9.8K
Downloads
144
Episodes
Backyard bird feeding is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding hobbies on earth. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk all about bird feeding in the desert Southwest area of the United States. They talk birds, seed, feeders, and dealing with those pesky unwanted visitors!
Episodes
Monday May 16, 2022
Monday May 16, 2022
Summary: What's that strange dark bird with the white bill floating around in the pod? Is is a duck? Is it a water chicken? No! It's a Coot! Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they tell you all about the American Coot.
Show Notes:
https://owlcation.com/stem/the-American-Coot-Interesting-Facys-and-Information
www.allaboutbirds.org/american-coot/life-history
www.skyenimals.com/animal_index.cgi?animal-coot
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
We are no longer sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa but through personal experience we highly recommend their products.
Thursday May 12, 2022
Thursday May 12, 2022
Summary: A three-minute podcast from the hosts of The Feathered Desert about individual bird species found in the desert Southwest.
Show Notes: Song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recorded by Tim Flood.
Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa https://mesa.wbu.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
Summary: We all know dogs are super smellers and now they're being put to work to save birds! Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they discuss new bird conservation efforts using dogs!
Show Notes:
www.islandconservation.org/conservation-dogs-birds-best-friend
https://slate.comtechnology/2021/10/detection-dogs-conservation-endangered-species-science.html
Audubon Magazine Fall 2021: "The New Bird Dogs" by Annie Roth; pigs 26-29
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
We are no longer sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa but through personal experience we highly recommend their products.
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Summary: A three-minute podcast from the hosts of The Feathered Desert about individual bird species found in the desert Southwest.
For our hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
Show Notes: Song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recorded by Paul Marvin.
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
Transcript
Host voice - Welcome to the Feathered Desert’s What’s That Bird? A three-minute glimpse into the birds that we share this amazing desert landscape with.
Kiersten - The Loggerhead Shrike is a medium sized bird ranging from 5 to 9 inches in length. It’s a strikingly colored bird with a color bock pattern of white, black, and gray. The underbelly from chin to tail is a bright white to pale gray, a black mask covers the face from the heavy, slightly hooked beak to just behind the eye. The top of the head down the back is a darker gray with black wings and white wing patches. A long blacktail helps balance the bird in flight.
The loggerhead Shrike is found in AZ year round but is a rare bird to see. It is the only shrike found in North America and nowhere else.
This is an unusual songbird because its diet consists mainly of meat including amphibians, insects, lizards, small mammals, and small birds. Because of its carnivorous tendencies this bird is nicknamed the butcherbird. Its heavy, slightly hooked beak is the main tool for dispatching its prey. They are ambush predators, sitting on a high perch such as a telephone wire and waiting for prey to come their way. Once they have spotted their target they swoop down and strike hard with the beak and sever the neck of their prey. They have be known to take prey larger then themselves including venomous snakes such as the water adder. To eat larger food sources the loggerhead shrike has developed a curious behavior of impaling prey items on barbed wire or cactus spines. This helps anchor it making dismemberment easier. They may also use the wire or spine as a larder to keep food for a later date.
If you hear this call (Loggerhead Shrike call plays) look up and you may see this striking predator high above you.
Before the 1960s the Loggerhead Shrike was plentiful across S Canada, the lower 48 states of the US, and Mexico, but its numbers have declined rapidly since then. Loss of habitat seems to be the number one reason. This shrike needs high perches and wide-open spaces for hunting. When nesting they like red cedar and Hawthorne trees. Pines and thorns of these specific trees help protect and hid nests.
Decreased survival during winter and collisions with cars is another contributing factor in their decline. In Maryland and Virginia they are listed as endangered. Florida is the only region they are still fond in abundance.
Bird song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology recorded by Paul Marvin.
Monday Apr 25, 2022
Monday Apr 25, 2022
Summary:Birds aren’t visiting my feeder; I should move it, right? Hummingbird house are all the rage right now, they’ll use those, right? Old food is no problem for wild birds, right? Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they tell you the truth about these bird feeding myths.
Show Notes:
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
We are no longer sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa but through personal experience we highly recommend their products.
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Summary:There is so much sad conservation news out there that Cheryl and Kiersten wanted to talk about some great projects that are making a difference to our local birds. Join them as they discuss three local Phoenix Valley projects that are a great way to celebrate Earth Day.
Show Notes:
https://wildatheartraptors.org/rescue
https://www.srpnet.com/environment/wildlife-protection.aspx
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
We are no longer sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa but through personal experience we highly recommend their products.
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Summary:A three-minute podcast from the hosts of The Feathered Desert about individual bird species found in the desert Southwest.
Show Notes:Song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recorded by Susan Drown.
Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa https://mesa.wbu.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Summary:Cheryl and Kiersten delve into the fascinating subject of bird-friendly beef through conservation ranching. Sound boring? It’s totally not! Give this podcast a listen.
Show Notes:
https://www.audubon.org/news/audubon-certified-bird-friendly-seal-gets-bird-friendlier
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
We are no longer sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa but through personal experience we highly recommend their products.
Monday Apr 04, 2022
Monday Apr 04, 2022
Summary:In the second episode of our birding by ear series, we are discussing five more desert birds and their calls. Join us on and continue on your path to becoming a master birder!
Show Notes:Bird Song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of ornithology recorded by Paul Marvin, Rose Ann Rowlett, Nate Peterson, and Stephen Chase
iBird Ultimate: Ultimate Guide to Birds App
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
We are no longer sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa but through personal experience we highly recommend their products.
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Summary:Having rat problems? Rodenticide can be a deadly decision for our backyard birds. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they discuss ways to avoid rats while being mindful of our raptors and other wildlife.
Show Notes:
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
We are no longer sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa but through personal experience we highly recommend their products.