A fun BirdCallsRadio show coming up; be a part of it

Posted on June 2, 2012 by

Gray Catbird singing. Photo by Chris Bosak, copyright, all rights reserved

I’m looking forward to Sunday’s BirdCallsRadio show with naturalist/journalist Greg Hanisek. Like me, Greg works for a daily newspaper and knows the grind of getting out a paper every day and trying to mix in a little birdwatching time, too. It’s a tough, but rewarding, chore. Greg also writes a regular nature column for his paper, the Republican-American in Waterbury, Ct. I also know what that’s like. It will be fun to talk with Greg about a variety of subjects related to nature. Of course the focus will be on birds, but we’ll discuss a lot of other nature-related topics, too.

Greg has been birdwatching for several decades and is known as a top birder in the state of Connecticut. His interests also veer towards plants, insects, butterflies and other topics related to the natural world. It should be a great show.

Want to be a part of it? (I encourage you to do so!) Drop me a line here or “contact me” above and let me know what birds (or anything else in the natural world) you’ve been seeing that have fascinated you. I’ll share the comments on air. Or do you have a question for Greg or topic you’d like him to talk about. Send that along, too.

Or do you have a backyard birding question for Joe Warren, owner of two Wild Birds Unlimited stores? Send that, too. Thanks for being a part of BirdCallsRadio.

BirdCallsRadio airs from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sundays at 1490 WGCH in southwestern Connecticut and nearby Westchester County, N.Y., and worldwide here.

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Greg Hanisek will be the next guest on BirdCallsRadio

Posted on June 1, 2012 by
Greg Hanisek ©Republican-American photo

Greg Hanisek ©Republican-American photo

Connecticut naturalist and journalist Greg Hanisek will be the guest on this Sunday’s BirdCallsRadio show, which airs 1 to 2 p.m. on Sundays on 1490AM WGCH and Listen Live here.

Hanisek is a news editor at the Republican-American newspaper in Waterbury, Connecticut. He also writes nature columns and blogs for that paper, “Talking Nature with Greg Hanisek.” In addition, he serves as the editor for Connecticut Warbler magazine.

He is the secretary of the Avian Records Committee of Connecticut and also teaches a birdwatching class for Newington Adult Education.

Hanisek is the captain of the Bausch & Lomb team that won the World Series of Birding four times in the 1980s.

To assist in bird conservation, Hanisek is a longtime participant in Christmas Bird Counts, hawk watches and various other bird, butterfly and dragonfly surveys. He also leads nature field trips and walks.

Hanisek is married with 2 grown children and 5 grandchildren.

Should be a fun show as we’ll cover a variety of topics with Greg. Thank you for your support of BirdCallsRadio.

Posted in Avian Records Committee of Connecticut, Bird identification, BirdCallsRadio, BirdCallsRadio WW Streaming, butterflies, Connecticut News, Connecticut Warbler, conservation, Greg Hanisek, Upcoming shows | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Archive of May 27, 2012, BirdCallsRadio show featuring Florence “Flo” McBride

Posted on May 29, 2012 by
Florence McBride

Florence McBride

Here is the archive of the Sunday, May 27, 2012, BirdCallsRadio show featuring an with Florence “Flo” McBride. Listen as this popular Connecticut birdwatcher describes how she gets children excited about learning about nature and birds. She even does her “Blue Jay rap” — twice. Nice!

Flo leads several bird walks for children at East Rocks in New Haven, and she has developed a science curriculum, “Take Flight!”, centered around birds for the elementary schools in her hometown of Hamden.

An active member of the New Haven Bird Club, she is also a nature film maker and has made several videos of Connecticut wildlife.

Earlier this year, Flo was presented with the presigeous Mabel Osgood Wright Award from the Connecticut Ornithological Association. It is the latest in a long list of awards that have been bestowed upon her.

Click here to listen: bcr 5-27-12 flo mcbride. As always, thanks for supporting BirdCallsRadio.

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Happy Memorial Day weekend from BirdCallsRadio

Posted on May 26, 2012 by
Northern cardinal. Photo by Chris Bosak, copyright, all rights reserved.

Northern cardinal. Photo by Chris Bosak, copyright, all rights reserved.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend everybody. If you’re traveling, be careful and best of luck seeing some good “road birds.” If you’re staying put, best of luck seeing great yard birds or birds in the field. Feel free to share your Memorial Day weekend sightings with BirdCallsRadio by clicking here. I’d love to hear from you.

Remember to spend some of your weekend with BirdCallsRadio as we will have a new show on Sunday (1 to 2 p.m. at 1490 WGCH or listen live) featuring Connecticut birder Florence “Flo” McBride. Listen how this special lady gets children involved with birdwatching and nature.

Have fun at your parades and picnics, and always keep in the mind the reason for the holiday. Thanks to all servicemen and women, but on this weekend, especially those who paid the ulitmate sacrifice.

 

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Florence McBride next guest on BirdCallsRadio

Posted on May 24, 2012 by
Florence McBride

Florence McBride © Michael McBride. All Rights Reserved

Florence “Flo” McBride will be the next guest on BirdCallsRadio, coming up this Sunday, May 27, from 1 to 2 p.m. on 1490AM WGCH or Listen Live.

Flo is a well known long time birder in Connecticut and is particularly adept at getting children involved in nature. She leads several bird walks for children at East Rocks in New Haven, and she has developed a science curriculum, “Take Flight!”, centered around birds for the elementary schools in her hometown of Hamden.

She is also a nature film maker and has made several videos of Connecticut wildlife, including birds, of course.

Listen as Flo describes her love of birds, nature and introducing that wonderful world to children. Perhaps she’ll also do her “blue jay rap.” Knowing Flo, she will be up for it.

Flo is well educated and holds a MA from Radcliffe and is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow;  Doctoral work in English (American Literature) at Harvard. Graduate credits through workshops at Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS). She also studied ornithology under Noble Proctor at Southern Connecticut University.

She is also an active member of the New Haven Bird Club and leads bird walks for that organization. Flo participates in several bird censuses and other citizen science projects.

Earlier this year, Flo was presented with the presigeous Mabel Osgood Wright Award from the Connecticut Ornithological Association. It is the latest in a long list of awards that have been bestowed upon her.

In her own words: “My mother loved birds and wildflowers, and I almost certainly learned awareness, appreciation, and nomenclature because of her, and because of tramping around the woods and fields of New Jersey with my father.”  When I was quite young, I was entranced by a flock of Cedar Waxwings eating berries on a bush right outside our  window – thought they were named for the silky-smooth appearance of their plumage.

“The bird badge was the only badge I got in my brief time as a Girl Scout.  I loved walking around the neighborhood gathering the sightings that would enable me to fulfill the requirement to “Identify, out of doors, fifteen birds.”

Tune in to hear more from this special birdwatcher.

Posted in Backyard birding, Bird identification, BirdCallsRadio, Children, conservation, Songbird Migration, Wood Warblers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Archive of Sunday, May 20, show with Katie Fallon

Posted on May 22, 2012 by
Katie Fallon with cerulean warbler

Katie Fallon with cerulean warbler

Here is the archive of the Sunday, May 20, show featuring Katie Fallon, author of “Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird,” by Ruka Press. Katie discusses the plight of the Cerulean Warbler, a beautiful blue warbler that is declining rapidly. Katie went to South America to visit the birds’ winter habitat. She discusses in this interview the various challenges the birds face on their winter and summer homes, as well as on their migration routes. She also tackles mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia and encourages consumers to drink shade-grown coffee.

It’s a fun interview. bcr5-20-12katiefallon

Also on the show, Joe Warren of Wild Birds Unlimited talks about helping baby birds and how cardinal parents teach their kids to eat from feeders.

Mardi Dickinson gives a wrap-up report from The Biggest Week in American Birding, that took place in Ohio.

I also talk about migration and read several “Best Bird” accounts that listeners emailed to me. (Thanks again for that.) Finally, I read a quick passage from my favorite old book “Our Amazing Birds,” which was published in 1951.

Posted in BirdCallsRadio, conservation, International Birdwatching, Katie Fallon, Show archives, Songbird Migration, wildlife rehabilitation, Wood Warblers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For the Birds column: It pays to know the songs well

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Here’s my For the Birds column from last week. For the Birds runs Thursdays in The Hour (Norwalk, Ct.) and Mondays in The Sentinel (Keene, N.H.).

 

Gray Catbird singing. Photo by Chris Bosak, copyright, all rights reserved

Just like birds don’t always look like field guides say they look, birds don’t always sound like field guides say they sound like.
Unless it’s a very comprehensive field guide — such as a Sibley or Crossley — it won’t show all of the various plumages you might see in a bird. Try finding the eclipse plumage of a male Wood Duck in a typical field guide. Birding is rarely cut-and-dry, which is one of the great things about the hobby.
This is certainly true of bird sounds as well. Notice I didn’t write “bird songs” as birds make a variety of sounds, such as songs, calls and alarm notes.
The Gray Catbird is a good example of this. I was walking through Selleck’s Dunlap Woods the other day when I heard a variety of bird sounds all around me. I heard about 10 unique sounds and at least three of them were coming from different catbirds.
Gray Catbirds, of course, are so named because of their cat-like calls. It is a very appropriate name for that bird as they indeed so Continue reading →

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