The Bird Emergency
by Grant Williams
Birds are rapidly disappearing from all around us. Habitat reduction, climate change, pesticides, invasive pests and many more factors are causing the reduction in the numbers of all species, and more species face the increased threat of extinction.
Episodes
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086 Tongan Megapode with Ann Goth
Ann Göth spent some of her formative years as a scientist studying one of the most curious birds on the planet, the Tongan Megapode, that uses the heat of the volcanoes of the isolated islands of Tonga, in the Pacific Ocean, to incubate their eggs, rather than build a mound like their close...
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085 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Update with Michelle Wille
You have probably seen the devastating reports about the infestations of avian influenza sweeping parts of the world, affecting nesting colonies of seabirds, migratory birds and domesticated birds? I invited Dr Michelle Wille back to the show to talk about the current situation with bird flu....
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084 Milly Formby - Wing Threads Flight Around Australia for Shorebirds Update
Almost exactly a year ago, Milly Formby told me about the planning and the extraordinary fundraising campaign that had enabled her to embark on a flight around the continent of Australia, in a microlight aircraft that she built herself (with some great mates assisting), as part of a mission to...
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Bonus - Achieving DeGrowth with Martin Tye
Have you heard the term "DeGrowth" being thrown around in recent years? Have you wondered what it really means, and can it be achieved in a modern society? Hear Martin Tye explain to Grant what it means, and how a modern, industrialised society might move towards a sustainable existence. Follow…
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Bonus - Art in Conservation - Brenton See and Sally Edmonds
How does art influence attitudes to nature, and how can it help to create positive outcomes in conservation? These two artists who put nature and wildlife at the centre of their art, and birds feature prominently. Meet Brenton See and Sally Edmonds, prominent artists based in Perth in Western...
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Bonus - The toll of feral cats on Australian wildlife with Judy Dunlop
Predation by feral cats is one of the biggest threats to the unique wildlife of Australia. The WA Feral Cat Working Group is working to reduce the threat. Feral cats are a major threat to wildlife in Australia, with their predation causing declines in many native species. These non-native…
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Bonus - Monday with Grant - Gregory Andrews
Gregory Andrews is a D'harawal man and was Australia's first-appointed Threatened Species Commissioner. He owns and manages Wombat Ridge Nature Reserve near Goulburn in NSW and is an Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra's Institute for Applied Ecology. Grant spoke with…
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083 Designing and running a crowdfunded reseach project with Matt Herring
Giving you a special Christmas present, and celebrating the work Dr. Matt Herring and the team behind the Tracking Australia's Painted Snipe crowdfunding effort, Dr. Matt Herring and I talk about Matt's back story, the need for the project, and we recognise and celebrate the research team, and…
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Bonus - Monday with Holly - The Urban Powerful Owls of Brisbane
Maybe you have seen the great photos that Dr. Nick and Lucy have been posting on Twitter and other social media of the Powerful Owls they have come to know in Brisbane? They discuss these #Powls with Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of Birdlife Australia's Urban Birds program and Birds In Backyards…
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082 - The Critically Endangered birds of SW Western Australia wth Sarah Comer
Managing isoloated populations is difficult, more so when bushfire places and entire population in peril. Sarah Comer explains how the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is managing Western Ground Parrot, Noisy Scrub-birds, Western Bristlebird and Western...
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Monday with Holly - Painted Snipe and Matt Herring
Here is the audio of the recent live stream, in the Monday with Holly regular Monday spot, where Dr. Matt Herring talked about his current crowdfunding campaign, to raise about $70,000 dollars to attempt to track about a dozen of one of the least known, and rarest birds in Australia, the…
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081 - The Plains-wanderer with Saskia Gerhardy
A year or so back I spoke with Dan Nugent about one of Australia's strangest and rarest birds, the Plains-wanderer, and the work that Dan was doing monitoring the birds in the grasslands of Victoria and New South Wales. (If you haven't heard that episode already, you can grab it here) In this...
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Bonus - Gang-gang Cockatoos and the NZ Bird Of The Year
Here is a bonus for you - audio of the live stream where Grant spoke with Dr. Michael Mulvaney about the (recently listed as Endangered) Gang-gang Cockatoo, and community efforts, by the Red Hill Regeneration Group in Canberra to assist it, as well as some interesting observations that have been...
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079 Using Soundscapes for Habitat Restoration with Dr. David Watson
Dr. David Watson, is an ornithologist, and Professor in Ecology in the school of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences at Charles Sturt University, in Albury in regional, New South Wales, Australia. David and post-Doc researcher, Elizabeth Znidersic have recently released a paper...
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Bonus - The new Weekend Birder podcast with Kirsty Costa
There is a new birder/birdwatching podcast on the scene, it's produced in Melbourne as well, and I am really excited that it's another avenue for people to discover the joy of getting to know birds, and to become a certified Bird Nerd! I spoke with the host and producer of the show, Kirsty Costa,...
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078 The Ghost Bird with Neil Hamilton
For almost 30 years, ornithologist, Neil Hamilton has been caring for, working with and studying birds, and many of Australia's unique animals. Beginning as teenager at Tooronga Zoo, Neil has gone on to senior keeper positions at Perth Zoo, and moved on to practical conservation work and research...
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Red-rumped Parrot Citizen Science "Rumpuary" with Rob Ashworth
This bonus episode is the audio from the live stream recently conducted with Robert Ashworth, A Masters student at Melbourne University. Robert is running a Citizen Science project about known nesting sites and hollows used by the Australian grass-parrot, the Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus...
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Fotography Friday with Nicolas Rakotopare and Sandy Horne
Here is the Fotography Friday conversation that Grant and Nicolas Rakotopare had with Sandy Horne, recounting her introduction to photography, and bird photography in particular. The photographs discussed are on this webpage and also check out Sandy's Flickr albums. Follow Sandy on Twitter...
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Selecting plants to use in a bird-friendly garden
Another Bonus episode - the audio of a live stream where Grant Williams and Dr. Holly Parsons suggest some plants they like to use in a bird and wildlife-friendly garden, and give some design tips. Grant draws upon his knowledge as a horticulturist to suggest an approach to structure, and to...
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077 Aotearoa Southern Dotterel
What do you think is the rarest bird in New Zealand? Perhaps, you immediately think of the Kakapo? But the title probably belongs to a seabird, or a little-known shorebird, the Southern Dotterel (or the Southern Red-breasted Plover) (Chadrius obscurus), which has been described as a distinct...
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076 The Adrift Lab - Plastic Pollution and the Flesh-footed Shearwaters of Lord Howe Island
This episode is a little different than our usual "regular" episode, in that is the audio of the video live stream, and a number of images and videos are referenced in the recording. Because the subject matter is so shocking, and really should be a wake up call for many people (listen for the...
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Fotography Friday with Nicolas Rakotopare (Reboot)
Fotography Friday has been given a bit of an overhaul, and will be an irregular regular bonus in The Bird Emergency feed. The reboot episode features Nicolas Rakotopare, who is based in the northern Australian state of Queensland. His work focuses on documenting science and nature, bringing…
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075 Bird Conservation Policy and (much more) with Hugh Possingham
Professor Hugh Possingham is widely know in Australia, as the Chief Scientist in the State of Queensland, but also as a champion of birds, and for his work assisting to develop conservation stragegy and plans utilising his skills as a mathematician, combined with his training as an ecologist to...
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Corvus urbanis - Are urban birds evolving into new species? with Darryl Jones
Continuing with our regular theme exploring the interactions between birds in urban settings, and the humans that have created and live in them, Grant spoke with ecologist and author, Emeritus Professor Darryl Jones, of the Centre for Planetary Health & Food Security and the School of Environment…
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Monday with Holly - Wild Birds: To Feed or Not To Feed?
Should we be feeding our local wild birds? Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia, Dr. Johanne Martens and Prof. David Phalen from the University of Sydney, discuss this issue with Grant, who has been feeding his local birds in the park. Where did they end up…
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074 Whimbrels in Iceland with Camilo Carneiro
Camilo Carniero is a biologist and ecologist and postdoc researcher at the South Iceland Research Centre, after completing a PhD in Biology and Ecology of Global Change; University of Aveiro. His masters thesis was the "Breeding parameters, diet and growth of the Red Heron (Ardea purpurea) in...
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073 Migratory Birds of the Middle East with Yoav Perlman
Yoav Perlman is based in a region of the world that is not often the first thought when bird nerds begin thinking about destinations to sate our birdwatching desires, but the Middle East is a great destination. It is on an avian highway, and the movement between Africa and Europe and Asia is...
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Monday with Holly - Urban Biodiversity with Jacinta Humphrey
The term "biodiversity" is thrown around and inserted into conversations all the time. But when one person says biodiversity, is the full meaning of the term conveyed to anybody listening? Dr. Holly Parsons from Birdlife Australia (Birds In Backyards) is joined by Jacinta Humphrey, a PhD…
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072 Captive Breeding at Zoos SA with Chad Crittle
What is it like to be involved in a breeding program and managing part of an insurance population of an endangered species that is under human care? How important are the birds that you see in free-flight displays at zoos and sanctuaries around the world? How do the birds in those shows get...
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071 Successful conservation strategies for the Forty-spotted Pardalote with Sally Bryant
Dr. Sally Bryant is the Chair of the Forty-spotted Pardalote Recovery Team. The Recovery Plan for the 40-Spot is currently being updated, so the team are busy doing that. (Yes, I know we love this bird!). Over more than 30 years, Sally has worked in government and in the non-government and…
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070 Drones are improving conservation efforts and woodland bird with Rohan Clarke
If you have a copy of the Australian Bird Guide, then you already are familiar with some of the work of Rohan Clarke. If you have been a keen Bird Nerd for many, many years, and consume as much information as you can about Australian Birds, then you have probably read many articles where Rohan is...
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Monday with Dr Holly - The Fairywren Project with Dr Joe Welklin
Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds Program at Birdlife Australia, and Grant Williams recently spoke with Dr. Joe Welklin, one of the principal researchers who originated The Fairywren Project, which has been looking into the ecology, distribution and relationships between the genus...
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069 Prothonotary Warbler with Jarod Hitchings
This episode began as a celebration of one of the most curiously named, most loved and interesting migratory species of North and Central America, the Prothonotary Warbler. It became a very free-flowing and wide-ranging discussion about a bird that Jarod is obviously very passionate about, his...
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068 Migratory Birds and the Salt Pans project in Taiwan with Scott Pursner
Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (WorldMigratoryBirdDay.org) and this episode we talk to Scott Pursner from the Taiwan Wild Bird Federation about the birds that move thorough Taiwan, that reside in Taiwan and the reclaimation project to maintain some disused salt pans, that had become…
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067 Bird Strike in Asia and the evolution of Pittas with David Tan
Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (WorldMigratoryBirdDay.org), PhD candidate, David Tan, tells us about the stunning Pittas that needlessly fall victim to BirdStrike as the migrate thorough SIngapore, why SIngapore is a great birding spot, and his adventures in Arizona, a bird hotspot in the...
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066 Adelie Penguins with Javed Riaz
Photo courtesy - Marcus Salton What could be for fun than talking again about penguins, with somebody who has summed up their research project in a haiku? Well, in this episode, as part of the @PintOfScienceAU Takeover for 2022, you will meet Javed Riaz, who is a undertaking PhD studies on the...
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065 New approaches to urban nest boxes with Kylie Soanes
Something we have returned to time and time again in The Bird Emergency is how we have removed the nesting opportunities for birds that require hollows, and the need for shelter by all sorts of wildlife. Thankfully, there are many people looking at other options, other than waiting 100 years or…
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A new course for birdwatching with Ricki Coughlan
Have you ever considered brushing up on your bird-watching skills in a more formal and structured way? Are you just starting out and would like to get a headstart on the years it takes to get to know the best methods to identify any bird you see around you? Do you have kids, or know someone who…
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064 Brolgas and Wind Farms with Hamish Cumming
As we move from traditional power generation methods we may be introducing significant new threats into the landscape. For many years Hamish Cumming has been trying to protect the Brolgas of western Victoria against the proliferation of windfarms in the prime habitat of the southern population of...
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063 The Tawaki Project with Ursula Ellenberg
World Penguin Day has ambushed me! Truth be know, I did not even know it existed! Luckily when I saw some Twitter talk about it, I had an episode just about ready to go! Please enjoy hearing Dr Ursula Ellenberg, from the Tawaki Project tell me about the marvellous penguin, the Tawaki, or as we…
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062 Urban Powerful Owls with Bronwyn Isaac
When I was a youngster, I used to imagine being able to venture into the dense schlerophyll eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia with the chance to see the majestic, slightly terrifying but aptly named Powerful Owl. This bird is the largest of the Australian owls, and has adapted to living in...
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Monday Megaphone - Birdlife Australia current projects Part 2
Birdlife Australia always has a range of projects underway to learn more about our endangered birds, and to design the important programs to try to ensure the survival of the most at-risk species in Australia. Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia talks to...
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Monday Megaphone Livestream with Holly Parsons - Birdlife Australia Current Projects March 2022 Part 1
Birdlife Australia always has a range of projects underway to learn more about our endangered birds, and to design the important programs to try to ensure the survival of the most at-risk species in Australia. Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia talks to...
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061 The disappearing turtle doves of the UK with Charlotte O'Neill
You may have always been familiar with turtle doves the same way I was - a childhood song that also references pear trees and partridges.... It may surprise you to know that turtle doves are becoming scarce in the UK. I wanted to know more, so I spoke with Charlotte O'Neill, who is a student in...
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Monday Megaphone with Holly Parsons - Albert's Lyrebird and Brush Turkeys
Grant and Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia, are joined by Fiona Backhouse and Matthew Hall, who have both recently completed their fieldword, analysis and writing their PhD theses, on the Albert's Lyrebird and Brush Turkey, respectively. This is the...
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060 Wing Threads - Microlight circumnavigation of Australia with Milly Formby
Milly Formby is amazing! A zoologist, artist, author and now, an Adventurer! Meet Milly and learn about the amazing Wing Threads project, which will see her fly a microlight aircraft around Australia, visiting schools and communities along the way, Sharing The Awesomeness of Shorebirds from…
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Bonus - Monday Megaphone with Holly Parsons Short - Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Surveys
Dr. Holly Parsons, the Manager - Urban Birds programs at Birdlife Australia, joins Grant Williams regularly to talk about issues of interest to Bird Nerds, and to meet some of the fabulous people running the Citizen Science projects, or undertaking vital research. Here is part of the most recent...
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059 The Bruny Island Bird Festival 2022 with Cat Davidson
In this episode we talk to Cat Davidson, one of the organisers of the Bruny Island Bird Festival, which is on from the 25th to the 27th of March 2022, and celebrates the birds that make the small island, off the eastern coast of Tasmania, their home. Bruny Island is one the stronghold of the...
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058 Megaphone Monday - Urban Birds, Cockatoos Bin Chickens and Brush Turkeys
Grant was joined by Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia, Dr. John Martin, Research Scientist at Taronga Conservation Society, at Taronga Zoon in Sydney and Dr. Jennifer Colbourne, who is researching cockatoo cognition at the Messerli Institute in Vienna.…
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About this show
Birds are rapidly disappearing from all around us. Habitat reduction, climate change, pesticides, invasive pests and many more factors are causing the reduction in the numbers of all species, and more species face the increased threat of extinction.
Hosted by
Grant Williams