Episode 51: The importance of wetlands: Post episode trailer
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
Release Date: 09/09/2022
Episode 75: Gynandomorphism in birds with Dr. Hamish Spencer
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
The sex of a bird – whether it is male or female – is one of the most critical aspects of its biology. Males and females often behave differently, especially during the breeding season, and in many species, they have strikingly different plumages. This episode features Dr. Hamish Spencer, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Otago in southern New Zealand. Hamish was recently in Colombia, where he was shown a that violated these rules. Colombian ornithologist John Murillo had discovered a very unusual Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) on his farm near Manizales in Colombia...
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Episode 74: A pigeon’s nest at home and its ripple effects
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
When a pigeon comes into the house. This is a controversial episode. In fact, I am pretty sure nobody in the nature groups that I am part of will approve of this. In fact, they may even condemn this episode. Because you see, it is about pigeons, which birders call flying pests. But here’s what happened and so, if you listen or watch this episode, advance apologies. About six months ago, a rock pigeon made a nest in my mother-in-law's balcony. This episode is about the ripple effects after that. One day, I returned after a long trip and visited my mother-in-law...
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Episode 73: Birds and Shola Forests with Dr. V.V. Robin
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
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Special Episode: How did you get into birding
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
Here is a special episode about how different Bangalore birding experts got into birding.
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Episode 72: Birding in Mauritius
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
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Episode 71: The biodiverse splendour of Bhutan
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
This episode is about Bhutan: carbon-negative, Buddhist and a pioneer in sustainable tourism. This tiny country, about the size of Switzerland contains species. In comparison, neighbouring India— nearly ten times the size— has just 1200 species. Here we talk to Namgay Tshering a freelance birding guide about the birds of Bhutan. Specifically he mentions the Beautiful Nuthatch, the Blyth’s tragopan, the Himalayan Monal and others. He talks about how Eastern and Southern Bhutan are a haven for birdwatchers, perhaps because the main cities of Paro, Thimphu and Punakha are...
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Episode 70: Toucanets and hummingbirds in Costa Rica
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
In this episode, we talk to a resident naturalist about the motmots, hummingbirds and toucanets that you can see in Costa Rica.
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Episode 69: The Resplendent Quetzal of Costa Rica
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
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Episode 68: Delhi birds with Sudhir Vyas
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
Delhi and its neighbourhoods, with its variety of habitats and landscapes, is remarkable for the wealth and diversity of its avifauna. It is a true haven for bird lovers, home to an astonishing array of over 470 captivating bird species. Get ready for an enchanting adventure with Sudhir Vyas's delightful book, "The Birds of the Delhi Area," which is the ultimate guide to unlocking the secrets of these feathered wonders! This book has been edited by Anita Mani under Indian Pitta- India's first imprint dedicated to birds. With over 50 years of bird watching experience, Sudhir Vyas, a former...
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Episode 67: The three-wattled bell-bird, Monteverde, Costa Rica
Bird Podcast with Shoba Narayan
This is the first of three episodes about the bird life in Costa Rica. This one focuses on the and the episode is set in the . Listen to the bellbird on Youtube here. Thanks to these photographers for their images Thanks to Michael Brooks for this video of the bird calling Featured image from Wikimedia Commons :
info_outlineThis episode is about wetlands. This is a post-episode trailer of Episode 5 where I interviewed Dr. Jerry Jackson.
Even though the audio isn’t perfect, Episode 5 is worth listening to because he covers so much ground. Ecology, wood storks, wetlands, anhingas, and much more.
Here I focus on one aspect of that episode: wetlands
What is the feeling that you get when I say these words? Swamps, marshes, bogs, mangroves, flood plains. If you didn’t wince, good for you. Humans seem fundamentally averse to wetland because we think of them as a breeding ground for insects– which they are. But they are also the most diverse ecosystem there is. And for this reason, they are supremely important.
There are three things every wetland needs: hydric soil, which is the scientific term for soil that is submerged in water for long periods of time. Which results in oxygen-less soil in the upper part, which in turn causes a particular type of plant species called hydrophytes to grow. These aquatic plants like water lilies and sedges create their own unique ecosystem– called wetlands.
In Episode 5, Dr. Jerry Jackson has a simple term for wetlands. Wetlands are wet land. They are not ponds, or lakes. They are lands that get submerged in water. Wetlands are huge in ecology. In fact, we have a particular organization called Ramsar that focuses on important wetlands all over the world.
Wetlands occur everywhere except in one continent. Guess which one? I’ll give you a hint. Which is the continent where nothing can stay wet?
Where is the biggest wetland? All this and more in this episode.