Birds & Nerds Podcast

Ramona Schindelheim
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Biweekly

We're exploring the connection between birds and, well, everything. Hosted by Ramona Schindelheim.

  1. Oct 7

    Trust Matters: In Journalism, Communities, and Nature | Craig Newmark & Sally Lehrman | Birds & Nerds

    What do trustworthy journalism, resilient communities, and the birds outside our windows have in common? They all depend on attention, reliable signals, and relationships built over time. In this episode of Birds & Nerds, host Ramona Schindelheim talks with Sally Lehrman, CEO of The Trust Project, and Craig Newmark, founder of craig newmark philanthropies, about how we can recognize credible information, strengthen local news, and rebuild trust in one another. They explore The Trust Project's trust indicators, the growing challenge of AI-generated misinformation, Craig's "Take Nine" approach to pausing before you click or share, and why trustworthy reporting is essential to healthy civic life. Then the conversation takes flight: from fake bird images and trusted bird-identification tools to neighborhood pigeons, crows, ravens, owls, and a great blue heron named Brian. The guests reveal how noticing birds can draw people outdoors, spark conversations, create informal local knowledge networks, and deepen a sense of community. Listen for a thoughtful, hopeful discussion about checking sources, staying curious and building trust—whether you're reading the news, talking with a neighbor, or identifying the bird in your backyard. 🔗 Learn more about The Trust Project: https://thetrustproject.org/  🔗 Follow Sally Lehrman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallylehrman/ 🔗 Learn more about Take 9: https://pausetake9.org/ 🔗 Follow Craig Newmark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craignewmark/ 🐦 Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: 💻 https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/ 🤷🏻‍♀️ Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! 🔗 Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/ #BirdsAndNerds #TrustInNews #Community #MediaLiteracy #Birding #LocalNews #CraigNewmark #SallyLehrman

  2. Sep 23

    What Declining Bird Populations Tell Us About The Future of Our Planet | National Audubon Society | Birds & Nerds

    🦅 How is climate change affecting birds and what can bird populations tell us about the future and health of our planet? In this episode of Birds & Nerds, host Ramona Schindelheim speaks with Chad Wilsey, Chief Scientist at the National Audubon Society, about how birds serve as early warning signs for climate change, habitat loss, ecosystem stress, and biodiversity decline. Drawing on Audubon's climate research, Chad explains why nearly two-thirds of North American bird species are at risk from climate change, how extreme heat, drought, flooding, false springs, and sea level rise are changing bird habitats, and why grassland birds have become one of the clearest warning signs of environmental change. 🌎This conversation also explores hopeful climate solutions, including citizen science such as the Christmas Bird Count, native plant gardening, clean energy, natural climate solutions, and Audubon's Conservation Ranching program, which supports healthier habitats for birds while helping ranchers and communities thrive. 🎧 Listen now to learn how protecting birds can help protect clean air, clean water, healthy ecosystems, and the future we all share. If you care about climate change, conservation, birdwatching, biodiversity, sustainability, or practical climate action, this episode offers science-based insight and hopeful solutions.  💻 Watch the full interview on the Birds & Nerds YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/a7ey7tp_oMw 🔗 Learn more about the work of the National Audubon Society: https://www.audubon.org/ 🔗 Follow Chad Wilsey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadwilsey/ 🐦 Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications:  https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/   🤷🏻‍♀️ Ramona Schindelheim is an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! 🔗 Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/ #ClimateChange #Birds #Audubon #BirdWatching #Conservation #Biodiversity #Sustainability #CitizenScience #ChristmasBirdCount #ClimateAction #HabitatLoss #GrasslandBirds #ConservationRanching #NativePlants #ClimateWeekNYC

  3. Sep 9

    Birds & Nerds | Apple's AI Future + A Viral Bird Soap Opera | David Pogue, Author and Journalist

    💻 Apple did not begin in a garage, and the real story behind its 50-year rise, fall, and miraculous rebound is even wilder than the myth. In this episode of Birds & Nerds, host Ramona Schindelheim is joined by seven-time Emmy winner and pioneering tech writer David Pogue, author of Apple: The First 50 Years. Pogue reveals how Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and a nearly forgotten third founder helped launch a company that was once rejected, nearly bankrupted, and then transformed into the most valuable business on Earth. He unpacks the hidden origins, the brutal lows, and the comeback that changed everything. 📱 Pogue also breaks down Apple's AI strategy, including private cloud compute, on-device processing, and the company's effort to make generative AI useful without turning it into a cheating machine or a deepfake factory. He explains what Apple is building next, why smart glasses and AirPods may matter more than you think, and what geopolitical, manufacturing, and cultural headwinds could shape the company's future. 🐦 The conversation takes a delightful turn into the natural world, as Pogue tells the internet-famous story of the finch family nesting on his porch. A small camera captured every twist: the eggs hatching, a crow attacking the nest, the family's emotional investment, and the eventual fledging of the surviving finch. 🦢 It's part birdwatching, part nature documentary, part internet soap opera—and a perfect example of how technology can pull us into the real world instead of away from it. 🎙️ This episode is essential listening if you want the inside story of Apple's rise, the future of AI and privacy, and a reminder that birds, like great companies, can reveal a lot about the world we're living in. 🔗 Learn more about David Pogue's work here: https://davidpogue.com/ 🕊️ Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/ 🤷🏻‍♀️Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/ #birds #bird #viralfinchfamily #davidpogue #applehistory #ai #stevejobs #stevewozniak

  4. Season 2 Trailer

    Birds & Nerds Season 2 Trailer | Where Culture, Science, Storytelling, and Birds Meet

    What do Apple, AI, climate change, film, journalism, language, and cocktails have in common? On Birds & Nerds, the answer is always more surprising than you expect. Each episode starts with a curious conversation about a random topic—technology, culture, science, storytelling, current affairs, or whatever sparks the question—and then follows the trail until it lands, somehow, on birds. Smart, funny, and full of unexpected connections, this is the podcast for anyone who likes to learn something new and leave with a fact worth repeating. Season 2 of Birds & Nerds kicks off on Wednesday, September 9! Watch the trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ieXlQwztVfY Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/ Hosted by award-winning journalist and storyteller Ramona Schindelheim, who is curious about everything! Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

  5. Aug 5

    Birds & Nerds | Animal Parenting Is Wild: What Crows, Monkeys, & Spiderlings Can Teach Human Parents

    Think human parenting is exhausting? Wait until you hear what happens in the animal kingdom. In this special summer episode of Birds & Nerds, host Ramona Schindelheim talks with science journalist Elizabeth Preston, author of "The Creatures' Guide to Caring," about the surprisingly tender—and sometimes deeply unsettling—world of animal parenting. Some animal parents cooperate, sacrifice, and support each other in ways that feel shockingly familiar to exhausted human moms and dads. But nature also has a darker side: spiderlings that eat their mothers and birds that make brutal survival choices when resources are scarce. From robins taking a "driveway moment" before feeding their babies to monkeys raising young as a team, Elizabeth reveals what nature can teach us about burnout, community, and why humans may not be built to parent alone. 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛And then there are the crows. 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ Ramona and Elizabeth also dig into Elizabeth's article in the summer issue of Audubon magazine, "Are Crows Really Our Friends?" It features the  story of Sal and Pal, two neighborhood crows who may have formed something that looks a lot like a relationship with humans. They dig deep into the crow-human relationship. Are crows just using us for snacks? Can they recognize us? Hold grudges? Choose favorites? You may never look at parenting—or the crow in your yard—the same way again. ‼️Listen if you've ever wondered: * Are humans parenting the wrong way? * Do animals get burned out too? * What's the weirdest parenting strategy in nature? * Can crows actually be friends with people? * And what can wild creatures teach us about raising our own kids? 🔗 Learn more about Elizabeth Preston and buy her book "The Creatures' Guide to Caring": https://elizabethgpreston.com/ 🔗 Read and subscribe to the Audubon magazine: https://www.audubon.org/magazine 🎧 Listen now on all podcast platforms.  💫 Watch all episodes on the Birds & Nerds YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@BirdsAndNerdsPodcast 🐦 Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/ 🙋🏻‍♀️ Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

  6. Mar 31

    Birds & Nerds at SXSW 2026 | It All Begins With Birds | Ramona Schindelheim & Dr. Elizabeth Gray

    This episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast was recorded live on stage at SXSW 2026 in Austin, featuring Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the National Audubon Society, and podcast host and journalist Ramona Schindelheim. This conversation explores how birds serve as vital indicators of planetary health, powerful drivers of conservation, and sources of personal wellbeing, creativity, and community. National Audubon Society CEO Dr. Elizabeth Gray explains that birds are often the first species to disappear from degraded habitats and the first to return when areas are restored, making them key signals of environmental change and climate impacts across the Americas. Also during the live taping at SXSW 2026, host Ramona Schindelheim also explores bird intelligence and social behavior—from cooperative formations in migrating geese to the grudges held by crows—using these behaviors as metaphors for leadership and resilience. They connect birdwatching to mental health, citing research that observing birds increases brain matter in regions related to attention and perception and can lower stress, with universities now testing bird-focused interventions for older adults with cognitive issues. Other highlights: 🐦 There are more than 96 million birders in the U.S. over the age of 16 and why birding is becoming more popular with people of all ages. 🐦 Efforts by the National Audubon Society to halt and reverse declines in bird populations in the Americas through habitat protection and restoration. 🐦 How individuals can support birds by creating bird‑friendly yards and supporting conservation groups like Audubon. 🐦 Birds inspire music, art, and literature. 🐦 Meet Austin's most famous bird species. This episode is sure to entertain and inspire! What it here or download it wherever you get your podcasts! Visit the National Audubon Society website: https://www.audubon.org/ Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/ Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

  7. Mar 10

    Birds & Nerds | Bestselling Author Amy Tan on Finding Hope and Beauty in Your Own Backyard

    Bestselling author Amy Tan says ten years ago she was so overwhelmed with despair at the state of the world, she turned to the natural beauty in her own backyard — specifically birds — in search of hope. Her book The Backyard Bird Chronicles is a beautiful collection of sketches and reflections on that personal journey. In this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Ramona Schindelheim, Tan shares her creative journey, exploring the transformative power of writing and the influence of her family relationships. She discusses how despair led her to find hope through nature and birdwatching, using birds as a metaphor for life and emotional understanding. Tan emphasizes the importance of compassion and conservation, encouraging listeners to connect with the natural world and discover the joy of observing birds.    Learn more about Amy Tan at https://amytan.net/ 🐦Listen now on all podcast platforms. Watch all episodeson the Birds & Nerds YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BirdsAndNerdsPodcast  Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/ Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

  8. Mar 3

    Birds & Nerds | The Transformative Power of Music and Birdsong | Eric Alper

    A specific song can be our own powerful time machine — reminding us of a past experience — good or bad. And it can also help us make sense of the current world around us. In this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast, host Ramona Schindelheim is joined by the always delightful Eric Alper — a music publicist and industry expert — who has spent his career exploring what it takes to create that magic through the right combination of notes and lyrics. Musicians often take their inspiration from birds, both figuratively and literally — think Blackbird, Fly Like and Eagle, When Doves Cry, and so many songs that are a part of our music history. And the music we hear in nature — birdsong — can reduce stress and improve our overall well being. Research shows it can also improve our memories, so being called a "bird brain" is not necessarily an insult. Eric is passionate about music and the joy it brings to people. He shares his own journey in the music industry, discussing the emotional connections people have with certain songs — good and bad — and the generational shifts in music appreciation. Do we like the same music as our parents? Do our kids like the same music we do? Has it changed in 50 years? Listen now on all podcast platforms. Watch here on the Birds & Nerds YouTube channel:   https://www.youtube.com/@BirdsAndNerdsPodcast Follow Eric Alper on social media at @ThatEricAlper. You'll be glad you did!  Learn more about him at www.thatericalper.com Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: https://www.birdsandnerdspodcast.com/ Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

We're exploring the connection between birds and, well, everything. Hosted by Ramona Schindelheim.

Information

  • Creator
    Ramona Schindelheim
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Birds & Nerds Podcast

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