Laura Erickson's For The Birds

Kissimmee, Florida, in the most touristy part of Florida, is still rich in birdlife.

Florida's biodiversity and human diversity are at risk right now even as their governor is driving the state off a cliff, asleep at the wheel. Warning: Three times in this program I use the word "bullshit," twice near the beginning and once near the end. Some radio stations may have to bleep that out.

A Parasitic Jaeger turned up on Park Point in Duluth last weekend, and Laura spent some time watching it Wednesday.

It's time to pay attention to hummingbirds again!

Loons must teach their babies about danger, weighing just how dangerous every threat might be. The loon recordings used in this program were made by me during the pontoon boat experience recounted in the episode.

How do Blue Jays, Crows, and Pileated Woodpeckers teach their babies to avoid danger?

Magpies and crows in Europe are incorporating metal anti-bird spikes into their nests to keep other birds away. Laura finds this doubly "ironic," reminding us we're all in this together. The Eurasian Magpie recording was made by [Uku Paal](https://xeno-canto.org/contributor/XIBLXHRPJO).

Laura stopped eating beef ten years ago this week, and received a completely unexpected reward in the form of Pacific Golden-Plovers.

Laura's favorite Pileated Woodpecker has at least two fledglings.

What's happening on Peabody Street?

Lang Elliott's free "Hear Birds Again" app with his recommended headphones is "fantabulous."

When the Air Quality Index is high due to smoke particulates, is it safe to set out birdbaths?

Birders using eBird are making an invaluable contribution to science, conservation, and education. This summer the New York Times is collaborating with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to encourage more birders to use it.

Weather radar provides an excellent picture of the movements of migrating birds that has helped demonstrate how serious the losses of birds in North America have been.

The first test we had to measure changes in bird populations, the Breeding Bird Survey, was wonderful but had important shortcomings.

eBird has been a game changer in allowing birders to keep track of every bird they see, and to be able to access information about any of those birds quickly and easily.

When Laura started birding, the only ways of getting the word out about rare birds were slow and inefficient. eBird has been a game changer.

A quirky bird that is much more often heard than seen.

How do we explain to toddlers and nesting birds that they must stay indoors with filtered air to be safe as smoke fills the atmosphere?

New York Times Bestseller author Jennifer Ackerman has a brand new book about owls. *What an Owl Knows* is extensively researched, beautifully written, and comprehensive, covering just about every imaginable aspect of owl biology, behavior, and psychology, as well as how they figure in the human imagination. And Laura is delighted that her beloved education owl Archimedes is covered in depth. She used recordings of Archimedes at the start and finish of this program.