Birds of a Feather Talk Together John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, Amanda Marquart

Bald Eagles are amazing - everyone knows it. We touch on everything from Benjamin Franklin, to how DDT decimated their population and the significant comeback that they've made, to their aerial cartwheel performances.  It's a really fascinating episode, and we learn about the 'eagle suit' that Amanda's sister's dog wears so he doesn't get picked up by a bald eagle in his backyard. 

Special thanks to photographer Dustin Weidner for suggesting that we do a Bald Eagle episode. Check out his photography on his instagram @chicago.wildlife.photography

If you have a question for us, send it to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com

Check out our Insta and Tik-Tok for pictures!! 

Thanks everyone!

This week's episode is a little different than usual. Instead of discussing one bird, we talk about RJ and Amanda's recent trip to Florida and all of the birds that they saw. RJ and Amanda ask John and Shannon about the Osprey, Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers, and many more. 

We also plead our case for the birds that have reached the Final Four in our Round Robin voting: The Shoebill, American Woodcock, Raven, and Atlantic Puffin. 

Enjoy!

John and Shannon's son moved to Slovakia to play professional hockey - so we discuss a bird native to that area: The European Roller. These birds are super cool and so much fun to learn about. From their interesting leapfrogging migration pattern to Africa, to the self-defense method that many of their chicks use: vomiting. Make sure to google these birds because their color is absolutely magnificent. 

We also answer a mailbag question about bald eagles, and set up for a full episode that we'll do on bald eagles in a few weeks. 

We finish out the episode with the next round of our Round Robin tournament and vote on the third round of birds from our previous episodes. 

It's our regular hosts John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, Amanda Marquart, and we're also joined by Louise Bodt again this week. 

Please follow our instagram @birds_of_a_feather_podcast 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com

This week we talk about one of Shannon’s favorite birds: The Brown Creeper. The way these tiny little birds climb all over trees, and look like a piece of bark, is truly amazing, and adorable. 

We also answer a mailbag question about evolution, and when animals learned how to fly. 

We finish out the episode with the next round of our Round Robin tournament and vote on the second round of birds from our previous episodes. 

It's our regular hosts John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, Amanda Marquart, and we're also joined by Louise Bodt again this week. 

Please follow our instagram @birds_of_a_feather_podcast 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com

This week we talk to Louise Bodt about the European Starlings. Louise Bodt is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago and the Field Museum using introduced birds to study rapid evolutionary change. Prior to joining the Field Museum birds lab, she worked as a science educator in NYC where she got her MS in biology investigating genetics of invasive European starlings. 

We also kick off our Round Robin Tournament and vote on our first round. It's a lot of fun and we were laughing the whole time. We want our listeners to vote as well, we'll post info on our Instagram. 

Enjoy!

Please follow our instagram @birds_of_a_feather_podcast 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com

This week we talk to Louise Bodt about the European Goldfinch. Although they are native to Europe, there is actually a population living in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Louise tells us how they got there, other examples of them being introduced, and much more. Louise Bodt is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago and the Field Museum using introduced birds to study rapid evolutionary change. Prior to joining the Field Museum birds lab, she worked as a science educator in NYC where she got her MS in biology investigating genetics of invasive European starlings. Louise is such an amazing guest, you're going to enjoy this one!! 

We actually have another listener question about birds in Trinidad and Tobago, which we talk about at the end of the episode as well. 

Enjoy!

Please follow our instagram @birds_of_a_feather_podcast 

Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com