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“Thank you for bringing science and community together in a joyful radio show.”

— Colleen, East Walpole, Massachusetts

On our latest show (#1,045 July 6): The world’s smallest bird; Mike O’Connor with advice for a backyard birder with a finch problem; and Beyond Plastics’ Eve Fox with details on the worldwide effort of Plastic-free July. Hear it here.

Artwork: white birds in a citiscape fly away from multicolored aerial bursts

How to have a bird-friendly Independence Day (U.S.)

Fireworks can disturb birds and pets, spark wildfires, and pollute. Consider forgoing your own pyrotechnics, or joining a cleanup the morning after. (7/3)

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American Goldfinsh and House Finch seed tubes enclosed in cage feeders

Feeders full of birds

For our Wednesday webcam, a feeder cam in Southern Alberta, Canada, near Banff National Park. When we tuned in about 3 PM Mountain Time, we saw and heard finches and heard a Red-winged Blackbird and some jays. Turn your sound up for this one! (7/2)

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Register now for July 30-Aug 2

If you're looking for a FREE birding festival in a beautiful U.S. state, look no further than the Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival in Sierra Vista, Arizona. This year's keynote speaker is birder, author, and TV producer Stephen Moss. (6/26)

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man in broad-brimmed hat in the woods, holding trash bog. RBTB patch is on the hat.

Make Your Own Swag contest winner #1

Here's the first winner of our Make Your Own Swag contest! Pictured is Tim Cornish, who’s plirding (picking up litter while birding) at Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve in Allegan, Michigan. Thanks, Tim! (6/10)

Make Your Own Swag contest winner #3

Here's winner #3 of our Make Your Own Swag contest, Annabelle Bradley from Yonkers, New York. Keen-eyed observers may be able to spot the Mourning Dove nesting atop the column right behind Annabelle. (6/12)

30ish white man in green ballcap and tee-shirt looks through binoculars to his right. He's wearing a turquoise wrist band on which is the Talkin' Birds patch.

Make Your Own Swag contest winner #5

This week’s winner is Josh Denton from Indian Trail, North Carolina. He wins a Brome Squirrel Buster Plus special bird feeder (retail price: $124.45). Good going, Josh! (6/30)

How watching birds for 10 minutes a week can help climate scientists this summer

UCLA’s annual Project Phoenix aims to document how birds change their behavior when there’s more wildfire smoke. (7/1)

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A group of smiling children in a classroom with their teacher in the center. She's holding a red sign: "We love Talkin' Birds!" and the Talkin' Birds patch.

Make Your Own Swag contest winner #4

Here’s Meggan Fox from Des Moines, Iowa with her 1st grade class at Holy Trinity School. They love Talkin' Birds, and we love them! Meggan has been doing birding -- and plirding -- activities with these students, giving them a great start as stewards of the earth. (6/24)

Four Gentoo Penguins waddling along a dirt path banked by mounds of tall grass

Penguins on the move

This charming video was made by videographer Sean Carey: Gentoo Penguins on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands. Two minutes and 25 seconds of just plain adorable. (6/25)

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Man with Rose-breasted Grosbeak tattoo on upper arm, looking through a camera. RBTB patch on his camera harness.

Make Your Own Swag contest winner #2

Congrats to our second Make Your Own Swag contest winner! Matt Scott from Albany, Minnesota — with his Vortex binoculars, Rose-breasted Grosbeak tattoo … and Talkin’ Birds patch. (6/12)

 

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Bird vocalizations provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology 
Website photography by Shawn Carey/Migration Productions.