Birdchick Podcast #128: ABA Nominations, Ravens Bathing/Playing, Birding

Hey! You have until December 31, 2012 to get your nominations in for the American Birding Association's annual awards: 1. ABA Roger Tory Peterson Award-Promoting the Cause of Birding

2. ABA Chandler Robbins Award-Contributions to Education/Conservation

3. ABA Claudia Wilds Award-Distinguished Service to ABA

4. ABA Robert Ridgway Award-Excellence in Publications in Field Ornithology

5. ABA Ludlow Griscom Award-Outstanding Contributions in Regional Ornithology

Get your nominations in now!

Nemesis Bird has a good article for people who may have gotten iPhones or iPads over the holidays and want to know what apps are useful.

This video claims to be ravens playing in snow...but it looks like bathing behavior to me (though weird that they are upside and rolling).

Really cool photo series of all sorts of animals but quite a few birds where you can really see how their camouflage works.

Some birders are dismayed at a habitat restoration project in CA.

Study that involves headphones on finches is a bit controversial for some.

This is noteworthy for the last paragraph.

Birdchick Podcast #127: Goosinator, Golden Eagles, Catfish Eating Pigeons

This podcast is not brought to you by Goosinator, but we're gonna talk about it anyway. Golden eagles flying off with children is not true...this is the proof...and this is why.

Screen shot 2012-12-23 at 8.17.36 PM
Screen shot 2012-12-23 at 8.17.36 PM

Non Birding Bill offers a video of a golden eagle rescuing a kid.

However, catfish eating pigeons is totally true.

Researchers are studying bustard poop. I need to get that gig.

Crazy invasion of north Atlantic seabirds in Florida, what's up with the razorbills?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you want to rehab birds, get a permit so you want have to go through this.

Cool video of a whip-poor-will trying to defend its nest from a browsing deer:

Birdchick Podcast #126: Birders Argue (Whaaaaaaaa?)

Elders of the Internet, save us all.  The American Birding Association opened up a debate about using taped calls of birds to find them in the field. Also, we can see how people voted about what areas could be included in the ABA listing field.

Study muses that some species of birds use cigarette butts to deter parasites in the nest.

For the birder who has everything...

For some reason, Non Birding Bill will talk about this sketch from SNL.


Podcast #124: Birds Eating Each Other, Birder Reality Show? Birder Movie?

Warning...links to potentially gross photos. If you click on a link and are disturbed, I don't want to know about it. Really gross photo of a bald eagle and a mallard (gross but AWESOME). 'Merica!

Sam Galick got some amazeballs photos of a northern goshawk taking out a Cooper's hawk.

Sparrowhawk nails rare wayward cliff swallow in Sweden.

Birders are gaining in popularity.  Another birder movie might be coming if it gets the rest of its funding on Kickstarter (c'mon, it's got Fred Willard) and...a birder reality show in the works???

California restaurant owners build restaurants near the sea where there are birds and sea lions...and get upset about the smell.


Birdchick Podcast #122: Hurricane Birds, Owl vs Cat

Please don't read the comments under this photo cause it's just gonna make you angry. But here's an intriguing photo captured on a Minnesota trail cam that appears to have captured a barred owl going after a cat.  This is posted on Facebook, so you may have to be logged in to Facebook to see it. Sexy bird costumes.

Hmm. Birding Is Fun has generated a list of "Birding Power Couples." Why are we on it?

eBird's Brian Sullivan talks about what can happen when a hurricane like Sandy hits during mirgration. Here's a good article detailing what birds can and will do when a hurricane hits. And here's an interview with ABA president Jeff Gordon.

There's already a Facebook gallery of Sandy birds.

I'm on another podcast called Obsessed with Joseph Scrimshaw. If you like profanity...you'll love this. Do not listen to on speakers at work.

Birdchick Podcast #121: Reporting Birds, Bird of the Year,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2V_cXDlwDWw This is a video for the American Birding Association multimedia contest for their Bird of the Year. Honestly, you can try and enter this, but I'm not sure you can top this video. You can try. But I'm not sure it can be done. I've watched it five times already.

Things get heated at an election for the Madison Audubon Society...to the point that the election resulted in a court case.

Dude with food poisoning refinds finch that hasn't been seen in 80 years!

Guy sees over 9000 birds and decides to let the listing go...

A weird form of bird photography...birds in mist nets and if that weirds you out, here are some gorgeous traditional portraits. Hat tip to Bill Todd.