Out There With the Birds

Episode #61 continues our "British Invasion Series," which features a series of interviews that BWD Director Wendy Clark conducted at the 2019 British Birdfair in the UK. The British Birdfair is one of the largest gatherings of bird watchers and conservationists from around the world. In this episode Wendy interviews Jim Lawrence, global marketing director for BirdLife International. Jim and Wendy discuss the British Birdfair, US and UK conservation relations, and get distracted by a few excellent bird sightings!

The British are coming! The British are coming! Well... British TWITCHERS, that is! Welcome to our "British Invasion" podcast series featuring birding artists, conservationists, authors, and renowned birders from across the pond. In today's podcast, host Wendy Clark interviews celebrity UK bird artist John Cox about the role of artists at the British Birdfair, the evolution of bird art in the UK, his journey as a bird artist, and more. John's warm personality, his decades of experience, and his oh-so-charming British accent make this an episode you don't want to miss!

Host Wendy Clark interviews Jason Ward, a birder and social activist who grew up in the Bronx and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the host of the popular web series "Birds of North America," which can be found on Topic.com’s YouTube channel and on Facebook. Jason tells Wendy about his experiences growing up in public housing, how he became interested in birds and nature, and about his video series. They also discuss how the hobby we all love transcends divisive issues and serves as a common ground for people from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

In this episode of OTWTB, host Dawn Hewitt interviews author, artist, and naturalist Julie Zickefoose. As a wildlife rehabilitator, Julie often takes in orphaned and injured birds to nurse back to health. One such charge was a sick and starved baby blue jay, a palm-sized bundle of gray-blue fluff that she named "Jemima." Julie fell hard for this engaging, feisty, and funny jay, a creative muse and source of strength through the author's own heartbreaking changes. She captures these experiences in her gorgeously illustrated new book, "Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay."

Two new hosts join Alvaro and Raymond on our OTWTB podcast: BWD publisher Wendy Clark and BWD editor Dawn Hewitt! In the second part of this two-part episode, they discuss Wendy’s introduction to birding with the sighting of a rare bird at the 2009 Midwest Birding Symposium, the changes in her life (and Bird Watcher’s Digest!) over the past six months, what’s in store for BWD in the next few years, and much more!

The winds of change are gusting through Bird Watcher's Digest. Two new hosts join Alvaro and Raymond on our OTWTB podcast: BWD publisher Wendy Clark and BWD editor Dawn Hewitt! In this two-part episode, Wendy and Dawn discuss the recent changes that have taken place at BWD, how they became birders, and much more!

Expect big news in this episode of Out There with the Birds! Ben reflects on highlights from the New River Birding and Nature Festival in Fayetteville, West Virginia, an event that was near and dear to Bill Thompson, III. The area is the "Warbler Capital of the World" and one of the best hot spots on Earth for salamanders! Alvaro discusses the wonders of pelagic birding and provides preliminary results from the 2019 Global Big Day, a 24-hour event in which people around the world bird and report their sightings on eBird. Finally, changes are in store for Out There with the Birds: Ben introduces new co-host Raymond VanBuskirk, a birding superstar from New Mexico, an optics expert, co-owner of BRANT birding tours, and the new manager of Redstart Birding!

In part 2 of Ben's interview with BT3, published posthumously, Bill talks about his love of travel as a way of connecting with nature and people, as well as who some of his birding mentors were. Bill also talks about his love of music, what it means to him, and some of his more memorable birding adventures. Also hear Bill's thoughts on the evolution of birding and why he's hopeful about the next generation shaping the future of bird watching. We end with a recording of Bill singing one of his songs with his band, The Rain Crows.

This is part one of an exclusive two-part interview with Bill Thompson, III, long-time co-host of Out There With The Birds. On March 25th, Bill passed away at the age of 57 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Shortly before his passing, Ben took some time to interview Bill about his life as a birder, magazine editor, and musician. In the first episode, Bill talks about his early years as a birder and the beginnings of Bird Watcher's Digest, a magazine founded by his parents, Elsa and Bill Thompson, Jr. The conversation then moves on to Bill's time with a New York City ad agency and how he made his way back to Ohio to join the family business and develop his writing career.

Alvaro recounts tales from Japan, including fish eagles, fish owls, and talking toilets. Also, the guys discuss the Chilean/Argentinian divide, and geography's impact on both bird distribution and human culture. The topic turns to the true Zen nature of birding and how it may challenge some of your bird ID assumptions! All this and more in Episode 52 of Out There With The Birds!

Alvaro warns against getting creative when packing for a birding trip. Also, blue jays, green jays, brown jays, and gray jays are all part of the intriguing family of corvids. What makes these birds so inquisitive and social? Find out on Out There with the Birds!

Ben and Alvaro discuss bird behavior in winter and how big birds, little birds, and vagrant birds cope with temperature extremes. Some birds fly away from the weather while others become zombie birds, preying on their fellow feathered friends! It's looking like spring in Southern California while Alvaro braces for more winter as he discusses an upcoming birding tour in Japan. Grab your chopsticks and get ready to dig into episode 50 of Out There With the Birds!

Episode 49 is a special two-part episode of OTWTB. Bill and Ben have a heartfelt discussion about why 2019 is going to be a different kind of year for the podcast, and why it will be the "Year of the Big Sit" for Bill. Ben then welcomes Alvaro Jaramillo to the show, and we learn a bit more about this international man of mystery. Their conversation topics include the shifting nature of birding tourism and why you don't want to play chess in Antarctica. Hint: It's too cold!

Ben gives LeBron-like advice for buying binoculars for kids or beginning birders, explains the visual difference between roof- and Porro-prism binoculars, and updates us on his last backyard bird sighting: a red-breasted nuthatch. Bill talks about a rusty blackbird encounter and how to tell rusties from common grackles. Then the boys welcome Clay Taylor from Swarovski Optik to talk about his amazing backyard in Corpus Christi, Texas, which has become a magnet for birds and butterflies migrating along the Gulf Coast.

Favorite holiday gifts given and received is a major topic of this episode and among those gifts mentioned are a hockey stick, a mink coat, ten-speed bikes, and a vintage saucepan. Ben's nightmare Christmas Bird Count experience and Bill's Disney World surprise stories take center stage. Also mentioned are a conspiracy theory about wild birds, a new app that's like Shazam for bird sounds, an update on Ben's hot feeder action, and plans to handicap the results of the OTWTB Global Big Year Challenge™.