Mass Audubon's Wayne Petersen helps identify a bird recorded by a listener in North Carolina. And we meet the bird that gave Alabama its nickname.
#361: March 11, 2012
We hear a mini-essay from "The Poet of Parker River"; we learn about the astounding amount of acreage preserved by our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt; and we feature a bird that's found almost exclusively at airports.
#360: March 4, 2012
Fresh from being portrayed by Anjelica Huston in "The Big Year," seabird trip leader Debi Shearwater joins us live in studio. And we meet a bird that looks like an anvil.
#359: February 26, 2012
We'll learn about 20th anniversaries for a famous fishing ground and a popular birders' gathering; and we'll meet a bird that's a wonderful dancer, but a rotten singer.
#358: February 19, 2012
We talk to the Cornell Lab's Myoko Chu and see the Great Backyard Bird Count in real time. Plus, a visit to the Science Corner for the real story behind Hitchcock's "The Birds."
#399: February 12, 2012
The amazing Mr. Bassanus, plus, how owls' secrets may make for quieter airplanes, and a December visit to Sand County.
#356: February 5, 2012
We learn that Snowy Owls have wandered much farther south than we could have ever imagined. And our man in Minnesota, Al Batt, talks about mid-winter bird song and much more.
#355: January 29, 2012
We welcome Mass Audubon's John Galluzzo, who recently completed a year of nature walks in all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns. Also, we present a "Let's Ask Mike" segment that we call "Birds as Polar Bears," and a listener from the great state of Ohio solves the mystery of the Specklebelly.
#354: January 22, 2012
Bird expert Phil Kyle regales us with bird call imitations; Mike O'Connor offers a listener some cold weather advice; and we learn the secret of the swan feather.
#353: January 15, 2012
Smithsonian Tours' David Clapp joins us as we talk about seabirds and mating owls. And we learn about the perfect gift for the birder on your list (if 10 million dollars fits your budget).
#352: January 8, 2012
We check out the Snowy Owl explosion; we present a Let's Ask Mike segment entitled "Making homemade suet—just don't do it"; and we find out why Roman candles and roosting birds just don't mix.
#351: January 1, 2012
Birds as Oreo cookies; owls eating crows; and special guest Monica Engebretson from Born Free U.S.A.
#350: December 25, 2011
We feature beautiful holiday music along with short poems and readings about birds by Ray and by the great humorist Ogden Nash.
#349: December 18, 2011
Mike O'Connor explains why bird seed prices have gone up so much, and whether there's relief in sight. And we get an update on an amazing sexagenarian.
#348: December 11, 2011
We'll respond to a listener's question about the exploding populations of the Eurasian Collared-Dove, and then we'll head down the street to meet an underappreciated feathered friend. And we'll hear how PVC pipes are killing birds and what's being done to stop it.
#347: December 4, 2011
Field guide author Ted Floyd offers some intriguing ideas about identifying birds; we feature a bird that only Constitution signers could love; and Mike O'Connor answers a question from a big fan.
#346: November 27, 2011
You'll have to move fast to catch our Mystery Bird; we call our Let's Ask Mike segment "That squirrel is big...and it has antlers"; and we feature the bird that sounds like an outboard motor.
#345: November 20, 2011
We find our Featured Feathered Friend over the bounding Maine; Mass Audubon's Wayne Petersen and John Galluzzo talk about the State of the Birds; and Mike O'Connor helps us figure out if we're overfeeding our bluebirds.
#344: November 13, 2011
The amazing Acorn Woodpecker; Boston's Emerald Necklace; and more feeding advice from the Bird Watcher's General Store.
#343: November 6, 2011
University of Wisconsin avian biology professor Mark Berres tells us about his new birdsong ID software. Plus, we stump our callers in the Mystery Bird contest; and Mike O'Connor answers an unusual listener question.