On our next show (#1,099 July 19): A new way to release captive birds into the wild, and some surprising sightings in Iceland and New England. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sun. 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

This article packs a lot of information into a few paragraphs, answering questions about the effects of smoke on wildlife -- and how we can help. #birds

Today's Wednesday Webcam features the Puffin Loafing Ledge on Seal Island in Maine. When we tuned in mid-morning, we saw and heard plenty of Atlantic Puffins, including the occasional one who waddled over and stared into the camera. This cam is in Eastern time. #birds #puffins

This bears repeating: We can help our local #birds survive very hot weather. Here's how.

In honor of Plastic Free July, here's the book "The Problem with Plastic" by Judith Enck with Adam Mahoney. Judith is the president of Beyond Plastics. You can buy it here at the Beyond Plastics website or at your local independent bookstore. #birds #plasticFreeJuly

On our latest show (#1,098 July 12): The migration champion Red Knot; Mike O’Connor’s birdbath algae experiment; and special guest Johnathan Berard on the problem with plastic (here in Plastic-free July). Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive #birds

On our next show (#1,098 July ): a Mystery Bird from the Great Plains; the migration champion Red Knot; and the problem with plastic. FInd listening options at Talkinbirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

This week's Wednesday Webcam is the Live Osprey Cam in Salmon, Idaho. When we tuned in midday, we saw and heard a stunning adult and three chicks having a rather vocal conversation. This cam is in Central time. #birds #IdahoBirds #nestcam #osprey

It's hard to believe you'll find something if you use the search term "pigeons and magnetic livers," but we managed to do it. On our most recent show (#1,097 July 5), Ray spoke with our Debbie Blicher about research on exactly this topic. What's next? "Ducks and radioactive kneecaps"? #birds

You've heard Ray mention "Plastic-Free July" on the show, and now here are the details. Click below for info on what it is, why to do it, how to do it, and even a link to the plastic-free pledge. Let's reduce our dependence on single-use plastics this month and beyond. #birds #PlasticFreeJuly

On our latest show (#1,097 July 5): New research on how birds find their way; audio postcards from California and Central America; and Mike’s colorful commentary about baby birds. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive

On our next show (#1,097 July 5): Fascinating new research on bird navigation; avian audio postcards from Panama and California; and the effects of the worldwide heatwave. Find listening options at Talkinbirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231

Here's the website for the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, which Ray and his guest Luke Safford discussed on our latest show (#1,096 June 28). There's still time to register! Make sure to scroll all the way down and register for housing, too. #Birds

On our latest show (#1,096 June 28): Luke Safford on why Southeast Arizona is a great August destination. Plus, we salute conservation initiatives in Rhode Island, and Mike O’Connor tells the tale of two wrens. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive #birds

On our next show (#1,096 June 28): The great SE Arizona Birding Festival; a salute to Rhode Island’s rodenticide ban; and an audio postcard from San Francisco Bay. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

On our latest show (#1,095 June 21): Steve Brusatte on his great new book about birds as dinosaurs; more squirrel-stopping advice from Mike O’Connor; and good National Park news. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive #birds

On our next show (6/21 #1,095): The Story of Birds, Paleontologist Steve Brusatte’s remarkable new book on birds as dinosaurs. Plus, the world’s oldest living bird species. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 930 am Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

Rodenticides (rat poisons) can kill animals that eat rodents -- including birds. Have a look at the info on this webpage from Audubon Society of Rhode Island. Then we hope you'll join Talkin' Birds in supporting this legislation. #birds #conservation #rhodeisland

In Spain, researchers have found more bird species in some solar farms than in nearby agricultural areas used as controls. This finding suggests that well-managed solar farms can become refuges for wildlife -- rather than empty industrial spaces. #birds

On our latest show (#1,094 June 14): Sisterhood Birding (by and for women birders); Mike O’Connor’s advice for when you find a baby bird in your backyard; and an avian audio postcard from the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive #birds

On our next show (#1,094 June 14): Sisterhood Birding’s by-women-for-women birding tours, and Mike O’Connor’s advice about backyard baby birds. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231

We have often wondered whether traffic noise affects birds' ability to hear one another. This short NPR report says it just might. (You can listen to this article or read it.) #birds

On our latest show (#1,093 June 7): A fabulous festival coming in August; Arizona’s State Bird; and Mike’s attempt at explaining about “Horned House Finches.” Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive

On our next show (#1,093 June 7): a bird and a festival from Arizona; Mike’s thoughts about “Horned House Finches”; and how another state is saving birds by banning rodenticides. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 930a Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231

Want a quick and funny introduction to electric vehicles (EVs)? Here's Late Night With Seth Meyers's take. Meyers isn't endorsing any specific brand -- he's just informing us and shooting down arguments before they even arise. Absolutely worth the 2 minutes and 47 seconds of your time.

On our latest show (#1,092 May 31): We meet a duck that’s traded whistling for quacking; we learn about a photography ranch in Texas; and Mike O’Connor asks motorists to brake for inchworms. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive

On our next show (#1,092 May 31): Photographing birds on a Texas ranch; a long-legged duck that looks like a goose; and a Peach State Plirding Postcard. Find listening options at Talkinbirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

Even if you did not participate in a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) this past winter, you can still examine CBC data. This webpage lets you look at individual bird species over periods of time and in different geographic regions. Bonus:Your toes don't freeze while you look at it. #birds

It's Black Birders' Week! This year's theme is "Flyways & Freedom: Advocacy, Action, and the Future" and the featured birds are the Laridae family -- skimmers, noddies, terns, and gulls. Check the website for each day's theme, events, and actions: www.blackafinstem.com @blackafinstem.bsky.social

As promised on our most recent show, here's the website for LLaves,"Teaching Spanish for conservationists by conservationists." Check out their offerings here. And yes, they can design classes to meet your specific needs. www.bilingualconservation.com/home

On our latest show (#1,091 May 24): Mike O'Connor's advice about nest boxes; Spanish for traveling birders and conservationists; and a marvelous member of the Mimidae family. Hear it here: TalkinBirds.com/archive

On our next show (#1,091 May 24): A mewing mimic; Spanish for birders; and Mike O’Connor’s nest box advice. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

Our own Debbie Blicher wrote this piece about Song Sparrows and outdoor recording for our friends at BirdNote. In only two minutes, it describes about a hundred years of the history of outdoor recording. You might never listen to Song Sparrows quite the same way again! #birds

On our latest show (#1,090 05/17): Rosy Tucker on the magic of Hog Island; David Clapp’s live bird report from Kentucky; and Mike’s musings about mealworms. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive

On our next show (#1,090 May 17): the new season at Maine's famous Hog Island Audubon Camp, and a Plirding (PickingUpLitterWhileBirding) Postcard from Chicago. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

Live from Heredia, Costa Rica, it's Toucan TV! Toucan Rescue Ranch is home to toucans rescued from such stressors as the illegal pet trade, traffic accidents, and deforestation. They're most active during the day, so we in North America are fortunate that this cam is in Central time. #birds

A duck on Mt. Everest? This brief, true-but-improbable story illustrates the resilience of #birds and the compassion of which some people are capable. #hiking #climbing #ducks

On our latest show (#1,089 May 10): Mike O’Connor’s advice on keeping your hummers healthy; Tasha Messer on mentoring young birders; and a Plirding (Picking Up Litter While Birding) audio postcard from the Sunshine State. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive #birds

On our next show (#1,089 May 10): Tasha Messer on mentoring her award-winning Georgia Young Birders; and Mike O’Connor on keeping your hummers healthy. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

This brief narrative describes the use of a bird band from when it's put on a bird to the end of that bird's life, so we can see why bird banding matters. #birds #science #usgs

On our latest show (#1,088 May 3): Our friend, the Chipping Sparrow; Mike O’Connor on Plirding; and the Hidden World of Nests and Eggs with Robyn Bailey. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive #birds

On our next show (#1,088 May 3): The Hidden World of Nests and Eggs; Mike O’Connor on Plirding (Picking Up Litter While Birding); and our friend, the Chipping Sparrow. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or live online (Sunday 930 am Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

World Migratory Bird Day is this Saturday, May 9th. Check this website for all you need to know to participate in -- and promote -- events: www.migratorybirdday.org #birds

On our latest show (#1,087 Apr. 26): the importance of egg shells; a fabulous festival on a Great Lake shore; and a hawk that acts like a vulture. Hear it here: Talkinbirds.com/archive #birds

On our next show (#1,087 Apr. 26): a great midwest birding festival; a hawk that thinks it’s a vulture; and a preview of Plirding (Picking Up Litter While Birding) Month. Listening options at TalkinBirds.com or live online (Sunday 930 am. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

Such great news for Earth month! Over the course of March, the nation got more electricity from renewable sources than it did from natural gas, which is typically the largest source of energy on the U.S. grid. Read on to learn more and feel glad.

Although we wish the Great Pacific Garbage Patch didn't exist in the first place, we're impressed by the tenacity of the creatures that live there. A very interesting read.

On our next show (#1086 Apr. 19): Colorado’s pesticide pushback; and an Audio Postcard from the Sunflower State. Find listening options at TalkinBirds.com or listen live online (Sunday 9:30 a.m. Eastern) here: player.amperwave.net/2231 #birds

Congratulations to Talkin' Birds Ambassadors Gordon and Lori Lam on the opening of their birding tour company, Hereford Birder. Hereford Arizona is a biodiversity hotspot supporting nearly 500 species of #birds. Website here: www.herefordbirder.com#/ (Greater Roadrunner photo is theirs)

We're so glad that Birdability is having its second birdathon for blind birders! Here's all the information you need to sign up and tell friends.