Melissa Groo joins Bill to talk about her life and the late start she got to her amazing career as a "wildlife biographer." Though she is most famous for her captivating bird and wildlife photographs, Melissa strives to convey more than that, capturing the personality, soul, and essence of her subjects in hopes of inspiring empathy from humankind for the plight of the natural world. Posted Tue, 11 Dec 2018.

Favorite holiday gifts given and received is a major topic of this episode and among those gifts mentioned are a hockey stick, a mink coat, ten-speed bikes, and a vintage saucepan. Ben's nightmare Christmas Bird Count experience and Bill's Disney World surprise stories take center stage. Also mentioned are a conspiracy theory about wild birds, a new app that's like Shazam for bird sounds, an update on Ben's hot feeder action, and plans to handicap the results of the OTWTB Global Big Year Challenge™. Posted Wed, 6 Dec 2018.

While snowbound last January, columnist Julie Zickefoose used the at-home time to come up with six tips sure to improve your backyard bird watching as outdoor temperatures fall. Featured in the January/February 2019 issue of Bird Watcher's Digest. Posted Mon, 10 Dec 2018.