Weekend Birder

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/authors/fred-van-gessel.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.

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.

Get to know some of Australia’s overlooked birds. This episode is about the many species of pigeons and doves that are native to Australia, a bunch of rare parrots and the delights of the Aussie Bird Count.

Sean Dooley is the National Public Affairs Manager for BirdLife Australia, author of The Big Twitch, and former holder of the Australian Big Year twitching record. For many years, Sean and his team have been working tirelessly to ensure that birds are protected and loved by Australians. That's why he is affectionately known as 'the Birdman' and we reckon he’s a national treasure.

Links:

Aussie Bird Count - aussiebirdcount.org.au

Sean’s Pigeons vs Doves video - birdlife.org.au/news/what-bird-is-that-pigeons-vs-doves

Sean’s Crested Pigeons vs. Topnknot Pigeons video - birdlife.org.au/news/what-bird-is-that-crested-pigeons-vs-topknot-pigeons/

Weekend Birder Google Map - maps.app.goo.gl/idqxtcxUDmUkDi1Y7

Spinifex Pigeon recording by Christopher Watson (XC642946) - xenocanto.org

Sean on Twitter - @Twitchathon

Sean on Instagram - @sean.dooley.birdman

BirdLife Australia on Facebook - @BirdlifeAustralia

BirdLife Australia on Instagram - @BirdlifeOz

BirdLife Australia on Twitter - @BirdlifeOz

Weekend Birder online:

Website - weekendbirder.com

Instagram - @weekend.birder

Facebook - @weekend.birder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn about bird evolution from an ecologist and best-selling author. This episode is about where songbirds originated from, Australia’s ‘woodpecker’ and other fun birds, and the simple joys of being out in the bush.

Tim Low is a biologist and best-selling author of seven books, four of which have won prizes. His most popular book, ‘Where Song Began’, won best general non fiction at the Australian Book Industry Awards. And ‘Feral Future’ inspired the formation of the Invasive Species Council, a conservation group that campaigns for better policies on introduced species. This year, Tim was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to conservation and environmental awareness.

Links:

Subscribe to the Monthly Letter - weekendbirder.com/monthly-letter

Tim’s website - timlow.com

Tim’s books - timlow.com/books/

Tim on Twitter/X - @timlow5

Brown Thornbill recording by Ramit Singal (XC571148) - xeno-canto.org

Chestnut-crowned Babbler recordings by Marc Anderson, licenced from wildambience.com

Weekend Birder online:

Website - weekendbirder.com

Instagram - @weekend.birder

Facebook - @weekend.birder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catch up with Cezary and Leo as they head for home. This episode is about two friends and who are riding their bikes around Australia to raise money and see as many birds as possible.

Leo Norman and Cezary Carmichael are on the road, on two wheels, on a grand adventure. The plan is to spend their gap year riding the country and enjoying birdwatching along the way. They are combining their efforts to document the unique cultural and ecological importance of birds in Australia whilst helping to build two schools in Timor Leste.

Links:

How to donate to Spend it Well (mention Weekend Birder) - spenditwell.com/6730-2/

Two Birders Two Bikes on Instagram - @twobirderstwobikes

Cezary and Leo’s eBird profile - https://ebird.org/profile/MTA2NzU5NQ/AU

Weekend Birder map of places to visit - weekendbirder.com/places

Noisy Scrubbird recording by Marc Anderson, licenced from wildambience.com

Black Grasswrens recording by Nigel Jackett (XC324921) - xeno-canto.org/species/Amytornis-housei

Princess Parrots recording by Nigel Jackett (XC94034) - xeno-canto.org/species/Polytelis-alexandrae

Weekend Birder online:

Website - weekendbirder.com

Instagram - @weekend.birder

Facebook - @weekend.birder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.