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The American Birding Podcast

The American Birding Podcast

American Birding Association 418 episodes Nov 5, 2026

The American Birding Podcast is produced by the American Birding Association and hosted by Nate Swick. Each weekly episode covers birds, birding, travel, and conservation across North America and beyond. Listeners hear news and happenings, recent rarities, conversations with guests from the birding world, and features designed for birders of all levels.

Episodes

10-44: The Grassland Queen with Priyanka Kumar
10-44: The Grassland Queen with Priyanka Kumar Nov 5, 2026 44:07 The Long-billed Curlew is perhaps an unexpected symbol of the Great Plains, but it's a fabulous bird whose story is inextricably woven into the fabric of this wonderful landscape. Nature writer Priyanka Kumar's newest book, The Grassland Queen, is a love story to the vast open country in the middle of the continent and, especially, to that bizarre and amazing bird. Also, the AOS supplement is fina
10-43: This Month in Birding - October 2026
10-43: This Month in Birding - October 2026 Oct 29, 2026 57:32 It's spooky season and we have a terrifyingly good lineup for the This Month in Birding panel for October 2026. This month sees TMIB rookie Emmy Broeg along with veteran bird talkers Nick Lund and Tim Healy for discussions about birds in media, celebrity owls and eagles, googly eyed bouys and more!  LInks to articles discussed in this episode: How Movies and TV Made Birdwatchers Uncool—and Then C
10-42: Mapping California's Birds with Morgan Tingley and Sam Safran
10-42: Mapping California's Birds with Morgan Tingley and Sam Safran Oct 22, 2026 49:47 Birders across the ABA Area are taking part in their state or province's Breeding Bird Atlas project, with 44 States and 8 provinces taking on the project to build a bigger and more precise look at where birds are. California is the latest, and the birdiest place to take it on so far, with an effort that started this year. Morgan Tingley and Sam Safran are part of the team that is organizing the p
10-41: How to Pick a Duck Stamp with Catherine Hamilton
10-41: How to Pick a Duck Stamp with Catherine Hamilton Oct 15, 2026 52:45 Birders know that the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Duck Stamp program is one of the most effective conservation initiatives in the US, but what of the Duck Stamps themselves? How are they chosen? What do judges look for? Why does one family always seem to win? This year Catherine Hamilton, a southern California based birder and artist, was given the responsibility of helping to choose the year'
10-40: Not So Common Gulls with Amar Ayyash
10-40: Not So Common Gulls with Amar Ayyash Oct 8, 2026 46:11 The recent split of our Mew Gulls into Short-billed Gull and Common Gull, in the Americas and Eurasia, respectively, has offered yet another complicated identification concern for dedicated gull-watchers to ponder. And ponder they have, in North American Birds, Common Gull in Eastern North America by Chicago area birder and author of The Gull GuideAmar Ayyash, takes a look at the status of Old Wor
10-39: Secrets of SoCal Parrots with John McCormack
10-39: Secrets of SoCal Parrots with John McCormack Oct 1, 2026 39:13 There are a few lucky places in the ABA Area where parrots still fly free, even if most have captive origins these day. But these big loud flashy birds have a history and future than is perhaps more interesting than many birders might imagine and these feral populations can even give us some insights into the frequently threatened wild birds in Mexico and Central America.  John McCormack, director
10-38: This Month in Birding - September 2026
10-38: This Month in Birding - September 2026 Sep 24, 2026 01:05:40 The last Thursday of the month means it's time for This Month in Birding. For September 2026, host Nate Swick welcomes Andres Jimenez, Mikko Jimenez, and Sarah Swanson to discuss real data in the bird name debate, Dodo intelligence, Ontario Plover news, tiny backpacks for birds and much more.  Links to items discussed in this episode: Birds of many feathers? Examining perceptions among US birders
10-37: El Niño in Central America and Beyond with Tyler Wenzel
10-37: El Niño in Central America and Beyond with Tyler Wenzel Sep 17, 2026 44:05 El Niño is one of those strange climate phenomena that we're still trying to understand, particularly as it pertains to birds and birders, who are driven by and inspired by weather systems. This year's El Niño looks to be a particularly intense one, and birder and educator Tyler Wenzel explored it in a recent Field Ornithology piece on the ABA's website called Intense El Niño Sends Humboldt Curre
10-36: Random Birds, September 2026, with Ted Floyd
10-36: Random Birds, September 2026, with Ted Floyd Sep 10, 2026 01:03:18 Birding editor Ted Floyd joins host Nate Swick once again for another attempt to whittle down the Big Bird List using a random number generator. This episode of Random Birds features some widespread species that everyone has heard of, including a couple of common raptors and some eastern songbirds. Plus a swipe at Czech composer Antonin Dvorak that was a long time coming.  Also, some of 2026's mos
10-35: Making Art out of Bird Collisions with Holly Greenberg
10-35: Making Art out of Bird Collisions with Holly Greenberg Sep 3, 2026 37:59 In the next couple months, billions of migrating birds will be crossing the continent from north to south. Those birds increasingly must navigate a gauntlet of threats, not least of which are windows and lights, the combination of which kills untold numbers of birds annually. Holly Greenberg is an artist and founder and director of Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene, an organization that uses art
10-34: This Month in Birding - August 2026
10-34: This Month in Birding - August 2026 Aug 27, 2026 56:00 The end of August 20206 sees us looking forward to fall, but pausing first to enjoy a discussion about some interesting pieces of bird and birding news from the last few weeks. Friends of the podcast Martha Harbison, Frank Izaguirre, and Ryan Mandelbum join host Nate Swick to talk about urban bird behavior, the lifespans of female birds, and a whole lot about bird poop. Seriously. More than we exp
10-33: Little Bird in a Big Sky with Bonner Black
10-33: Little Bird in a Big Sky with Bonner Black Aug 20, 2026 44:07 Nashville based singer/song-writer Bonner Black is confidently making her way in the worlds of both music and birding. She's been touring bird festivals all over the world this year and and she is a fun follow on social media with often hilarious takes on birding culture. Bonner's well-received debut album Hopeless RomANTICS featured songs that landed on The New York Times 2023 Spring Playlist, an

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