Weekend Birder

Kirsty Costa
Weekend Birder

If you love birds, you’ve come to the right place. Kirsty Costa interviews birdwatchers, scientists, artists and comedians in this popular science and nature podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 92 Bird Mimics with Vicky

    5 DAYS AGO

    92 Bird Mimics with Vicky

    Uncover the surprising truths about bird mimicry and vocal learning. This episode is about the hidden talents of Australian birds. Dr Vicky Austin is interested in bird behaviour and how birds interact with each other and their environment. She is particularly fascinated by the vocalisations of female birds. Vicky’s PhD at Western Sydney University focused on the vocalisations of female Superb Lyrebirds (such as mimicry) and how females use these sounds to protect themselves and their chicks. Vicky reckons that vocalisations of female birds are just as spectacular as males and she’s here to share what she knows. ** New WONDER t-shirt out now - weekendbirder.com/store Links: * Vicky on Twitter - @avianbehaviour * Vicky on Instagram - @avianbehaviour * Vicky at the Animal Ecology Lab - animalecologylab.org/victoria-austin.html Submit your bird mimic recordings: * Gregory Andrews magpie mimic recording via 7news - 7news.com.au/news/nsw/magpie-filmed-mimicking-fire-truck-siren-as-bushfires-ravage-nsw-and-victoria-c-629563 * Merlin Sound ID - merlin.allaboutbirds.org/sound-id/ * BIrdNet app - https://birdnet.cornell.edu/ * iNaturalist app - inaturalist.org/posts/6315-recording-bird-calls * Xeno-canto website - xeno-canto.org Vicky’s recommendations: * A First Book of Australian Backyard Bird Songs by Fred Van Gessel - au.newhollandpublishers.com/9781925546408.html * Where the Lyrebird Lives by Vicky Conley and Max Hamilton - windyhollowbooks.com.au/products/where-the-lyrebird-lives * Busy Beaks by Sarah Allen - sarahallen.com.au/shop/busy-beaks * Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker - illustrated.com.au/product/bowerbirdblues/13 * Google Scholar - scholar.google.com.au Weekend Birder online: * Website - weekendbirder.com * Instagram - @weekend.birder * Facebook - @weekend.birder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  2. 90 Avian Influenza - with Michelle

    NOV 12

    90 Avian Influenza - with Michelle

    Get a gentle understanding of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). This episode is about the current situation with avian influenza (bird flu), the impact on wild birds and the steps being taken to protect them. Dr. Michelle Wille is a senior research fellow at the Centre for Pathogen Genomics, University of Melbourne, and has an honorary appointment at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza. Her research is primarily focussed on the ecology and evolution of avian influenza viruses, and she has contributed to Australia’s preparedness for HPAI and response to the domestic H7 outbreaks in Victoria. Beyond influenza, Dr. Wille is also interested in other viruses found in wild birds such as coronaviruses, and more recently, understanding the entire virus communities found in wild birds, including viruses never described before. Links: * Michelle’s website - michellewille.com * Michelle on Twitter/X - @duckswabber * Michelle’s Avian Influenza resources - michellewille.com/avian-influenza-resources/ * Biodiversity Council’s webinar - biodiversitycouncil.org.au/news/insights-from-our-bird-flu-webinar * Wildlife Health Australia website - wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Incidents/Incident-Information/high-pathogenicity-avian-influenza-information * Advice for people who encounter sick or dead wild birds - wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/Incidents/WHA_Avian_Influenza_Wild_Bird_Disease_Notification_General.pdf * Advice for bird banders, wildlife rangers and researchers - wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/Incidents/HPAI_Advice_for_bird_banders_wildlife_rangers_and_researchers.pdf * Advice for veterinarians and other animal health professionals - wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/Incidents/HPAI_Advice_for_veterinarians_and_animal_health_professionals.pdf Weekend Birder online: * Website - weekendbirder.com * Instagram - @weekend.birder * Facebook - @weekend.birder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 min
  3. 89 Brush-turkeys with Ann

    NOV 5

    89 Brush-turkeys with Ann

    Enter the world of one of Australia’s iconic city and rainforest birds. This episode is about the fascinating mating, nesting and hatching behaviour of the Australian Brush-turkey, and what you can do to help it thrive in your neighbourhood. Dr Ann Göth was born in Austria and began birdwatching at an early age. Her career as an ecologist started with a conservation project for an endangered megapode in Tonga and later led her to Australia. There, she worked as a lecturer at Macquarie University and served as a Threatened Species Officer for the NSW government. Currently, she shares her passion for nature and science as a high school teacher in Sydney. For her PhD and in the years following, she focused on the Australian Brush-turkey, particularly its chicks' behavior and development. Recently, she has published three books: one about Brush-turkeys, a travel memoir of her adventures in Tonga, and an illustrated picture book featuring a Brush-turkey. In 2008, she co-authored the book ‘Mound-builders’ with Professor Darryl Jones. Links: * Ann’s website - anngothauthor.com * Ann on Facebook - @anngoth * Ann on Instagram - @anngothauthor * Ann on TikTok - @ann.gth * Ann on Twitter/X - @anngothauthor * Australian Brush-turkey recording by Marc Anderson, licenced from wildambience.com * Subscribe to the Monthly Letter - weekendbirder.com/monthly-letter Weekend Birder online: * Website - weekendbirder.com * Instagram - @weekend.birder * Facebook - @weekend.birder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    23 min
  4. 86 Twitchathon - with Mick and Bastian

    OCT 15

    86 Twitchathon - with Mick and Bastian

    Meet two participants of a sport especially for birdwatchers. This episode is about competitive birdwatching, the magic of the Hunter region of NSW and how birds can bring us together. Mick Roderick is a Twitchathon tragic. In 2023, he notched up his 25th consecutive Twitchathon – all of them in the main race. To maintain this, he twice flew back from year-long overseas backpacking trips to partake in those years’ Twitchathons, as well as being ‘close to home’ when his first child’s due-date was nearing. Mick works at BirdLife Australia and is the current Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator, as well as being the current Vice President of the Hunter Bird Observers Club. Mick’s other passion is seabirds and he has been running pelagic birding trips since 2010. In between, he has birded on 6 continents as a ‘backpacking birder’ and knows full well how heavy field guides can get inside a backpack (especially South American ones!). Bastian Fox Phelan is a writer of memoir and environmental essays from Mulubinba Newcastle, Australia. Bastian writes about bodies, binaries, place, and environment. Bastian's debut memoir, How to Be Between, was published by Giramondo in 2022. She is a PhD candidate in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Newcastle, writing an eco-memoir about exploring local ecologies. Bastian participated in the Twitchathon the same year that she discovered the joys of birdwatching and has been hooked ever since. Links: * BIGNET Twitchathon (ACT & NSW) website - twitchathon.com.au * BIGNET Twitchathon (ACT & NSW) on Instagram - instagram.com/twitchathon.nswact/ * BIGNET Twitchathon (ACT & NSW) on Facebook - facebook.com/groups/451411113051359/ * Landcare Victoria Twitchathon website - chuffed.org/project/landcare-victoria-twitchathon-2024 * Hunters Observers Club website - hboc.org.au * Hunter Observers Club on Instagram - @hunterbirders * Hunter Observers Club on Facebook - @hunterbirding * Awakbakal Language Program - seasons.awabakallanguage.org.au/calendar Weekend Birder online: * Website - weekendbirder.com * Instagram - @weekend.birder * Facebook - @weekend.birder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

If you love birds, you’ve come to the right place. Kirsty Costa interviews birdwatchers, scientists, artists and comedians in this popular science and nature podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada