evidence that inclusiveness in scientific endeavors casts new eyes on old questions?

One of the bald Blue Jays laura photographed on August 13 has most of its facial feathers in now.

Laura’s seeing as many different species in her yard right now as she saw at the peak of migration in May. CORRECTION: Laura said to contact her by September 29 to receive an invitation to the September 1 Zoom presentation–this should be AUGUST 29.

This month, Laura turned into a grandmother! Birds seldom know their grandmothers.

Laura has been talking about bald Blue Jays for years, and now, finally, she has photos.

Laura talks about the avian abundance out there right this moment.

Laura’s getting wonderful photos of her Blue Jays, including some kinds of photos, like of bald Blue Jays, that she’s never been able to take before. You can see the photos she refers to on her blog at www.lauraerickson.com.

A couple of weeks ago, when Laura interviewed Don Kroodsma, author of Birdsong for the Curious Naturalist, they talked about a bird people love to hate, the European Starling.

Laura finally got to enjoy the thrill of seeing baby House Wrens the day they fledge from the nest. And she learned about the dark side of seeing baby House Wrens the day they fledge from the nest.

Laura’s backyard birds are still keeping her busy.

One summer, Laura and her sons raised two baby flickers.

Right now flickers are at their quietest and most secretive, but soon everyone will be noticing them again, along dirt roads, gravel driveways, and expansive lawns.

Why are there more birds today than there will be for the rest of 2020? Laura talks about what’s going on with our songbirds right now, and reminds us of the Zoom program she’ll be doing this Saturday night (August 1).

Don Kroodsma tells Laura about an important discovery he made about a bird that nests right in the Sax-Zim Bog.

Don Kroodsma talks about a great Sandhill Crane experience.

Don Kroodsma talks about White-throated Sparrows with Laura.

Laura talks with Don Kroodsma about why he wrote Birdsong for the Curious Naturalist and why he so enjoys exploring questions we don’t have answers for, yet.

Laura absolutely loves a new book by birdsong authority Donald Kroodsma. Today she reviews the book, and for the rest of the week will be excerpting from a conversation she had with Don about it.

Some birds have a mutualistic relationship with hot peppers, but scientists don’t quite understand how birds taste them.

Laura had a memorable experience with a jalapeño pepper and a Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Writer, poet, and wildlife biologist J. Drew Lanham shares a brand new poem.

Ravens turn out to be even smarter than people thought!

Laura looks back at a For the Birds transcript from 1988, with some updates.

More about the Brown Thrasher.

Laura’s best bird EVER was a Brown Thrasher that she never even saw!

A new song is spreading through the land.

Summer may be barely here, but bird song is starting to ebb.

Laura found a transcript from 1993 that explains how she came to be a Ph.D. student in the first place.

What goes in must come out. (Recast from April 14, 1997)

Laura is requesting donations to support For the Birds, and offering, on July 1 at 7 pm CDT, a free presentation about nesting birds. Contributors to her Patreon account will automatically be invited, but she’ll send invitations to anyone else who asks. See the sidebar on Laura’s blog for more details.

KAXE/KBXE listener Lynn Hanske shared a disconcerting video showing a Great Blue Heron who has become a specialist on stalking and capturing chipmunks.

People may not have feathers, but our plumage has a bit in common with theirs.

In 1992, Laura made a disturbing discovery about one of the nighthawks she was caring for—a discovery that will live in infamy.

Days are as long as they’ll be all year right now, and birds are hard at work from sunrise to sunset, or even longer than that!

The “Dr. Ruth of Ornithology” loved the sections of Jennifer Ackerman’s new book, The Bird Way about “Love” and “Parenting.”

The section about birds playing in Jennifer Ackerman’s The Bird Way may be Laura’s favorite.

Today Laura focuses on the section about bird senses in Jennifer Ackerman’s The Bird Way.

Laura talks about Part I of Jennifer Ackerman’s book, The Bird Way, titled “Talk.”

Laura is remembering Jennifer Ackerman’s book The Genius of Birds as she starts a week of looking at Ackerman’s new book, The Bird Way.

Laura tells us what’s happening in her own backyard and that of a few listeners.

How much blood can a bird lose before dying? How do we know this? And is that little bit of knowledge worth the cost of finding it out? (This is based on a program I did in 1994.)

Laura’s having a lot of fun with her backyard House Wrens.

Thirty years ago, Laura had her gall bladder out, which set her to wondering whether birds have such a thing.

Is it really necessary to get up while it’s still dark to see a lot of birds? (The recording in the background is part of the one I recorded on May 31.)

Laura talks about a wonderful newsletter, “Heated,” about climate issues and also about an upcoming workshop Al Gore will be sponsoring about addressing climate change. George Floyd’s death is making it clearer to many people how, because of systemic racism, the Black community is disproportionately affected by both climate change and COVID-19. Read more about the newsletter and how to enroll in Al Gore’s workshop (free but requires registration) at Laura’s blog.

Laura knows when a fox has been around even when she’s not paying attention at the time.

Birding has always been uniquely dangerous for Black people. It’s time white birders started listening, and taking responsibility for making the birding community and our nation safer for everyone.

Even hunkering at home, Laura is still having fun, right now with hummingbirds and orioles. She also answers the question, should we offer jelly?

Good news about Piping Plovers on the Great Lakes and in Maine!

Our Endangered Species Act is itself endangered, which bodes ill for the Golden-winged Warbler and many other species.

Reports about a Hayward robin nest are filling Laura with joy and hope.

Laura has been keeping track of her birds even when she’s sleeping or working indoors.

In 1991, Laura made a charmingly frustrating discovery about baby Blue Jays.

As much as Laura likes cowbirds, she thinks it’s best not to subsidize them with food. She explains why.

Sarah Caldwell, who listens to this program on WDRT, asked Laura to talk about a fascinating bird, the Brown-headed Cowbird .

Laura brings us up to date on the Peabody Street bird activity and relates some stories she received via email from New Hampshire and Excelsior, Minnesota.

Laura just unearthed the transcript of a program from 1995 about her education Blue Jay, Sneakers, when she discovered Mexican jumping beans.

Today is the 85th anniversary of the day Margaret Morse Nice followed a Song Sparrow over an entire 24-hour period, counting every one of the 2,305 songs he sang and recording every one of his behaviors.

Whatever happened about the 450-foot guyed, lighted cell phone tower AT&T wanted to build at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness?

Laura fields questions about disappearing chickadees and other birds and about a bird who has been drumming on a basketball backboard right outside a weary but curious listener’s window.

Backyard birding is providing lots of new birds right now.

Kadi Franson asked Laura Erickson to do a program about checking our own sense of curiosity and wonder with what birds need.

Laura’s been photographing and recording her backyard birds.

Laura talks about two birds passing through the Northland right this very moment.

Laura tells the completely fictitious (but it could be true, maybe) story of a baby nighthawk and a baby Blue Jay.

Lots of new birds are showing up on Peabody Street. (Photo here is by Brad Snelling)

What’s the difference between spirit and soul, and why do birds so perfectly embody both?

Laura had the perfect visitor this week to help her celebrate Earth Day.

One particular Brown Creeper, who visited the school Laura was teaching at in 1977, became her Best Bird EVER.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service managed to sneak in a proposal to open a hunting season on swans in the Central, Mississippi, and Atlantic flyways (including Minnesota and Wisconsin). The deadline for comments is TODAY, Monday, April 20, at 10:59 p,m. CDT.

KAXE listener Polly Edington saw a new bird this week, a Brown Creeper. Laura tells us a little about this bird; she shares more information about it on her blog.

How are birds and other wildlife doing during the shutdown? (Ends with music)

Today Laura talks about the life history of Sandhill Cranes

Laura talks about a splendid bird, the Sandhill Crane. (Bonus program, Part II, will be available for tomorrow)

Laura and her children once worked out which bird was which character in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. The hardest to figure out was Beth.

Laura may be hunkered down, safe at home right now, but she’s been learning a new skill—taking photos remotely.

Laura finally has dozens of birds in her yard!

Much of Laura’s life was shaped thanks to a single class she took in college.

How are Blue Jays helping people with social distancing? A word from Jim Baker of Baker’s Blue Jay Barn (Up the Shore a Ways) and the California Ravens, too.

Del Stubbs and Celine Thouin of Pinewood, Minnesota, share a fascinating story, with photos on Laura’s blog, about a swarm of bees, and Laura brings us up to date on spring migration.

The value of living things cannot be measured in dollars.

Laura talks about how chickadees are brightening the days of many people during these hard times, and KAXE listener Polly Edington shared her exciting up-close and personal encounters with her backyard chickadees.

How do we fill the hours when we’re stuck at home? Laura is trying to appeal to the better angels of her nature.

People are not following social distancing rules right now, putting all of us at risk

Laura’s been looking at wildlife in her own backyard, and hearing about what others are seeing.

On Monday, Laura had a fun birding experience just a couple of blocks from home.

Laura and Dr. Peter Crosson have tips for social distancing when getting out birding.

Hunkering down during a pandemic, nature can still provide balm for our soul.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed a new regulation requiring that in the future, every Federal Duck Stamp depict an element of hunting rather than allowing art depicting wild ducks in natural habitat. Laura says, “Just say no!” Why?

(This program must air by March 16, 2020.)

Marge Gibson of the Raptor Education Group, Inc. in Antigo, Wisconsin, has been dealing with some heartbreaking situations lately.

Both the Minnesota and Wisconsin DNRs have TIP lines if you have any information on the shooting of native/protected wildlife. You can remain anonymous, though providing your name can be helpful in the successful prosecution of offenders.

Minnesota Turn in Poachers (TIP): 800-652-9093.
Wisconsin DNR Hotline 1-800-TIP-WDNR or 1-800-847-9367.

Laura started birdwatching, and birding, 45 years ago today.

Laura saw a Boreal Owl in the Bog last week, calling to mind the most special Boreal Owl of all.

Laura’s back birding at pretty much full speed thanks to cardiac rehab.

Laura can’t end a series of programs about starlings without mentioning Mozart.

Laura received a fascinating email from Timothy Flannery, who is just as fascinated with starlings as Laura is.

Thirty years ago, Laura and her family had a pet starling named Mortimer. How did that come about, and why is she suddenly thinking about him again?

One of Laura’s listeners, named Beth, was recently in the hospital for a ruptured appendix, leading Laura to think about bird digestion.

KAXE listener Phil Shore told Laura about the pleasure that his mother Marie, staying in a nursing facility near St. Louis, gets from looking out at birds.

Bemidji listener Jack Shelton shared an interesting experience with a Great-tailed Grackle in Nicaragua.

Laura and Russ found one superb owl this Sunday, and also found themselves in the same scenario as a character in the movie Airplane!

The Great Gray Owl Laura talked about last week came to a tragic end.

Laura uses her computer’s screen saver folder to conjure photos at random that remind her of everything she loves.

Laura spent time yesterday, up close and personal, with a magnificent owl that found itself in urban Duluth.

Laura spent a bit of time with a Northern Shrike at the bog Sunday.

Laura was thrilled to see her twelfth owl species in St. Louis County this weekend. But then… the Barn Owl died.

Laura is sitting around counting minutes and watching chickadees.

Do we as individuals need to mitigate the damage we do?