• Featured Episodes

Episode 115: True Nature: Rabbit Wars, by Julie Zickefoose

Posted on Thu, 07 Jun 2018 | Episode Duration: 6 minutes, 55 seconds
Episode 115: True Nature: Rabbit Wars, by Julie Zickefoose

Predators and prey evolve together, and that struggle makes the prey more resilient. In this story, the characters are unusual: The prey is everything Julie tried to grow; the predator is a determined rabbit she dubbed Notch. Featured in Bird Watcher's Digest July/August 2018.

PLAY EPISODE:

Download MP3 (Audio Only) »

Episode 114: Identify Yourself: Summer Backyard Focus, by Alvaro Jaramillo

Posted on Thu, 07 Jun 2018 | Episode Duration: 13 minutes, 07 seconds
Episode 114: Identify Yourself: Summer Backyard Focus, by Alvaro Jaramillo

The doldrums of late summer provide an annual opportunity to study juveniles, feather development, and molt, and backyard birds—especially house finches and song and chipping sparrows—are great subjects. Featured in Bird Watcher's Digest July/August 2018.

PLAY EPISODE:

Download MP3 (Audio Only) »

Episode 113: An Odd Whooshing Sound, by Al Batt

Posted on Thu, 07 Jun 2018 | Episode Duration: 7 minutes, 45 seconds
Episode 113: An Odd Whooshing Sound, by Al Batt

The sight and sound of a murmuration of starlings recalls the legend of a long-deceased birder whose gravestone bears no name. It is Odd, indeed.Featured in Bird Watcher's Digest July/August 2018.

PLAY EPISODE:

Download MP3 (Audio Only) »

Subscribe to The Author's Spotlight

Subscribe to the stream below to automatically receive episodes of The Author's Spotlight podcast. Also check out our award-winning digital edition of Bird Watcher's Digest! Many of our episodes are included online.

Subscribe manually to The Author's Spotlight MP3 podcast:

Try copy-pasting this URL into your podcast player:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Podcast?

Think of a podcast as an online radio show. Each show consists of individual episodes that you can listen to in several ways—on your PC, using your MP3 player, or with a web browser. Learn more »

What's the difference between mp3 and m4a?

We offer two formats for our podcast: one in mp3 format, which is audio only, and one in m4a format, which includes audio plus images. Learn more »

Do I need an iPod to listen to the episodes served on Podcast Central?

Not at all. Our podcasts are produced as mp3 files, the most universal format for listening on various devices. You can download individual podcasts and listen to them using almost any application. Learn more »

Books by Podcast Contributors
The New Birder's Guide by Bill Thompson, III

The New Birder's Guide

by Bill Thompson, III
This new book for beginners portrays 300 of the most common birds in the U.S. and Canada. It includes easy-to-understand drawings and maps, great ID basics, and much more! Learn more »
The Young Birders' Guide by Bill Thompson, III

The Young Birder's Guide

by Bill Thompson, III
This lively guide is an invitation to kids to get outside and look at birds. Unlike field guides for adults, which can be overwhelming, this one provides just the right amount of information to be useful and fun! Learn more »
A Life Gone to the Birds by Al Batt

A Life Gone to the Birds

by Al Batt
Audiences around the globe have fallen in love with Al's nature stories through his newspaper columns, radio shows, and magazine articles. A Life Gone to the Birds brings together the best of those stories in a delightful collection. Learn more »
Bird Homes and Habitats by Bill Thompson, III

Bird Homes and Habitats

by Bill Thompson, III
Learn how to create yards and gardens where birds will make their homes and raise their young. Learn more »
Hummingbirds and Butterflies by Bill Thompson, III, and Connie Toops

Hummingbirds and Butterflies

by Bill Thompson, III, and Connie Toops
Get expert tips on how to attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your backyard—and how to identify them once they've arrived. Learn more »
The Bluebird Effect by Julie Zickefoose

The Bluebird Effect

by Julie Zickefoose
Writer and nature artist Julie Zickefoose writes about the change that's set in motion by one single act, such as saving an injured bluebird—or a hummingbird, swift, or phoebe. Learn more »
  • Complete Episode Listing
Episode 115: True Nature: Rabbit Wars, by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 114: Identify Yourself: Summer Backyard Focus, by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 113: An Odd Whooshing Sound, by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 112: True Nature: Pigeons, Naturally by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 111: Identify Yourself: You Can Do Dowitchers! by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 110: How Would a Winter Wren Sound in a Yellow Submarine? By Al Batt
MP3
Episode 109: True Nature: Crepuscular by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 108: Identify Yourself: Do It Yourself! by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 107: When a Dander Got His Dander Up by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 106: True Nature: Peg Redux: Waking Up to Jays by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 105: Identify Yourself: Sing Us a Song, Mr. Sparrow Man by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 104: Sick Birding by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 103: True Nature: Chipmunk Tendencies by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 102: Identify Yourself: Getting It Wrong by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 101: I Couldn't See Myself Without New Binoculars by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 100: True Nature: Frank M. Chapman by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 99: Identify Yourself: Getting It Wrong by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 98: I Don't Know Who Let the Dogs Out, But I Let the Bird In by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 97: True Nature: Puzzle Pieces by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 96: Identify Yourself: Swifts by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 95: A Birder's List of 20 Things to Do Today by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 94: True Nature: Morning Breath by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 93: Identify Yourself: Mergansers by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 92: Do You Know the Way to San Jose Sewage Ponds? by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 91: True Nature: Just Birding by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 90: Identify Yourself: Nuthatches by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 89: Nobody Expects the Birdish Inquisition by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 88: Vulture Exodus: End of December Days by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 87: Brewer's and Rusty Blackbirds by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 86: Birding with a Mouthful of Much Obliged by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 85: True Nature: Who Kills the Killer? by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 84: ID Yourself: Going Nutty with Loons by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 83: A Gentle Pelican Breeze Blew Across the Lake by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 82: True Nature: A Gift, Hurled from the Other Side by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 81: Identify Yourself: Take Note of Taking Notes by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 80: Why I Wear a Safety Helmet While Birding by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 79: Larry Barth: It's the Thought that Counts by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 78: ID Yourself: Yellowlegs by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 77: Desperately Seeking Ouzel by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 76: BinoKiller by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 75: A Birder Is as Cool as a Frozen Cucumber by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 74: ID Yourself: Sparrows in the Buff by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 73: True Nature: Grand Canyon Solitaire by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 72: Snowy Al by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 71: ID Yourself: Cormorants by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 70: True Nature: Birds and the Nature of Beauty by Juile Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 69: Dude! Where's My Spark Bird? by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 68: Identify Yourself: Brown Ducks Are Not Dull by Alvaro Jaramilo
MP3
Episode 67: True Nature: Mentors in Disguise by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 66: Hatched on the Bayou by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 65: ID Yourself: The Tanagers of Summer by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 64: Peg the Survivor by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 63: Ten Thousand Hours is a Long Bus Ride by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 62: Fledglings by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 61: Saying Nothing Has an Echo by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 60: Note to Self: Be Less Snarky by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 59: Here's Looking at You, Bird by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 58: ID Yourself: In Praise of Patch Birding by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 57: Not an Eagle Falls... by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 56: A Little Bird Told Me by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 55: ID Yourself: Bonies, Laughers and Littles by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 54: Fire on the Prairie by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 53: I Come in Peace, Take Me to Your Birder by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 52: Falcons by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 51: North Bend State Park by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 50: On the Road to Hibbing, No Fibbing by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 49: Everyday Flycatchers by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 48: Reality's Virtue by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 47: The Bird Club of the Air by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 46: Sound Advice by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 45: Greenhouse Apocalypse by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 44: Birding with Barney Fife, the Bird Whisperer by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 43: Bountiful Birches by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 42: Eagles by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 41: Have You Ever MBS'd? by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 40: Not About the Birds and the Bees by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 39: North Dakota Pipit Neck by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 38: Finding a Rare Bird by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 37: A Dove Named Frankenstein by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 36: Chickens and Buses and Grouse: Oh My! by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 35: Complete Tern Around by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 34: July's Three-ring Circus by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 33: Shorebird ID by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 32: Wild Kingdom by Al Batt
MP3
Episode 31: The Hunter/Gatherer/Birder Ape by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 30: Confusing Fall Warblers by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 29: A Naturalist's Rosetta Stone by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 28: Finch Fiesta! by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 27: South African Safari, Part II by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 26: Honk If You Like Geese! by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 25: South African Safari, Part I by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 24: Reference Species by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 23: Loon Rescue by Facebook by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 22: Thrush Spotting by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 21: Uneasy Rider by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 20: The White Paper on Egrets by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 19: Ten Junes on the Prairie by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 18: The Skinny on Rails by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 17: Chickadees--Tough Customers by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 16: The Name Game by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 15: Winter Birding--Dead, Until It's Not by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 14: Owls in Black and White by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 13: A Robin Goes to School by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 12: Eating Crow--and Ravens! by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 11: On Shaded Plantations by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 10: Hawking Advice by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 9: Rocking Redbelly by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 8: Five Tips to Make You Better at Bird ID by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 7: Mayhem by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 6: Warblerpalooza by Alvaro Jaramillo
MP3
Episode 5: Birding Presque Isle County, Michigan by Jim McCormac
MP3
Episode 4: Birding on the Run by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 3: Bold Pioneers by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 2: The Egalitarian Gardener by Julie Zickefoose
MP3
Episode 1: My Enormous Egg by Julie Zickefoose
MP3

Subscribe & Save!

ONE YEAR (6 ISSUES) of Bird Watcher's Digest magazine
GET FREE AND INSTANT ACCESS to our digital edition
SAVE 33% off newsstand prices
PAY ONE LOW PRICE of $19.99!