Bird Sh*t Podcast

We're flying the coop and pretending to be snowbirds! This month, we're chatting all about birds from Australia and New Zealand (a request from one of our listeners). Not gonna lie: we learned some AMAZING facts about these southern hemisphere birds.
So sit back, enjoy a Vegemite sandwich, and marvel at these birds from Down Under.
Plus, we give some shout-outs to some listeners who recently sent in fan mail. Thanks for the love! If you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes or drop us an email. We'd love to hear from you (unless you're Norton Antivirus Software spam)!
BIRDS WE MENTION (in order)
Stellar’s Sea-Eagle
Boat-billed Heron
Hooded Warbler
Satin Bowerbird
Common Raven
Tawny Frogmouth
Superb fairy-wren
Noisy Miner
Mōhua (Yellowhead)
Morepork (Ruru)
Southern Boobook
Southern Cassowary
Night Parrot
OTHER COOL SH*T
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We always hear how climate change impacts birds, but what does it feel like to *be* a bird living through this unfathomable change?

Producer, songwriter, and filmmaker Ryan Moritz set out to answer this question. He’s spent the last five years filming, recording, and editing a work of art to help humans see today’s world through the eyes of birds. The final result was "Important Bird Opera": a migratory journey exploring "how climate change and other anthropocentric activities have altered the natural world."

In this exclusive interview, Ryan takes you behind-the-scenes of “Important Bird Opera.” Hear about his travels to film birds in Important Bird Areas, how he collaborated with poet Anjuli Raza Kolb for the opera’s libretto, and the personal birding experiences that inspired this one-of-a-kind work of art.

Ryan’s “Important Bird Opera” premiered on New York City’s Governors Island in the summer of 2019 at the end of his artist-in-residency program with the NYC Audubon Society. Climate change is scary stuff, but Ryan’s work gives us hope—for the planet and for birds everywhere.

BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED

USEFUL RESOURCES

• Watch “Important Bird Opera” by Ryan Moritz!
• The Leslie Science and Nature Center in Ann Arbor...check it out!
• Scott Weidensaul’s “Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds” >> A book about bird migration that inspired Ryan’s “Important Bird Opera”
• Farid ud-din Attar’s poem, “The Conference of The Birds,” which inspired Kola’s poem “Unflocked Heart” (the libretto for “Important Bird Opera”)
• In NYC? Check out Governors Island!

BIRDS WE MENTION (in order)

• Great Horned Owl
• Bald Eagle
• Wild Turkey
• Turkey Vulture
• Steller’s Jay
• Common Raven
• Laysan Albatross
• Sandhill Crane
• American Robin
• Eurasian Hoopoe
• Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron

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Corina Newsome grew up in Philadelphia and has always had a desire to participate in, and advocate for, the protection of wildlife and natural spaces, and encourage people of color in the U.S. to explore the great outdoors. These days, you’ll catch her in Georgia marshes doing important conservation research for the MacGillivray's Seaside Sparrow. We were so psyched to talk with her and learn about all the incredible ways she walks the walk for environmental equality and access to wildlife opportunities for underrepresented demographics.

Ask Corina about her own incredible array of accomplishments and she’ll refocus attention to the peers, communities, and institutions that support her vision. Ask about her own upbringing or experiences and she’ll redirect the question to how we can all help youth in low-income areas gain better access to the outdoors and career opportunities in wildlife.
Corina is one of the rare people who understands that we all shine brighter if we focus our attention on helping others gain access to the wild. GET IT, GIRRRRRRL.

BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED

USEFUL RESOURCES

• Corina’s “Do Anything for the Count” parody video...SO FREAKIN’ GOOD YOU GUYS.
• Diversity in Action Magazine: a great magazine “dedicated to supporting and promoting diversity in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math”...definitely worth a read!
• Greening Youth Foundation: an incredible nonprofit that engages "underrepresented youth and young adults while connecting them to the outdoors and careers in conservation."
• Sarah is digging the book “Bird Sense” right now
• Find Corina in all the places: Twitter, Instagram, and her website
• Corina’s favorite bird conservation group? The Audubon Society! They do incredible work in so many communities.

BIRDS WE MENTION (in order)

• Blue Jay
• American Avocet
• American Crow
• Seaside Sparrow
• Marsh Wren
• Roseate Spoonbill
• Wood Stork
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Kiwi

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Before we dive too deep into 2020, let's reflect on 2019. Some big things happened in the bird world last year.
Scientists identified the remains of a 15-pound, 3-foot-tall parrot named Squawkzilla. US cities adopted bird-friendly laws. We've lost 1 in 4 birds since the 1970s (hey, we didn't say it was all good news). Plus, meet 5 bird species that had an AWESOME year.
Here's our birdy recap of 2019!
BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED

USEFUL RESOURCES

• Chicago Bird Collision Monitors...we love this (and similar) organizations!
• New York City Audubon, American Bird Conservancy, and the American Institute of Architects helped pass bird-friendly building laws in NYC!
• Have you played Untitled Goose Game?

BIRDS WE MENTION (in order)

• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• American Woodcock
• Gouldian Finch
• House Sparrow
• American Robin
• European Starling
• Long-tailed Duck
• Bufflehead
• House Finch
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Northern Cardinal
• Rock Pigeon
• Piping Plover
• Kirtland’s Warbler
• Interior Least Tern
• Hoiho (Yellow-Eyed Penguin)
• Tricolored Blackbird

BIRDS IN THE NEWS

• Birds’ bodies are getting smaller and their wings are getting larger.
• NYC and Austin’s airport are making the world safer for birds!

2019 BIRD NEWS WRAP-UP

• Changes to the Migratory Bird Act are effed up and make things bad for birds.
• Using eDNA to detect endangered species = COOL
• The worst news about birds came out in 2019. We’re still sad about it.
• Birding is good for your mental health!
• Squawkzilla? Squawkzilla.
• Half-male, half-female Northern Cardinal can’t sing but can lay eggs. Whoa!

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There are many unsung bird heroes throughout history. There was the dove that Randy Johnson struck with a fastball. Or the bird that pooped on your dad during a family vacation. #memories
Unlike these nameless legends, other birds have withstood the test of time and are in our history books (ok, probably only our history books, but they're still well-known). Meet seven famous birds from throughout history. We'll give you their full backstories, introduce the supporting (mostly human) counterparts that helped them rise to fame, and provide fun anecdotes about their famous antics so you can marvel in their birdy brilliance.
Got a favorite famous bird we missed? Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram @birdshitpodcast and share it with us!
BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSED
USEFUL RESOURCES (about the famous birds in this episode)

The birds from “The Birds”

• Short clip showing why The Birds is so scary (you should go watch the whole thing if you haven’t seen it, unless you don’t want to be scared of birds)
• Jimmy Stewart = LOVE

Jimmy the Raven

• Lots of info about Jimmy the Raven
• Turns our Stewart Little had a Roadster, but there was that creepy “The Mouse and the Motorcycle” movie from the 1980s.

Alex the Gray Parrot

• A touching feature on Irene and Alex the Gray Parrot (by Neil deGrasse Tyson!)
• ALEX WAS SO SMART YOU GUYS.
• Help save parrots from being illegally traded.

Pierre the Penguin

• Pierre the Penguin in his wetsuit
• Chicken capes, in case you need one...

Dick the Mockingbird

• Thomas Jefferson and his mockingbirds
• Other presidential pets
• The mockingbird song from “Dumb and Dumber”

Rufus the Hawk

• Meet Rufus the Hawk (and his handler, Imogen Davis)
• Great feature on Rufus the Hawk (this bird is super famous, guys.)
• Rufus the Hawk’s Twitter handle...sexy profile pic or nah?)

Gertie the Duck

• Photos and backstory on how Gertie became so famous: straight from the Milwaukee Journal (Sentinel) itself.
• Buy

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