
The American Birding Podcast
The American Birding Podcast brings together staff and friends of the American Birding Association as we talk about birds, birding, travel and conservation in North America and beyond. Join host Nate Swick every Thursday for news and happenings, recent rarities, guests from around the birding world, and features of interest to every birder.
Latest episodes

Feb 29, 2024 • 54min
08-09: This Month in Birding - February 2024
It's Leap Day! It’s not often that we have an extra week in February, but this month’s This Month in Birding marks the first time we’ve ever had an episode on the 29th of February. We are joined by Jennie Duberstein, Nicole Jackson, and Gabriel Foley for a panel that is as unique as this day to talk eBird streaks, landfill condors, brilliant falcons, and more. Links to articles discussed in this episode: One's trash is another's treasure: How landfills support Andean condors Innovative problem solving by wild falcons Yellow-crested Helmetshrike rediscovered Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

Feb 22, 2024 • 45min
08-08: Still Birding to Change the World with Trish O'Kane
Trish O'Kane, author of 'Birding to Change the World,' shares her journey from bird enthusiast to activist. She discusses protecting urban parks, engaging city officials, and the transformative power of birding in uniting communities. The podcast also highlights tracking Emperor Penguin colonies and the importance of environmental education.

Feb 15, 2024 • 1h
08-07: 2023 Rare Bird Draft with Amy Davis & Tim Healy
2023 was an exceptional year for ABA Rarities, and few can remember a more extraordinary one in terms of both quality and quantity of shocking and spectacular rare birds in the US and Canada. As we do every year, we welcome North American Birds editor Amy Davis and educator and writer at The Nemesis Bird, Tim Healy, to share our favorites and draft the Top 10 (and a few more) ABA Area Rare Birds for 2023. Also, congrats to Peter Kaestner for becoming the first birder to see 10,000 species. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

Feb 8, 2024 • 35min
08-06: The Drama of Shorebird Migration with Randall Wood
The voyages of migratory shorebirds are cinematic in their scope; certainly an attractive subject for a nature documentarian. Randall Wood is the award-winning writer, director, and producer of Flyways: The Untold Story of Migratory Shorebirds, which aired in the United States on the PBS program Nature on February 7, 2024. He joins us to talk about the film, which focuses on the incredible journeys of three long-distance migrants and the researchers racing against time to preserve these birds and this incredible phenomenon. You can find the film at pbs.org/nature, YouTube and the PBS App. Also, the AOS NACC released their first batch of potential splits and lumps, with a lot of potential changes coming to the ABA Area. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

Feb 1, 2024 • 31min
08-05: eBird Analytics with Harry Stevens
Birders use eBird to log their own personal lists, and to help find birds they would like to see, but the heart of eBird, the dream even of eBird, was to create a massive public database of bird sightings that can turn into opportunities to monitor bird populations. That is, in fact, what Harry Stevens, the Climate Lab columnist for the Washington Post, has done in a new interactive feature at the Washington Post which takes a look at why bird populations are declining. Also, Artificial Intelligence helps researchers get a bird's eye view. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

Jan 25, 2024 • 53min
08-04: This Month in Birding - January 2024
This Month in Birding is back in the new year, with a panel of old friends to talk bird and birding news of the month. This time around, Stephanie Beilke, Jordan Rutter, and Brodie Cass Talbott come by to talk Mallard quasi-domestication, smart binoculars and more! Links to articles discussed in this episode: Silent domestication of wildlife in the Anthropocene: The mallard as a case study Swarovski Optik Launches the World's First Smart Binocular Missed Connections Why do middle-aged people love birds so much? Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

Jan 18, 2024 • 30min
08-03: Two-Fisted Birdwatching with Mike Lubow
A disillusioned adman and casual birder, a mysterious ransom plot, and a conservation program for restoring Peregrine Falcons all combine in Mike Lubow’s irreverent new novel, The Idea People. Mike is a prolific writer and story-teller whose interests intersect with birding in his online journal Two-Fisted Bird Watcher. He joins us to talk about why birders make great detectives, even fictional ones. Also, nature illiteracy strikes again in the form of a bonkers proposed law in Kentucky. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

Jan 11, 2024 • 31min
08-02: 2024 Bird of the Year Artist Natasza Fontaine
The 2024 Bird of the Year is Golden-winged Warbler--the first of the charismatic and colorful wood-warbler family to be so honored. This gorgeous Parulid has it all, stunning colors, an important conservation story, and a unique taxonomic conundrum with its sister species, Blue-winged Warbler. A lovely illustration of a pair of Golden-winged Warblers on their nonbreeding tarritory in Costa Rica graces the cover of the January 2024 issue of Birding magazine. The creator of this year's cover is artist and field researcher Natasza Fontaine! She joins us to talk about her Golden-winged Warbler memories and the ins and outs of this year's BotY art. Do you have a Golden-winged Warbler story? Share it with us! Record it in the voice recorded app on your phone and send it to podcast@aba.org. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts, and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

Jan 4, 2024 • 1h 11min
08-01: Inside the Bird Name Committee
The decision by the American Ornithological Society last year to begin the process of renaming birds currently named after humans has been one of the more animating debates in the birding and ornithological communities in recent memory. The recommendations for these changes were made by an ad hoc English Bird Name committee created by the AOS specifically to explore this issue. Irene Liu, Steve Hampton, and Alvaro Jaramillo served on that committee, and join the podcast to talk about their time on the committee, the discussion they had, and to dispell some of the misinformation that has sprung up in the wake of this big news. Also, welcome to the the 2024 ABA Bird of the Year, Golden-winged Warbler! Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

Dec 21, 2023 • 47min
07-51: This Month in Birding - December 2023
This Month in Birding is The American Birding Podcast’s monthly round table discussion on all things birds and birding. This month features Nick Lund, Sarah Swanson, and Mo Stych talking AI and birding, light pollution, a tragic macaw love story and more. Links to article’s discussed in this episode: Artificial light at night is a top predictor of bird migration stopover density Researchers developing new technology to understand bird migrations A lovers’ tale of romance, fidelity and the aviary netting keeping them apart Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!