E40 - Jeff B + Great Lizard Cuckoo & Avian Mating Behaviors

02/12/23 • 43 min

This is part 1 of a 3-part series covering avian mating behaviors, nesting behaviors and finally their eggs. Today my guest is Jeff Babson, you might remember him from a number of other episodes, namely 7, 16, 22 and 23, all of which I encourage you to check out, if you haven’t already listened to them.
Jeff is an all-around naturalist who currently works for the Pima County Department of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, as the county’s Wildlife Viewing Program Specialist. He also runs his own eco-tour and environmental education company, called Sky Island Tours. You will often find Jeff leading walks that focus on birds, insects and plants. You can join Jeff on a Bird Walk at El Rio on the 1st Tuesday of every month.
Pima County Environmental Education and Interpretive Programs
https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/one.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=32567
Southwest Wings
https://www.swwings.org/
Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Recent Birding at El Rio
02:38 - Spring-time Avian Visitors
04:04 - Curve-billed Thrasher in the Background
04:21 - Jeff's Time in the Bahamas
06:26 - How James Bond got his Name
07:19 - Clapper Rails, Key West Quail Doves and White-crowned Pigeons
10:53 - Tips for Visiting the Bahamas for Birding
12:32 - Book: A Guide to The Birds of the North Andros Island
15:04 - Bird of the Episode: Great Lizard Cuckoo
25:55 - Focus of the Episode: Avian Mating Behaviors
26:07 - Hummingbirds and Promiscuity
29:07 - Hermit Hummingbirds are a Little Different
31:37 - House Finches and Monogamy
33:33 - Tree Swallows and Extra Pair Copulations
34:36 - Cooper's hawks and Long-term Pair Bonds
38:41 - Harris's Hawks and Cooperative Breeding
41:08 - Summary
41:46 - Upcoming Birds Walks with Jeff and Southwest Wings
43:03 - Outro
Please check out the podcast's Instagram @lookingatbirdspodcast

Previous Episode

E39 - Kendall K + Verdin & Mission Garden

My guest is Kendall Kroesen, the Community Outreach Coordinator for Mission Garden. With a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology he participated in a number of archaeological and conservation projects. In the early 2000s, he left social science and joined the Tucson Audubon society, where he created the Urban Bird Habitat Program and was involved with rural habitat restoration. These days you are most likely to find him working with plants or looking at birds.
Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
00:29 - Birds this Morning and Recent Birding
05:31 - Kendall's Birding Background
12:10 - Bird of the Episode: Verdin
22:52 - Verdin's Call
23:18 - More about Mission Garden
28:20 - Upcoming Events at Mission Garden
30:48 - How Kendall got into this Role
34:15 - A Typical Day at the Garden
39:17 - A Little More about Mission Garden
41:53 - OutroCheck out the links below for more on Mission Garden:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missiongarden/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missiongardentucson/
Website: https://www.missiongarden.org
Address: 946 W Mission Ln, Tucson, AZ 85745
Hours: Wednesday to Saturday
- 8am - 2pm (October to March)
- 8am - Noon (April to September)

For pictures of some of the birds discussed on the podcast, please check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram.

Next Episode

E41 - Karen V + Rufous Hornero & Avian Nests

This is part 2 of a 3-part series covering avian mating behaviors, their nests and finally their eggs. Today my guest is Karen Vandergrift, who you might remember from Episode 8 and Episode 30. Certified as a Master Naturalist in both California and Arizona, with experience as a docent on Alcatraz Island, at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and most recently at the Laboratory of Tree ring research at the University of Arizona. Karen also leads birding field trips for the Tucson Audubon Society.
Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro
01:10 - Karen's Recent Trip to Uruguay
04:32 - Introduction to Nests
06:55 - Cup Nests
17:25 - Spherical Nests
24:22 - Ground Nests
28:40 - Underground / Burrowing Nests
30:45 - Platform Nests
33:36 - Cavity Nests
39:26 - Floating Nests
42:25 - Pendant Nests
46:26 - Crevice / Ledge Nests
49:10 - "Oddball" Nests
53:46 - Bird of the Episode: Rufous Hornero
60:54 - Outro
For pictures, please check out the Podcast's Instagram: @lookingatbirdspodcast
To look at birds while you listen to the podcast, please check out the Podcast's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lookingatbirds
Thank you for listening!