Life List: A Birding Podcast

Kashi Davis, principal zoologist and conservation biologist with New Jersey DEP Fish and Wildlife, joins us to talk about the realities of managing endangered coastal birds in New Jersey. She breaks down what happened in the 2026 breeding season for piping plovers, least terns, American oystercatchers, black skimmers, and black rails, and explains how storms, habitat change, and human recreation shape so much of the work. We also discuss the public-facing side of conservation, from beach mana...

Hey folks, first off, we're covering a heavy topic today as we reflect on safety in nature in light of recent news and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's role in taking a stance on it. Other topics we cover include: Why birding in Portugal is just gosh-darn funSteppe habitats of the worldHow the word "discovering" might be overused in new speciesPlus, check out our tours! Birds Georgia is collaborating with Hillstar Nature in IndiaAlvaro's Adventures has upcoming tours in India, bir...

George and Alvaro catch up on current birding conditions, starting with an unusually warm West Coast pelagic season and the bird shifts that seem to be following it. They also swap stories about viral bird media, misidentification noise online, and a run of memorable wildlife encounters, from otters and beavers to coyotes and yard scat. Get more Life List by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.&n...

First things first: Listen to this entire episode by subscribing to our Life List Patreon! Here's a piece of our newest bonus content—just listen to the first minute of this podcast episode to hear about what you get. You can view Josh's upcoming tours here, and Mollee's upcoming tours here. Get more Life List by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com. Thanks to Kowa Optics for s...

We're back with a perennial favorite episode: Digging into some of the most noteworthy changes in species with this year's AviList taxonomy update! Listen in to hear what's changing and get a preview of how your life list might grow as a result. Thanks, Marshall Iliff, for joining us once again for this episode! You can learn about AviList here and keep an eye on these taxonomic changes to become official online! Get more Life List by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreo...