The Bird Emergency

Predation by feral cats is one of the biggest threats to the unique wildlife of Australia. The WA Feral Cat Working Group is working to reduce the threat. Feral cats are a major threat to wildlife in Australia, with their predation causing declines in many native species. These non-native predators were introduced to the continent by European settlers and have since spread widely to almost all of the continent, causing significant damage to the delicate ecosystem. Feral cats prey on a wide range of animals, including small mammals, reptiles, and birds. They are particularly dangerous to ground-dwelling birds, such as the endangered Malleefowl, as well as small marsupials, such as the Bilby, but no animal is safe from this voraceous predator. The impact of feral cats on Australia's wildlife is significant, with estimates suggesting that they kill several millions of native animals each year. This is not only devastating for individual species, but also for the overall biodiversity of the ecosystem. The predation pressure from feral cats can lead to declines in population numbers, which can ultimately lead to local extinction. Conservation efforts, such as trap-neuter-return programs, are being implemented in an effort to control the population and mitigate the impact of feral cats on wildlife. However, it is essential that such efforts are continued and expanded in order to protect Australia's unique and fragile wildlife. Grant spoke with ecologist, Judy Dunlop, from the WA Feral Cat Working Group, about the group, the scale of the threat posed by feral cats, and the Group's upcoming symposium. Check out the WA Feral Cat Working Group website here, or go straight to the 2023 Feral Cat Symposium page. Follow Judy Dunlop on Twitter. Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon. You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Gregory Andrews is a D’harawal man and was Australia’s first-appointed Threatened Species Commissioner. He owns and manages Wombat Ridge Nature Reserve near Goulburn in NSW and is an Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra’s Institute for Applied Ecology. Grant spoke with Gregory about his project at Wombat Ridge, where he has placed a covenant over land he owns with his wife, and is managing for wildlife, in a way that uses time honoured and tested methods employed by the First Australians, for thousands of years. Gregory also shared how he is creating a garden for wildlife in the heart of Australia's capital city, Canberra, and of course, some of his thoughts on his time as the first Threatened Species Commissioner of Australia is included. Follow Gregory on Twitter via the Wombat Ridge account Keep up with all the developments and Wombat Ridge and more of Gregory's thoughts at Lyrebird Dreaming. Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon. You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Giving you a special Christmas present, and celebrating the work Dr. Matt Herring and the team behind the Tracking Australia's Painted Snipe crowdfunding effort, Dr. Matt Herring and I talk about Matt's back story, the need for the project, and we recognise and celebrate the research team, and the fabulous Bird Nerds who have donated to make the project a reality. BIrd Nerds are the best nerds, without a doubt!  Thank you all, and Good onya! I have one wish for the season - please head over to YouTube and subscribe to The Bird Emergency channel.  I will be doing much more there in 2023, in addition to continuing with the podcast, as usual. Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon. You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Maybe you have seen the great photos that Dr. Nick and Lucy have been posting on Twitter and other social media of the Powerful Owls they have come to know in Brisbane? They discuss these #Powls with Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of Birdlife Australia's Urban Birds program and Birds In Backyards, and Grant. Get to know how these impressive, nocturnal raptors are thriving in the inner suburbs of one of Australia's largest cities. If you want to see The Bird Emergency interviews as they happen, bookmark thebirdemergency.com/live Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon. You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Managing isoloated populations is difficult, more so when bushfire places and entire population in peril. Sarah Comer explains how the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is managing Western Ground Parrot, Noisy Scrub-birds, Western Bristlebird and Western Whipbird. If you want to see The Bird Emergency interviews as they happen, bookmark thebirdemergency.com/live Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon. You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Here is the audio of the recent live stream, in the Monday with Holly regular Monday spot, where Dr. Matt Herring talked about his current crowdfunding campaign, to raise about $70,000 dollars to attempt to track about a dozen of one of the least known, and rarest birds in Australia, the Australian Painted Snipe. Please make a contribution to the campaign - https://chuffed.org/project/paintedsnipe If you would like to check out the Bitterns In Rice project, just visit https://www.bitternsinrice.com.au/ Thanks to Leo and Patrick, two terrific photographers and friends of birds, who have shared their photos on Flickr. Go and visit their respective pages; Leo - https://www.flickr.com/photos/0ystercatcher/ Patrick - https://www.flickr.com/photos/patrick_k59/ Visit the Birds In Backyards site for some inspiration for making your backyard great for birds. If you want to see The Bird Emergency interviews as they happen, bookmark thebirdemergency.com/live Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon. You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

A year or so back I spoke with Dan Nugent about one of Australia's strangest and rarest birds, the Plains-wanderer, and the work that Dan was doing monitoring the birds in the grasslands of Victoria and New South Wales. (If you haven't heard that episode already, you can grab it here) In this episode we will hear about current work monitoring a western population of the Plains-wanderer that occurs in the state of South Australia, with Saskia Gerhardy, from the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, at the University of Adelaide. Saskia's work has been conducted alongside a project with Bush Heritage Australia, at Boolcoomatta Reserve, a property managed by this important conservation organisation.  Bioacoustics are one of the major tools employed to monitor the very cryptic, nocturnal Plains-wanderer. Here is a recent article from the Bush Heritage magazine, Bushtracks, about the work that is happening at Boolcoomatta and the Plains-wanderer. If you want to follow the project with Saskia, and get updates, follow her on Instagram here. (@saskiagerhardy) If you want to see The Bird Emergency interviews as they happen, bookmark thebirdemergency.com/live Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon. You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Here is a bonus for you - audio of the live stream where Grant spoke with Dr. Michael Mulvaney about the (recently listed as Endangered) Gang-gang Cockatoo, and community efforts, by the Red Hill Regeneration Group in Canberra to assist it, as well as some interesting observations that have been collected via Citizen Science projects. Grant and Michael were joined by Ellen Rykers, award winning science writer, from Forest and Bird in Aotearoa New Zealand about the BIrd Of The Year (which was announced on that morning!) Find out which species won the title, and a little more about it, and the work Forest And Bird does in New Zealand.  There is also a nice association between Ellen and the Gang-gang Cockatoo. Follow Ellen on Twitter here or check out her website. Follow Forest And Bird on Twitter. If you want to see The Bird Emergency interviews as they happen, bookmark thebirdemergency.com/live Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency and we are beginning on Mastodon, because, you know, Elon. You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

Dr. David Watson, is an ornithologist, and Professor in Ecology in the school of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences at Charles Sturt University, in Albury in regional, New South Wales, Australia. David and post-Doc researcher, Elizabeth Znidersic have recently released a paper where they present a new approach for the resoration of habitat on the broad scale, acoustic restoration, where broadcasting soundscapes can entice animals to recolonise areas that have been disturbed, or suffered major impacts from events such as bushfires. David shares his thoughts in this episode. You can read the article in Ecology Letters here (open access) Check out Dave on Twitter, and catch his fabulous reviews of his local birds, that he calls #AwesomeBirds.. Have a look at David's Google Scholar back-catalogue.  Bit of a rock star!   Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency  You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency If you want to see interviews before they make into into the podcast feed, check out the YouTube channel, where the interviews are usually posted first.

There is a new birder/birdwatching podcast on the scene, it's produced in Melbourne as well, and I am really excited that it's another avenue for people to discover the joy of getting to know birds, and to become a certified Bird Nerd! I spoke with the host and producer of the show, Kirsty Costa, recently, and I am pleased to be able to introduce Kirsty to you in this bonus episode. will let Kirsty's words describe her show, and her; "Birdwatching is for everyone. Anyone of any age can go birdwatching, no matter where they live. Weekend Birder is a podcast that shares the knowledge and skills of the Aussie birdwatching community. Discover how to identify birds, fun facts, where to go birdwatching and how to use equipment. Episodes are short so that you can get out there and try out your new skills and knowledge." "Kirsty Costa is a teacher, science communicator and conservationist. During the week, Kirsty leads education for a science-based conservation organisation. On the weekends, you will find her hanging out in nature with her friends and family. After a lifetime of loving wild birds, Kirsty started calling herself a “birder” in 2020. As part of her commitment to education and science, she interviews other birders so that everyone can enjoy birdwatching together." I encourage you to visit The Weekend Birder podcast website, and find the best way for you to listen. Check out the website here Follow on Twitter here Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency  You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

For almost 30 years, ornithologist, Neil Hamilton has been caring for, working with and studying birds, and many of Australia's unique animals. Beginning as teenager at Tooronga Zoo, Neil has gone on to senior keeper positions at Perth Zoo, and moved on to practical conservation work and research with the WA government. Neil has devoted much of his time in recent years studying the elusive Ghost Bird of the Australian Outback, the Night Parrot, listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with perhaps as few as 200 mature individuals existing out there in the dry spinifex plains of the Western Australian desert. In this episode, Neil talks about his career working to understand and protect birds, and organising teams of Ghost Bird volunteers to seek out the Night Parrot on regular survey trips. Follow Neil on Twitter to keep up to date with what he and the team are up to. Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency  You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency

This bonus episode is the audio from the live stream recently conducted with Robert Ashworth, A Masters student at Melbourne University. Robert is running a Citizen Science project about known nesting sites and hollows used by the Australian grass-parrot, the Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus). Robert is looking for you to report any instance you know of Red-rumps using a hollow for nesting, no matter when you witnessed it! To get involved with Robert's  Red-rump project, Rumpuary, follow this easy link - thebirdemergency.com/redrumps Contact Robert on social media; Twitter - @robdashworth Instagram - @r_ashworth97 You can find the full live stream video of this episode at thebirdemergency.com/robashworth  Remember to Subscribe to the YouTube channel - it helps out a lot! Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency  You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency

Here is the Fotography Friday conversation that Grant and Nicolas Rakotopare had with Sandy Horne, recounting her introduction to photography, and bird photography in particular. The photographs discussed are on this webpage and also check out Sandy's Flickr albums.  Follow Sandy on Twitter @SandyHorne61 Don't forget to have a look at Nico's pics... You can find some really lovely shots from Nicolas on his website, not limited to his work with birds at lerako.net Follow Nicolas on Twitter - @le_rako And still more great images from Nicolas on Instagram @lerako Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency  You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency

Another Bonus episode - the audio of a live stream where Grant Williams and Dr. Holly Parsons suggest some plants they like to use in a bird and wildlife-friendly garden, and give some design tips. Grant draws upon his knowledge as a horticulturist to suggest an approach to structure, and to suggest a few plants from each category that he suggests using stratification as a major design principle - thinking like a bird! Holly draws upon her experince with the Birds In Backyards program to add more useful species suggestions. If you are designing or improving a bird-friendly garden, listening to this episode will be time well spent. You can find the video of this episode at thebirdemergency.com/YouTube Follow The Bird Emergency on Twitter @birdemergency or Instagram @thebirdemergency  You can support the show by making a contribution by buying Grant a coffee here - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/birdemergency If you enjoy the show, how about share with your friends or colleagues?  https://followthepodcast.com/birdemergency Or you can review us at https://lovethepodcast.com/birdemergency Image credit - MainlandQuokka, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons