"For the Birds" began airing on KUMD in Duluth, MN, in May, 1986, and is the longest continually-running radio program about birds in the U.S. Hundreds more episodes are available for free at http://www.lauraerickson.com/radio/.
Reading the feed…
My daughter lives next door to one of my good birding friends, so we let each other know about good birds.
A great many birds love peanuts and corn, but there are several very important caveats about offering it to them.
There are many different ways to pinpoint the end of summer and the start of autumn.
Squirrels hoard food supplies. Blue Jays hoard food AND toys.
Laura talks about the relationship between Blue Jays and oaks
Lots of comings and goings on Peabody Street.
Hunter Biden’s splendid blog is filled with hope, redemption, and even some birds. (NON-political.)
Why do oceanic islands have so many species we don't see anywhere else? And why does the geologic history of an island make a difference in how many and what species live there?
Laura and Russ are headed to the Galápagos Islands next year. The tour leader, Alvaro Jamarillo, is someone Laura met almost 20 years ago on a different tour.
Monarch caterpillars and butterflies are supposed to be toxic, but birds haven't always gotten that memo. (The blog post accompanying this program has a LOT of cool photos and videos, especially of the monarch's life cycle.)
Even as Laura is as furious as she is terrified of the horrible conditions in Duluth right now, she's finding beauty.
This past week, the Air Quality Index in Duluth reached at least 1134 even as the temperature on Laura's front porch exceeded 100ºF. This situation is terrifying.
Laura talks about an exceptionally friendly bird and why it's hard for her to remember its name.
The summer of 1991, Laura and her children raised four baby Blue Jays, embedding the little things deeply in Laura's heart.
On our nation's birthday, Laura is thinking about our right to free speech and our obligation to exercise it.
Two different California governors, a Republican and a Democrat, did their best to protect California Condors from the scourge of lead ammo. The Obama and Biden administrations did their best to at least protect wildlife on some national wildlife refuges, but in both cases, the Trump administration reversed their actions.
Wildlife suffer much more than humans do from the lead hunters and anglers use.
The lead in the shot and bullets fired at shooting ranges and by hunters harms human beings. Laura explains how.
Within days of the start taking office in his first administration, Donald Trump rescinded an Obama administration rule outlawing lead ammo and tackle on all national wildlife refuges. The Biden administration created a new rule outlawing the use of lead by hunters and anglers in just 8 national wildlife refuges, but now the Trump administration is reversing that. This week Laura discusses the issue in depth, starting today with how lead has been used in human history.
Blue Jays have figured prominently in Laura's family life for many decades.
Ludwig the Blue Jay taught Laura a lot of important lessons.
Ludwig, the baby Blue Jay Laura took care of in 1979, taught her all kinds of interesting things.
The Blue Jay is among Laura's top three favorite birds, in large part because of one individual bird.
Laura does not have a favorite child, but she does have a favorite bird--the one who feels like part of her immediate family.
A cold spring can be hard on birds.
