

Life List: A Birding Podcast
George Armistead, Alvaro Jaramillo, and Mollee Brown
Birdy. Proudly nerdy. Detailed. Not-so-subtly obsessive. Delve into all things birding and birding culture with George Armistead, Alvaro Jaramillo, and Mollee Brown. Join us for light-hearted conversations on birds, conservation, travel, and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 26, 2024 • 1h
Wacky tales and unique habitats with Phil Chaon
Phil's been there, done that, and has the stories to prove it. This week we chat about his recent oceanic expeditions and upcoming book.Have a taste of western Australia and the Lesser Sundas via Phil's recent eBird trip reportGet notifications for Habitats of North America, coming out this winterOrder Habitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and EcologistsGet more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Aug 19, 2024 • 1h 9min
Ornithological careers and accompanying global adventures with Holly Garrod and Billi Krochuk
Holly and Billi have spanned continents in their incredible career feats. Today, we're chatting about the challenges and adventures that they've had along the way.Meet Holly via Birds Caribbean and InstagramMeet Billi via Biodiversity Research Institute and InstagramCheck out the beautiful Black Bee-eater that we talk about in the episodeAnd yes, The Birding Co-op has announced its 2025 tour schedule! Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Aug 12, 2024 • 1h 9min
How Alvaro's bar chat led to a new species of storm-petrel
Here's a story with some drama, discovery, and mysteries yet unsolved! Hear all about the background of discovering the Andean Storm-Petrel (Oceanites barrosi), straight from the source! Here's the paper that was published: Resolving the conflictive phylogenetic relationships of Oceanites (Oceanitidae: Procellariiformes) with the description of a new speciesGet more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Aug 5, 2024 • 1h 6min
Decreasing the pressure and increasing the joy in birding with Jason Hall and Dexter Patterson
Jason and Dexter bring all the joy this week!Check out Jason and Dexter on InstagramLearn about the In Color Birding Club...And the BIPOC Birding Club of WisconsinDon't forget to listen to the Bird Joy PodcastP.S. Jason is co-leading a Hillstar Nature tour in Puerto Rico in 2025!Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Jul 31, 2024 • 60min
Behind the scenes of professional bird guiding and podcasting with Ken Behrens
This is a beers-after-hours-type conversation with Ken Behrens: author, bird and nature guide, and co-host of Naturally Adventurous Podcast. We chat about the ups and downs of summertime birding, travel, and food Ken misses from his old home in Madagascar.Please let us know: What do you think about the American Birding Association's Listing Areas and Regions? And you can learn more about Ken's tours, books, and media on his website. Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Jul 22, 2024 • 1h 11min
Expression of genes, extreme lifespans in animals, and birding the Galapagos Islands
This episode is classic Life List—full of facts and stories from our homes and the field. Check out this 79-year-old box turtle monitored in PA!Get digestible highlights of the AOS supplement in ABA's Checklist Redux 2024. Want more tiger sharks? Tooth and Claw podcast has a fascinating tiger shark episode. Read the paper: Oceanic seabirds chase tropical cyclonesGet more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Jul 15, 2024 • 1h 9min
Behind the scenes of Alaskan birding tours
A trip to Alaska in the summer for rare and vagrant birds is exhilarating...and a logistical feat! George and Alvaro recap their June Alaskan travels from their point of view as guides and share the magic they found along the way.Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Jul 8, 2024 • 56min
Intersections of science, art, and passion in birding with Melissa Hafting
Melissa does it all, and today, we're chatting about it! Check out Melissa's links:Dare to Bird by Melissa HaftingMelissa's blogBC Rare Bird AlertBC Young BirdersRare Bird Alert documentary Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Jul 1, 2024 • 1h 8min
It’s taxonomy season! Previewing splits and lumps
We're back to catch up on news in the birding world and our latest stories. Here are a few links we reference in this episode: Diving into Cockney Rhyming Slang is totally worth your timeHere's a beautiful tribute from Birds Caribbean about Orlando GarridoKeep an eye on our socials for links to taxonomy updates as we get them!Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Jun 3, 2024 • 1h 22min
Tribute to Tom Johnson, a remarkable bird expert and human
In our season finale, we pay tribute to Tom Johnson, a distinguished bird expert and an exceptional human being, who passed away unexpectedly in 2023. Tom was a guiding light in the birding community, known for his profound knowledge, infectious enthusiasm, and unwavering dedication to bird conservation and science. This episode features an interview with Tom, recorded shortly before his passing.Listen to the American Birding Association's podcast tribute to Tom here. Learn more about Tom's impact on the birding community here and here in these two remembrance articles. Imagine yourself birding with Tom with this multimedia trip report he created about his 2023 Field Guides tour to Nome, Alaska. And with that, folks, we're closing out for a short summer break. Thanks for listening to Life List and we'll be back in July with season five!Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.


