We check out the Snowy Owl explosion; we present a Let's Ask Mike segment entitled "Making homemade suet—just don't do it"; and we find out why Roman candles and roosting birds just don't mix.
#351: January 1, 2012
Birds as Oreo cookies; owls eating crows; and special guest Monica Engebretson from Born Free U.S.A.
#350: December 25, 2011
We feature beautiful holiday music along with short poems and readings about birds by Ray and by the great humorist Ogden Nash.
#349: December 18, 2011
Mike O'Connor explains why bird seed prices have gone up so much, and whether there's relief in sight. And we get an update on an amazing sexagenarian.
#348: December 11, 2011
We'll respond to a listener's question about the exploding populations of the Eurasian Collared-Dove, and then we'll head down the street to meet an underappreciated feathered friend. And we'll hear how PVC pipes are killing birds and what's being done to stop it.
#347: December 4, 2011
Field guide author Ted Floyd offers some intriguing ideas about identifying birds; we feature a bird that only Constitution signers could love; and Mike O'Connor answers a question from a big fan.
#346: November 27, 2011
You'll have to move fast to catch our Mystery Bird; we call our Let's Ask Mike segment "That squirrel is big...and it has antlers"; and we feature the bird that sounds like an outboard motor.
#345: November 20, 2011
We find our Featured Feathered Friend over the bounding Maine; Mass Audubon's Wayne Petersen and John Galluzzo talk about the State of the Birds; and Mike O'Connor helps us figure out if we're overfeeding our bluebirds.
#344: November 13, 2011
The amazing Acorn Woodpecker; Boston's Emerald Necklace; and more feeding advice from the Bird Watcher's General Store.
#343: November 6, 2011
University of Wisconsin avian biology professor Mark Berres tells us about his new birdsong ID software. Plus, we stump our callers in the Mystery Bird contest; and Mike O'Connor answers an unusual listener question.
#342: October 30, 2011
The great Pat Buttram helps us introduce our Featured Feathered Friend, and we welcome special guest Wayne Klockner from The Nature Conservancy.
#341: October 23, 2011
We'll hear about birds in the wild that are learning to talk; our man Mike O'Connor (whose book appears in the new movie "The Big Year") helps a listener with grackle issues; and Bob Dylan helps us introduce our Featured Feathered Friend.
#340: October 16, 2011
A brief review of the movie, "The Big Year"; a Featured Bird that the Brits are trying to deport; and we meet a "Best for Birds" wine producer.
#339: October 9, 2011
Jessie Barry from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology talks about the new movie "The Big Year"; the success of her Big Day; and the plans to introduce artificial intelligence to birdwatching.
#338: October 2, 2011
Sparrow expert Jim Sweeney joins us in studio; Mike O'Connor answers a listener's question about (bird)house cleaning; and we visit a coffeehouse to learn about our Featured Feathered Friend.
#337: September 25, 2011
We learn about "winners" and "losers" in bird populations; Mike O'Connor helps a listener with a cowbird conundrum; and we offer a Mystery Bird that lives only in California.
#336: September 18, 2011
A Virginia listener translates from German to identify our Mystery Bird; we feature a tern that doesn't dive for fish; and Mike O'Connor helps a listener who's "wonderin' where the woodies are."
#335: September 11, 2011
This episode's Mystery Bird lives almost exclusively in the U.S; our Featured Feathered Friend is found out at sea: and Mike O'Connor is in the backyard for some evening dining with the Cardinal.
#334: September 4, 2011
We'll explain that "no such thing" comment as the great David Clapp joins us in studio to talk about migration marathons and mysteries.
#333: August 28, 2011
We offer some info on how birds cope with storms; we talk with Tom McNichol from the amazing Charles River Cleanup Boat; and our man Mike O'Connor provides an explanation about wrestling mockingbirds.