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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
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
What’s That Bird?: House Finch
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 Ryan O’Donnell
Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa https://mesa.wbu.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Summary: Is that red and brown bird a cardinal? What about the 'Black Cardinal’? Join Cheryl and Kiersten to learn about the cardinal, the pyrrhuloxia, and the phainopepla.
Show Notes:
www.allaboutbirds.org
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 Nov 22, 2021
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Summary: Cheryl and Kiersten discuss some bird feeding myths that have spread misinformation for decades. Can I stop feeding birds once I’ve started and is white sugar really the best stuff for hummingbirds? Join The Feathered Desert to find out the answers!
Show Notes:
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birds www.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 Nov 15, 2021
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Summary:The question of whether supplemental bird feeding is harmful or helpful has been a hot topic for years. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk Pros and Cons so our listeners can make an educated decision about this hobby.
Show Notes:
Grieg, Emma,Living Bird, Winter 2017, Vol. 36, Issue 1, Do bird feeders help or hurt birds?
https://www.audubon.org/news/to-feed-or-not-feed
Becker, Daniel; Steicker, Daniel; Attizer, Sonia. Linking anthropogenic resources to wildlife-pathogen dynamics: a review and meta-analysis: Ecology Letters, Vol 8, Issue 5. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12428
Additional Podcasts on this Subject:
Episode 23: How to Keep your Feeder from Becoming a Disease Depot,
Episode 24: Seasonally Savvy,
Episode 25:Hawk Migration: Backyard Bird Hunters,
Episode 27:Window Collisions: A Preventable Death
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Wild Birds Unlimited Mesa, Arizona: www.wbu.com/mesa
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 Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Summary:Have you ever wanted to do something more than just enjoy watching the birds in your backyard? Cheryl and Kiersten talk about what kinds of Citizen Scientist projects are out there for dedicated bird feeders and watchers that want to do more with their information. Listen and find out what you can sign up for and how it helps our birds!
Show Notes:
Snail Mail address: Project Feeder Watch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
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 Sep 27, 2021
Monday Sep 27, 2021
Summary:Songbirds are not the only ones who migrate. Hawks will be coming back to your yard this winter so join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk hawks. Learn about what makes them special and how to deal with them at your backyard feeders.
Show Notes:
Fall Hawk Migration begins the end of September into beginning of October
https://allaboutbirds.org/guide
PDF of Wild Bird Rehabbers in Phoenix Area: https://azwildlife.org/resources/Documents/Wildlife%20Rehab%20Contact%20List.pdf
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 Sep 20, 2021
Monday Sep 20, 2021
Summary: Changing Seasons means changing needs for our feathered friends. Join Kiersten and Cheryl as they talk about what being seasonally savvy means and how we can help our backyard birds’ year be a successful one.
Show Notes:
The Joy of Bird Feeding by Jim Carpenter
Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa www.wbu.com/mesa
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 Sep 06, 2021
Monday Sep 06, 2021
Summary: Have you ever wondered why birds lay eggs? Or how chicks survive in an egg? Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they crack into the mystery of the egg. You’ll learn why birds lay eggs, why they are colored, and how the chick can survive until hatching.
Show Notes:
Bird Egg ID: https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/attracting-birds/bird-nesting/identify-bird-eggs/
The Book of Eggs: A Life-Size Guide to the Eggs of Six Hundred of the World’s Bird Species by Mark E. Hauber (Serious Egg Enthusiasts only! Seriously big book!)
PBS Nature Egg Episode: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-egg-lifes-perfect-invention
Egg Coloring: https://www.indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/how-eggs-get-their-color.php
Goldcrest Link: https://avibirds.com/goldcrest
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birds www.naturescapes.com
Our 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 Aug 30, 2021
Monday Aug 30, 2021
Summary: Cheryl and Kiersten shine a light on nighttime pollination activity. The Lesser long-nosed bat is an important desert pollinator that is amazing! Join us as we tell you all about these busy nocturnal pollinators.
Show Notes: Arizona Highways Wildlife Guide: 125 of Arizona’s Native Speciesby Brooke Bessesen was referenced
PBS Nature S39 Ep13 The Bat Man of Mexico: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/about-bat-man-mexico/25220/
Photo: https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/lesser%20long%20nose%20bat.php
Bat Myths and truths: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/nature/article/bat-myths-busted
Our 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 Aug 23, 2021
Monday Aug 23, 2021
Summary:What’s that tapping? It’s a woodpecker! Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they discuss the fabulous world of woodpeckers. Learn about what makes them so fascinating and how to identify our local Valley residents.
Show Notes:
Woodpecker facts: https://birdfeederhub.com/facts-about-woodpeckers
Woodpecker nest box link (The Northern Flicker Size works for our locals as well): https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/birds/northern-flicker/
Link on how to prevent invasive European Starlings: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/managing-house-sparrows-and-european-starlings/
Ornithologyby Frank B. Gill was also referenced
Woodpecker anticdote about decoy on house: The Joy of Bird Feedingby Jim Carpenter
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Our 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.