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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 Jul 28, 2022
Thursday Jul 28, 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 Nick Athanas
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide
Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa https://mesa.wbu.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Summary:The San Pedro River is one of the most amazing birding areas in Arizona and is an important habitat for our local and migratory birds. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they give you all the details about this beautiful region of Arizona.
Show Notes:
https://fws.gov/press-release/2022/-06/service-lists-arizona-eryngo-endangered-critical-habitat
https://www.maricopaaudubon.org/bird-checklist-for-san-pedro-riparian-natural-conservation-area
https://en.wikipedia.og/wiki/mader_canyon_(Arizona)
https://www.nature.org/.../san-pedro-river
https://azaudubon.org/conservation/san-pedro-river
Arizona Republic: 'Cattle Grazing May Spur Lawsuit' by Lindsey Botts, April 17, 2022
Audubon Magazine: 'The Last Stand on the San Pedro' by Noah Gallagher Shannon, Winter 2022
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 Jul 18, 2022
Monday Jul 18, 2022
Summary: Do birds sleep? Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they fill you in on all the details of bird sleep. You'll even find out if birds dream!
Show Notes:
Ornithology by Frank B. Gill
https://birdfact.com/articles/how-do-birds-sleep
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12468
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526132/
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0703452105
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 Jul 14, 2022
Thursday Jul 14, 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 Stephen Chase
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/verdin/overview
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/verdin
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 verdin is a very small songbird at only 3.5 to 4.5 inches and is found strictly in the southwest, ranging through western Texas, southern New Mexico, southern Arizona, the extreme southern tip of Nevada, southern California, and northern Mexico. Adults have distinctive coloring with a yellow face, head, and throat, gray body, red shoulder patches, a small, sharply pointed black beak and black legs. Juveniles will be all gray. The verdin ties with the bushtit as the smallest passerine in NA.
They eat all stages of small insects including spiders. They are considered gleaners, which means they snatch insects off of leaf surfaces. Occasionally, they can be seen hanging upside down from a branch as they search the underside of leaves for a suitable meal. They also eat fruit and are especially partial to berries. They are often mistaken for hummingbirds as they do visit hummingbird feeders. As soon as they hang upside down from the feeder’s perch you know it’s a verdin. Suprisingly, they are not after the liquid nectar, most often they are searching for the sugar water that crystalizes on the ports of the feeder. When you hear this call (Verdin call plays) you know a Verdin is nearby.
Verdin choose dense bushes, shrubs, and thickets to nest and roost. In the desert, one of their favorite trees is the Palo Verde. During the breeding season, a mated pair will make an enclosed nest of sticks, leaves, and grass held together with spider webs. The male focuses on the outside construction while the female lines the nest with soft grass, feathers, and plant down. This enclosed nest will open toward the prevailing winds to help keep it cool in the heat of summer. During winter, verdin will build another nest but roost alone. These roosting nests will also be enclosed but are insulated with thicker materials to help them stay warm during cold winter nights. The winter roosting nests reduce the energy required to stay warm by 50%. Verdin may build more than two nests a year. One pair of verdin in Arizona was observed building 11 nests in one year.
Verdin are non-migratory birds that are fairly common in the Sonoran desert. They have adapted well to urbanization but, recently, their numbers have dropped drastically due to habitat loss. Planting native trees and shrubs in your yard can offer a much-needed oasis for these small songbirds.
Bird song provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology recorded by Stephen Chase.
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Summary: Join Cheryl and Kiersten for part three of their fascinating series on corvids. This episode discusses the crow. Did you know that they give gifts, play, and can solve puzzles?
Show Notes:
Fascinating reading:
Gifts of the Crow by John Marzluff and Tony Angell
In the Company of Crows and Ravens by John Marzluff and Tony Angell
Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haunt
https://vivadifferences.com/differnce-between-crows-and-ravens
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 Jun 27, 2022
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Summary: Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they highlight some of the WBU Mesa store's best bird books. There is something for all ages and stages of birders!
Show Notes:
Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birdswww.naturescapes.com
Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa https://mesa.wbu.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 Jun 23, 2022
Thursday Jun 23, 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 Pat Goltz
https://birdfeederhub.com/facts-about-house-sparrow
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house-sparrow
Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa https://mesa.wbu.com
Our New email address, please reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions: thefeathereddesert@gmail.com
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Summary: Sometimes during our podcasts we ask questions that we don't know the answers to and sometimes listeners ask us questions we don't know the answers to. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they answer some of these questions. The answers might surprise you. They sure surprised us!
Show Notes:
Speed and Feathers - https://www.thayerbirding.com/how-do-birds-fly/
How Birds Learn: https://www.hhmi.org/news/birds-brains-show-how
Doves: https://libertywildlife.org/pub;ications/blog/
Ruddy Duck: https://www.academy.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 Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Summary: Join Cheryl and Kiersten for the second installment of Family Corvidae. This episode talks about the amazing Black-billed Magpie and the Clark's Nutcracker. You'll be amazed!
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 May 23, 2022
Monday May 23, 2022
Summary: Arizona has a variety of regions and each has its own specific birds. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk about the White Mountain area of Arizona and describe the kinds of birds you can see there.
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.