For the Birds Radio Program
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
- 1986
-
Alaska, Part 6: Birding the Nome-Taylor or Kougarok Road
(July 11, 2022)
The last day of Laura’s trip to Nome was spent searching for a most wanted bird, the Bristle-thighed Curlew.
Audio missing Permalink- Alaska, Part 5: A Diversion--the Bristle-thighed Curlew (July 8, 2022)
Laura talks about one of her most wanted birds in Alaka, a most unique species.
Audio missing Permalink- Alaska, Part 4: Birding the Nome-Council Road (July 7, 2022)
Most of the lifers Laura saw in Nome were along the Nome-Council Road.
Audio missing Permalink- Alaska, Part 3: Birding the Nome-Teller Road (July 6, 2022)
Laura birded along the Nome-Teller Road on the afternoon of June 12 and all day on June 13.
- Alaska, Part 2: Nome! (July 5, 2022)
Laura gives an overview of the four days she spent in Nome. The bird recording used in the program, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is of the White Wagtail.
- Independence Day 2022 (July 4, 2022)
Some of the fundamental freedoms Americans celebrate today are in jeopardy.
- Alaska, Part 1: The tour begins in Anchorage (June 28, 2022)
Laura and Russ spent some time birding on their own in Anchorage before joining their group for a Nome adventure.
- Preparing for a Trip! (June 13, 2022)
When you hear this, Laura should be in Nome, Alaska.
- Bird Recordings and the Merlin App (June 10, 2022)
Laura’s found a great new way to identify bird songs too high for her to hear.
- Three Book Reviews (June 7, 2022)
Laura reviews the all new online version of Wisconsin’s Favorite Bird Haunts, National Geographic’s Complete Birds of North America, and Sharon Stiteler’s North American Bird Watching for Beginners.
- Sweetness in Hard Times (June 6, 2022)
Desperate times call for desperate measures, some of them sweeter than others.
- Monty and Rose (2017–2022) (June 3, 2022)
Chicago’s most famous avian residents, the Piping Plovers that nested in the dunes at Montrose Beach, are gone.
- Tennessee Warblers (May 30, 2022)
Until just this week, Laura’s been taking a dainty little warbler for granted.
- Walter's Beautiful Neighborhood (May 27, 2022)
Laura’s little grandson is growing up in a world of birds and flowers and smiling people.
- My Most Colorful Spring and an Adorable Little Despot (May 26, 2022)
This spring may be unusually cold, but that’s led to an exceptionally colorful few weeks on Peabody Street.(The recording at the start and end of this program is a Cape May Warbler, whose song is so high frequency that it’s out of the hearing range of a lot of people.)
- Serendipity and the Patagonia Picnic Table Effect, Part 3 (May 25, 2022)
Last week, Laura found yet another rare bird in her yard less than 24 hours after she saw the first one.
- Serendipity and the Patagonia Picnic Table Effect, Part 2 (May 24, 2022)
Tuesday just got better and better.
- Serendipity and the Patagonia Picnic Table Effect, Part I (May 23, 2022)
Tuesday, May 17, is a day Laura will long remember.
- Celebrating Individuals (May 17, 2022)
There’s something uniquely special about individual wild birds that we recognize personally. Sometimes the bonds we forge with these can last a long time.
- St. Louis County Eurasian Tree Sparrow (May 16, 2022)
This week Laura saw a bird that belongs in an entirely different St. Louis County.
- Homemade Books and Picture Cards for Small Children (May 13, 2022)
Laura is making picture cards to teach her little grandson about birds and other animals.
- Catching the Start of the Dawn Chorus (May 11, 2022)
How early do you have to get up to hear the very beginning of the dawn chorus? Earlier than you might think.
- Recognizing Sparrows, Part 2: Unstreaked Sparrows (May 9, 2022)
Laura, back from her close encounter with Covid, finishes her sparrow identification series.
- Recognizing Sparrows, Part 1: Juncos and Sparrows with Streaked Breasts (April 29, 2022)
The end of April and beginning of May are when sparrows descend upon the Northland in big numbers. Identifying these little brown jobs isn’t as daunting as it might seem.
- Joy in the Backyard (April 27, 2022)
When Laura photographed a male and female Pileated Woodpecker feeding together in her suet feeder, she realized just how happy she is.
- Bird Flu and Other Feeder Issues (April 22, 2022)
Laura brings us up to date on the conflicting recommendations from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Cornell Cooperative Extension with regard to bird flu and keeping bird feeders going. She also talks about some birds dying at feeders not from diseases but from the bird feeder itself.
- Spring Symphony (April 19, 2022)
What spring birdsong is Laura happiest to hear?
- Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (April 18, 2022)
Laura’s researched as much as she can about this year’s outbreak of a dangerous variant of bird flu. She wrote a lot about it on her blog at blog.lauraerickson.com
- Conversation with Scott Weidensaul about A Warbler's Journey, Part 2 (April 15, 2022)
Laura asked Scott Weidensaul about the people he features in his new children’s picture book, A Warbler’s Journey, and also more about Yellow Warblers and their treacherous migration.
- Conversation with Scott Weidensaul about A Warbler's Journey, Part I (April 14, 2022)
Laura had a long conversation with Scott Weidensaul earlier this month. Here is Part 1 of their conversation about Scott’s new book, A Warbler’s Journey.
- Book Review: A Warbler's Journey by Scott Weidensaul, illustrated by Nancy Lane (April 13, 2022)
One of Laura’s favorite writers, Scott Weidensaul, has written a children’s picture book that Laura loves.
- Children's Bird Book Week, Part 2 (April 12, 2022)
Laura talks about some more old and more recent children’s picture books about birds—both favorites and some not.
Note: Laura pronounces the name of the main character in The Trumpet of the Swan, Louis, as loo’ iss. E.B. White pronounced it loo’ ey, but he said he named the character for Louis Armstrong. Although many people called Armstrong “Louie,” he was very clear that he wanted people to pronounce his name “Louis.” He even emphasized that whenever he sang “Hello, Dolly!” E.B. White was a wonderful writer whom Laura admires greatly, but on this she’s deferring to Satchmo.
- Children's Bird Book Week (April 11, 2022)
This week I’ll be talking about some old and some new picture books about birds, for small children, starting with some old classics.
- Our Far-Flung Correspondents: Patricia on Australian Magpies (April 5, 2022)
My friend Patricia sent me some fun information about the magpies she grew up with in Australia.
- Sounds of Early Spring (April 4, 2022)
Lots of birds are making their presence known now. Except the chickadees heard near the end, all the sounds heard in this program were recorded out Laura’s home office window.
- Bluolingo: The first Blue Jay translation app (April 1, 2022)
Laura interviews Jim Baker from Baker’s Blue Jay Barn about his newest product, Bluolingo, which translates both of the two different sounds coming from a Blue Jay’s voice box.
- Australian Magpies: Outsmarting Researchers (March 31, 2022)
One of the smartest birds on the planet is making it very difficult for scientists to research its movements.
- Transition from Winter to Spring (March 29, 2022)
This in-between period where winter slowly melts into spring is Laura’s favorite time of year. At least, right now.
- Fifty Years! (March 24, 2022)
Laura just marked her 50th wedding anniversary,. Sticking it out this long involves luck more than anything..
- Alaska Trip Preparation, Part III: Anticipation! (March 16, 2022)
The best thing about preparing for any trip is anticipating all the possibilities.
- Alaska Trip Preparation, Part II: Getting into Shape for a Grueling Hike (March 15, 2022)
When they head to Nome, Alaska, this June, Russ and Laura will be taking a grueling hike to see the Bristle-thighed Curlew. How is Laura preparing for that?
- Alaska Trip Preparation, Part I: Reducing and Mitigating My Carbon Footprint (March 14, 2022)
In preparing for a trip to Alaska in June, Laura’s been doing some research to make sure she’s mitigating the energy involved in her travel. (The bird song in the background is the Varied Thrush, a song Laura should hear in Alaska.)
- Hand-Feeding, Part II (March 11, 2022)
Mark Roser created a system called “Interactive Bird Feeding” that Laura wholeheartedly endorses. But as winter comes to an end, she adds one concern that we need to be aware of.
- Hand-Feeding, Part I (March 9, 2022)
Hand-feeding birds, and just having them close enough to make eye contact, sparks love for them, which comes with responsibility.
- Chickadee Day 2022: The Best of Times (March 8, 2022)
Chickadee Day 2022 started out poorly for Laura, but things suddenly improved.
- Chickadee Day 2022: The Worst of Times (March 7, 2022)
Laura always celebrates March 2, the anniversary of seeing her first chickadee. This year was a little rockier than usual.
- Little Walter the Chickadee (Feb. 23, 2022)
All chickadees may be cute, but one in particular reminds Laura of her baby grandson.
- Redpolls, Part 2 (Feb. 22, 2022)
Backyard redpolls are wonderful to see this winter in the Northland. Nicole Ottjes sent Laura an amazing video of redpolls crowding into her hand for seeds.
- Redpolls, Part 1 (Feb. 21, 2022)
Laura talks about the little birds visiting northland feeders in big numbers this winter.
- Winter Bird Song, Part II (Feb. 17, 2022)
Studies of northern European birds singing on their sub-Saharan wintering grounds suggest that the reason for singing so far from mate and territory is simple—they’re practicing.
- Winter Bird Song, Part I (Feb. 16, 2022)
Even on frigid mornings, chickadees and cardinals are singing away right now. They won’t make spring come any faster, but are still warming our hearts.
- Auggie's Bogwalk (Feb. 8, 2022)
A beautiful little boardwalk in the Sax-Zim Bog was created as a memorial to Augustus James Feth, with little owl carvings, gifts for anyone who walks the trail to the end, carved by Auggie’s great grandfather.
- It's All Good (Feb. 7, 2022)
Even when you don’t see the one bird you set as your goal, a day spent birding is all good.
- February Bluebird!! (Feb. 4, 2022)
On Groundhog Day, Laura got a brief but satisfying look at an Eastern Bluebird visiting a Duluth feeder.
- February! (Feb. 2, 2022)
Dawn is noticeably earlier each day now, as Laura is noticing while feeder watching in the morning twilight.
- Feeding Birds, Part V: Water (Jan. 28, 2022)
Water is the stuff of life, even in winter.
- Feeding Birds, Part IV: Mealworms (Jan. 27, 2022)
This time Laura looks at the value of feeding mealworms to birds and things to consider in deciding whether to buy live or dried mealworms, or both, as Laura does.
- Feeding Birds, Part III: Peanuts and Peanut Butter (Jan. 26, 2022)
Laura talks about the benefits of feeding birds peanuts and peanut butter, and also important considerations to make this safe for the birds.
- Bird Feeding, Part II: Suet (Jan. 25, 2022)
Besides bird seed, the thing most people give birds at feeding stations is suet.
- Bird Feeding, Part I: Bird Seed (Jan. 24, 2022)
All week Laura will be talking about the best choices for what we offer at our bird feeding stations.
- White-breasted Nuthatch (Jan. 21, 2022)
Listeners wrote in asking about White-breasted Nuthatches.
- Boreal Chickadee (Jan. 20, 2022)
The Black-capped Chickadee may be Laura’s favorite bird, but the Boreal Chickadee isn’t too far behind.
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (Jan. 18, 2022)
Every day, a female Red-bellied Woodpecker is visiting Peabody Street. Seeing one in Duluth used to be a rare event. Laura is just as thrilled now that it’s much more commonplace.
- Ivory Gull in Duluth: 2022 (Jan. 17, 2022)
An Ivory Gull turned up in Duluth on January 3. Laura tried, but didn’t succeed, in finding it.
- Our Far-Flung Correspondents: Listener Questions (Jan. 12, 2022)
Laura answers questions about Canada Jays (also called Gray Jays) and Pine Grosbeaks, and about how birds get water in winter.
- Alaska, Part 5: A Diversion--the Bristle-thighed Curlew (July 8, 2022)