43 episodes
Your Bird Story Local Nature Lab
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- Science
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5.0 • 8 Ratings
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Your Bird Story centers the voices of everyday people and their encounters and relationships with wild birds in cities.
The podcast is hosted by Georgia Silvera Seamans and is edited and produced by Pod to the People.
Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts. Join us on social media: @yourbirdstory on Instagram. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/support
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Natasza Fontaine is a Botanizing Birder
"I can't think about plants without thinking about birds and I can't think about birds without thinking about plants," says Natasza Fontaine in our conversation about her life as an avian ecologist, natural science illustrator, bioacoustician, and a birder. Fontaine is a founding member of Black Botanists Week. She was selected as the Bird of the Year Artist 2024 by the American Birding Association. Fontaine illustrated the Golden-Winged Warbler for the ABA Birding magazine. Listen to her story and hear her recordings of one of her favorite birds, the Caspian Tern.
Read about Fontaine and the Golden-winged Warbler at https://www.aba.org/2024-bird-of-the-year-artist-natasza-fontaine/.
Season 4 of Your Bird Story aka CHIRP is funded with a grant.
Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans
Producer and Editor: Pod for the People
Caspian Term vocalizations: Natasza Fontaine
Golden-winged Warbler: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/157972131
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Jazz Odes to NYC Birds with Elijah Shiffer
Birds sing to "defend and impress" (All About Birds). Bird songs are good for soul, though this depends on the person listening, the species of bird, and the type of sound they are making (Dr. Eleanor Ratcliffe via Natural History Museum UK). New Yorker Elijah Shiffer composes jazz pieces to celebrate the birds he observes in the city. Shiffer is a saxophonist, a composer, a music critic, and a bird guide. Excerpts from several of the songs on Shiffer's new album, City Of Birds, Volume I, are included in this episode.
You can find Elijah Schiffer online at https://www.elijahshiffer.com/ and @elijahshiffer.
Season 4 of Your Bird Story aka CHIRP is funded with a Voice for Nature Foundation grant.
Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans
Producer and Editor: Pod to the People
Music courtesy of Elijah Shiffer.
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/support -
Window Strike Taxidermy with Emmett White
One way to communicate the violence of window strikes is through art. Emmett White entered Wunderkammer 2023, a taxidermy competition, with a sculpture of seven pigeons colliding with windows. In this episode, we talk with Emmett about the piece, his other less woeful taxidermy projects, and a healthy dose of live birds.
You can follow Emmett White on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/get.stuffed.taxidermy/
Season 4 of Your Bird Story aka CHIRP is funded with a Voice for Nature Foundation grant.
Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans
Producer and Editor: Pod to the People
Bird vocalizations: Xeno-Canto (1, 2) and Pixabay.
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/support -
Pigeon Gyotaku with Molly Tenzer
How do we recognize and commemorate the life and death of wild creatures among us? Gyotaku is a Japanese ink printing method conventional used by fishermen to print their fish to verify species and size. NYC-based artist Molly Tenzer uses gyotaku to print the dead bodies of birds and mammals she encounters in the city. Tenzer expresses gratitude to Tape Hernandez for introducing her to the art of gyotaku. We saw Tenzer's work first hand at the 2023 Wunderkammer taxidermy competition.
You can follow Molly Tenzer on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/manymoonspress
https://www.instagram.com/abandonhopeproject
Season 4 of Your Bird Story aka CHIRP is funded with a Voice for Nature Foundation grant.
Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans
Producer and Editor: Pod to the People
Bird vocalizations: Macaulay Library
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/support -
The Queen Kingfisher with Marina Richie
Halcyon Journey: In Search of the Belted Kingfisher by Marina Richie was published in 2022. Earlier this year Georgia read the book and knew she had to speak with the author. Halcyon Journey is the best of nature writing. Each ingredient in the book is wonderful on its own but together make an awe-some read. The Belted Kingfisher, the female Belted Kingfisher, the kingfisher in Indigenous cultures, kingfishers around the world, friendship, community science, scientific contributions, Western watersheds, family ties and memory, urban streams, and a woman naturalist and her adventures. And the illustrations by Ram Papish are outstanding. Richie answers a listener's question during our conversation--thanks to Michelle S. We are sure you will discover other elements in Halcyon Journey.
Marina Richie's website: https://marinarichie.com
Ram Papish's website: https://www.rampapishart.com
Season 4 of Your Bird Story aka CHIRP is funded with a Voice for Nature Foundation grant.
Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans
Producer and Editor: Pod to the People
Bird vocalizations: Macaulay Library
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/support -
Moshassuck River Wildlife
The Friends of the Moshassuck River is led by Greg Gerritt. He has a 50-year history in environmental advocacy from NYC to Rhode Island. From the Friends website: "The Narragansett Indians gave the river its name, Mooshausick, meaning the river where moose watered." Greg hasn't spotted any moose on the river, but he has seen and heard many other creatures. Tune into our conversation about how to make a woodland, being a river keeper, and observing birds. Listen to the end to hear Greg Gerritt's powerful call to action.
Subscribe to the Moshassuckcritters Youtube channel.
Season 4 of Your Bird Story aka CHIRP is funded with a Voice for Nature Foundation grant.
Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera Seamans
Producer and Editor: Pod to the People
Bird vocalizations: Macaulay Library
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourbirdstory/support
Customer Reviews
Nearby Nature, Fascinating Stories, and Superb Hosting
For me, this podcast includes but goes beyond entertainment and education; it stimulates me to stay closely connected to the nature near me, which has enriched my life tremendously. Host Georgia Silvera Seamans listens so carefully to her guests that she picks up on subtle threads and comes back round to them in a skillful and satisfying way, with great insight. She's a luminous host and brings out the joy in her guests, which makes the stories extra compelling.
Your Bird Story
Love the conversations with everyday people who talk about how they incorporate their passion for birds in their own varied lives. The host lets the individual voices and stories shine.
A species and place made real through story telling
Im hooked after listening to the first episode, which takes place in NYC, an apt starting place for this thoughtful, conversational podcast about everyday urban birders. The podcast promises more stories by urban residents and their avian neighbors, and i can imagine a travel/birding experience dedicated to just cities being a distinct landing place for birder listeners. Cant wait for more episodes!