Libsyn Directory

Birding Tools and Technology to Help You Be a Better Birder

Release Date: 03/31/2023

Eastern Carpenter Bees: How to Peacefully Co-exist and Why They Are Important

Backyard Ecology™

Summary While carpenter bees get a bad rap, they are also important pollinators and play a vital role in the ecosystem. Their bad reputation can also sometimes be overblown. So, let’s talk a little bit about carpenter bees, why they are important, and how to discourage them from nesting in places where you don’t want them. 3 things you’ll learn from this episode: Where you can find eastern carpenter bees and how to identify them. Why you need carpenter bees if you want gulf fritillary butterflies whose caterpillars host on purple passionflower vines. Simple, non-lethal ways to...

Doug Tallamy’s Habitat Restoration Story and How You Can Help Save Nature

Backyard Ecology™

Summary Dr. Doug Tallamy shares the story of how he and his wife transformed their newly built home located on a former hayfield into a thriving forest ecosystem. We talk about how they got started, their struggles along the way, the habitat wins they’ve celebrated, and what his next steps are for his property. He also shares what he’s most excited about, his thoughts on creating habitat that you can maintain as you get older, information about his newest book, and much more. Today’s guest Dr. Doug Tallamy has been an entomologist at the University of Delaware for 44 years and is the...

Darkness Matters: Light Pollution’s Threats and Simple Ways to Help

Backyard Ecology™

Summary Darkness is a vital, and often overlooked, component of our ecosystems. Unfortunately, we’re losing it to light pollution. Decreasing the light pollution around your home will not only benefit the environment but will also benefit you because you’ll be able to see better without all the excess glare and will save money because you aren’t paying to light up the sky. 3 things you’ll learn from this episode: Why darkness is so important. What light pollution is and how prevalent it is. 4 simple ways you can combat light pollution around your home. Studies...

BirdCast: Revealing the Mysteries of Bird Migration

Backyard Ecology™

Summary Twice a year billions of birds migrate across the U.S. We’ve only recently discovered just how large that number really is. Being able to quantify that number is thanks to a large degree to a program called BirdCast which anyone from backyard birders to scientists to emergency managers can use. Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of bird migration. Today’s guest Dr. Andrew Farnsworth is a visiting scientist at Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a member of the BirdCast Team, which is using radar to track and study bird migrations over the U.S. 3 things you’ll learn from...

How to Do Spring Garden Cleanup for Pollinators and Wildlife

Backyard Ecology™

Summary As gardeners, it’s common to get the gardening itch in late winter and early spring. The temptation to finish cleaning up our gardens during this time is a natural temptation. However, when doing your spring garden cleanup, it’s important to remember why you didn’t do those activities in the fall. Remembering that can help you choose what to do and when so that you can best support the pollinators and wildlife that visit your property. 3 things you’ll learn from this episode: When and how to deal with the leaves that you left from the fall. When and how to cutback any standing...

Exploring the Fascinating World of Ground Nesting Bees

Backyard Ecology™

Summary Ground nesting bees represent a significant portion of our native bee population, yet they often go unnoticed due to their solitary nature and unique nesting habits. In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of ground nesting bees and how we can get involved in their study and conservation. Today’s guest Dr. Jordan Kueneman is a research associate in the Danforth lab of Entomology at Cornell University. He is also the creator of the Ground Nesting Bee project on iNaturalist where he is collecting observations of ground-nesting bee aggregations. 3 things you’ll learn from...

How to Attract More Birds to Your Yard

Backyard Ecology™

Summary When someone decides they want to attract birds to their yard, often the first thing they do is put up a birdfeeder (or two). It’s what we did when I was a kid, and it’s what countless other people I know have done. There’s nothing wrong with putting out a birdfeeder. They’re a great way to bring the birds to locations where it’s easy for us to watch them. But, if you want to attract more birds (and better care for the ones you are already attracting), then you need to take more of an ecosystem approach. As an added bonus, you’ll also attract and provide for other...

From Suburban Yard to Wildlife Haven: Amanda’s Story

Backyard Ecology™

Summary Amanda shares the journey she and her husband have taken to transform their small, suburban yard into a vibrant habitat for birds and pollinators. We discuss the various projects they’ve undertaken, the challenges of DIY landscaping, the importance of community support, and the positive reactions from neighbors and family. Their story shows how creating wildlife habitat can benefit both the environment and the property owners’ well-being. Amanda encourages others to start small, focus on native plants, and seek community support to achieve similar successes. Today’s guest Amanda...

We’re back!

Backyard Ecology™

Summary I am so excited to be relaunching the Backyard Ecology™ podcast! New episodes will be released every other week, and we have some exciting guests already lined up. Going forward, in addition to the traditional audio version of the podcast episodes, there will also be a video version available for the episodes with guests. The video version will be available on the Backyard Ecology™ YouTube channel. Links and Resources YouTube channel: Website: Newsletter: Support: Thank You Thank you to our amazing Patrons who go above and beyond every month to...

Top 10 Backyard Ecology Podcast Episodes: October 1, 2022 – October 1, 2023

Backyard Ecology™

I can’t believe that 2023 is almost over! This year has flown by! For the past several weeks, I’ve been doing top 10 roundups of the different types of Backyard Ecology content. We’ve talked about the videos, the blog articles, and the nature trivia style shorts. So, let’s wrap it up with a rundown of the top 10 podcast episodes of the year. 🦋 9b) Everything You Want to Know About Nesting Birds with NestWatch 🦋 9a) Birding Tools and Technology to Help You Be a Better Birder 🦋 8) Exploring Urban Ecology: Understanding and Appreciating Nature Where We Live ...

More Episodes

Birding is a fun activity with many different ways you can do it. You can bird by ear and identify birds by their songs. You can look at the birds and identify them that way. You can watch the birds out your window or as you spend time in your yard. Or you can go on trips where birding can be either a side activity or the main purpose of the trip. It really is an activity that pretty much anyone can do in pretty much any location.

In this episode, I am joined by James Wheat. James is the President of the Kentucky Ornithological Society. You may also remember him from our conversation a few months ago about the Christmas Bird Count. Once again James shares a wealth of information along with his passion for helping others get involved in birding.

Our conversation focuses on birding tools and technology that can be helpful for birders with any experience level. We start our conversation by talking about binoculars, what the numbers mean, and tips about what to look for when purchasing binoculars. Our conversation then moves to a discussion of free birding apps that James really enjoys using.

The first birding app that we discuss is Merlin which is in some ways a digital field guide, but can also do so much more. This app can help you identify a bird whether you see it or hear it, and you can access tons of detailed information about that bird.

The second app that we talk about is eBird which also has a desktop version. eBird helps you keep track of the birds that you’ve seen in different locations, let’s you see what birds other people have seen in a given location, and is used by scientists to study birds.

We wrap up our conversation by talking about the Birding Hotspots website which provides logistical information about parking, trail surfaces, bathrooms, etc. associated with the eBird hotspots. Links to all the resources we talked about can be found on the webpage for this episode.

Also, Anthony and I are working on a project that we’re very excited about. We’re hoping to make an announcement about it very soon, possibly within the next couple of weeks. If you want to be among the first to hear about it, and perhaps participate in our beta trial, then be sure to subscribe to our Backyard Ecology emails. You can do so at www.backyardecology.net/subscribe. That’ll keep you up to date with everything going on in the Backyard Ecology world.

And when you sign up for our emails, you’ll also be able to download a free, e-book that explains why our familiar garden zones, don’t mean anything when it comes to gardening with native plants. That’s just our way of saying thank you for your interest in Backyard Ecology.

Until next week, I encourage you to take some time to enjoy the nature in your own yard and community.

Links for James:

James’ email: [email protected]
Kentucky Ornithological Society’s webpage: https://www.birdky.org

Links for James:

Binocular Resources:

Merlin:

eBird:

Site Logistical Resources:

Backyard Ecology Links:

Episode image:

TOPICS