Advertise on podcast: Bird Nerd Book Club

*I am aware I uploaded the incorrect file initially.  The correct file has been posted, however it can take time for streaming services to update.* How does a bird experience a city? A backyard? A park? As the world has become more urban, noisier from increased traffic, and brighter from streetlights and office buildings, it has also become more dangerous for countless species of birds.   In The Bird-Friendly City, Timothy Beatley, a longtime advocate for intertwining the built and natural environments, takes readers on a global tour of cities that are reinventing the status quo with birds in mind. Efforts span a fascinating breadth of approaches: public education, urban planning and design, habitat restoration, architecture, art, civil disobedience, and more.  Also check out... Biophilic Cities The Promise of Bird-Friendly Cities Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

While the question 'why do birds sing?' might seem a simple one, the answer is complex! Throughout our history birdsong has influenced art, poetry and music. It can elevate our mood and bring our backyards to life. We often hear birds singing as we go about our lives, but have you ever wondered who they are singing to and what they are singing about? Dr. Grainne Cleary's Why Do Birds Sing? provides an insight into the world of bird communication that will surprise and delight you. It's an absorbing and informative book filled with answers to many of the common and often uncommon questions we ask about birdsong. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

It is the end of 2025 - so time for a bit of a wrap-up!  Lyzy Lusterman, owner of Buteo Books, joined me to talk about some favorites, some trends, and books to look forward to in 2025. Buteo Books is a family-owned and operated business based on the firm belief that independent booksellers are a vital component of our social and cultural landscape.  Their brick-and-mortar store is in San Rafael, California but can also be found online (Instagram; TikTok) Don't forget to check-out Buteo Books for holiday gifts!  Use discount code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB to receive 5% off your orders. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Ryan Goldberg came to birding unexpectedly, but as many first-timers do after seeing their “spark” bird, he fell hard. Enamored with the incredible variety of species that pass through his hometown of New York City, and with the other passionate birders he meets, he embarks on a year of reporting on the natural wonders hiding amidst the skyscrapers. He learns that millions of birds migrate through the city each year—more than four hundred different species have been found in New York, many more than in Yellowstone National Park. In Bird City, Goldberg takes readers to all five boroughs and all four seasons, through the city’s most famous parks and landmarks. He pursues rare and common species alike, increasing his count and deepening his understanding of how and why birds make their home in this smoggy, noisy, concrete-coated environment. Along the way, he meets many delightful and idiosyncratic characters, both human and feathered.  Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

The British Isles are remarkable for their extraordinary seabird life: spectacular gatherings of charismatic Arctic terns, elegant fulmars and stoic eiders, to name just a few. Often found in the most remote and dramatic reaches of our shores, these colonies are landscapes shaped not by us but by the birds. In 2015, Stephen Rutt escaped his hectic, anxiety-inducing life in London for the bird observatory on North Ronaldsay, the most northerly of the Orkney Islands. In thrall to these windswept havens and the people and birds that inhabit them, he began a journey to the edges of Britain. From Shetland, to the Farnes of Northumberland, down to the Welsh islands off the Pembrokeshire coast, he explores the part seabirds have played in our history and what they continue to mean to Britain today. The Seafarers is the story of those travels: a love letter, written from the rocks and the edges, for the salt-stained, isolated and ever-changing lives of seabirds. This beguiling book reveals what it feels like to be immersed in a completely wild landscape, examining the allure of the remote in an over-crowded world. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Throughout a lifetime of biological and seabird research, Michael Brooke has been blessed with the opportunity to visit a huge array of islands dotted across all the oceans of the world. His is an island list fit to make the armchair traveller green with envy – and potentially seasick. Truly no island has been too far: from St Kilda to Spitsbergen, from Hawaii to the furthest reaches of the Southern Ocean, with all manner of destinations in between. No Island Too Far is deeply knowledgeable and at times humorous book, Brooke shares the experience of stupendous scenery, amazing wildlife and cutting-edge scientific investigation, all blended with idiosyncratic adventures. We discover a great deal about the peculiar ecology and unique species of islands, looking at everything from plants, mammals, reptiles and birds to human aspects, with a splash of history and anecdote. Check out my GoodReads Review here. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Spanning much of the western part of South America, the Andes are home to some of the world’s most magnificent birds, from exquisite hummingbirds to fabulous flamingos. This beautifully illustrated large-format book celebrates the splendor and extraordinary diversity of Andean birds and the habitats they depend on. It draws on the latest findings from the field and sheds light on the lush alpine and forested terrains that make this avifauna so rich and plentiful. With illuminating essays that share invaluable perspectives from some of the region’s leading bird conservationists, Birds of the Tropical Andes takes readers from the Pacific coast to the jungles of the Amazon, crossing peaks and high plains in search of spectacular birdlife. American Bird Conservancy Check out my GoodReads Review. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

In The Feather Detective, award-winning journalist Chris Sweeney charts the astonishing life and work of this overlooked pioneer. Once divorced, once widowed, and sometimes surly, Roxie shattered stereotypes and pushed boundaries. Her story is one of persistence and grit, obsession and ingenuity. Drawing on reams of archival material, court documents, and exclusive interviews, Sweeney delivers a moving and amusing portrait of a woman who overcame cultural and scientific obstacles at every turn, forever changing our understanding of birds—and the feathers they leave behind. Check out my GoodReads Review. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Have you ever gone for a walk in the woods and wondered what bird was making a sound like a siren going off, or somebody revving a chainsaw engine—or sneezing? Do you hear birds every day, in the park or your neighborhood, but never know quite what you are listening to? Birds are singing all around us, and author and illustrator Becca Rowland, aka Girl in White Glasses, connects the dots between their songs and the birds who make them, helping you to easily identify and remember their calls in her book, Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make. Combining illustrations of common and rare birds with fascinating facts and whimsical descriptions of their calls, this book is full of humor and charm.  Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Bird flight is a mesmerizing spectacle, yet its intricacies remain largely shrouded in mystery for most. Even after over a century of study, certain aspects of bird flight continue to baffle the public and ornithologists alike. Peter Cavanagh, a dedicated bird photographer, pilot, and expert in the fields of biomechanics and anatomy, has dedicated a decade to crafting this remarkable book, How Birds Fly. Through awe-inspiring photography and conversational prose, Peter unveils the complex evolutions and physics of bird flight, making it accessible to bird lovers of all levels.  Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Danielle Whittaker's The Secret Perfume of Birds is the untold story of a stunning discovery: not only can birds smell, but their scents may be the secret to understanding their world. The puzzling lack of evidence for the peculiar but widespread belief that birds have no sense of smell irked evolutionary biologist Danielle Whittaker. Exploring the science behind the myth led her on an unexpected quest investigating mysteries from how juncos win a fight to why cowbirds smell like cookies. In The Secret Perfume of Birds—part science, part intellectual history, and part memoir—Whittaker blends humor, clear writing, and a compelling narrative to describe how scent is important not just for birds but for all animals, including humans. Check out my GoodReads review. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Mike Stark’s Starlings: The Curious Odyssey of a Most Hated Bird is a first-of-its-kind history of starlings in America, an oddball, love-hate story at the intersection of human folly, ornithology, and one bird’s tenacious will to endure. Has there ever been a more hated bird than the European starling? Let loose in New York City’s Central Park by a misguided aristocrat, the starlings were supposed to help curb insect outbreaks and add to the tuneful choir of other songbirds. Rather than staying put, the dark and speckled starlings marched across the continent like a conquering army. In less than sixty years, they were in every state in the contiguous United States and their numbers topped two hundred million. Cities came under siege; crops buckled beneath their weight. Public sentiment quickly soured. A bitter, baffling, and sometimes comical war on starlings ensued. Weapons included dynamite, guns, bounties, fake owls, real owls, rubber snakes, balloons, itching powder, and greased building ledges. Still, artists and scientists marveled at their undulating aerial formations, which seemed equal parts poetry and mathematics. Keen listeners recognized the starling as one of the world’s great vocal mimics, imitating everything from fellow birds and cell phones to barking dogs, car alarms, and TV commercials. And then there were their undeniable skills of adaptation and survival. What if there was more to these stubborn villains than once thought? Check out my GoodReads Review. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Professional birding amateur and national bestselling author Matt Kracht has had it with these goddamn birds.  His new book, A Dumb Birds Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever, is a warning, a field guide to help you identify and stay away from the absolute worst birds ever to plague planet Earth. Featuring an all-new scientific scale devised by the author that proves how awful birds really are.  Check out my GoodReads Review. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Roger Pasquier's Birds at Rest is the first book to give a full picture of how birds rest, roost, and sleep, a vital part of their lives. It features new science that can measure what is happening in a bird’s brain over the course of a night or when it has flown to another hemisphere, as well as still-valuable observations by legendary naturalists such as John James Audubon, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Theodore Roosevelt. Much of what they saw and what ornithologists are studying today can be observed and enjoyed by any birder. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Ian Parsons', Of the Trees and the Birds, tells the story of how trees and birds go together, as they have done for millions of years, evolving long before we did. Over their long and shared history, they have formed numerous relationships, some of which are basic and obvious to us, like a bird using a tree to perch in whilst searching for food. Others are more intricate, but still noticeable to us, with the classic example being that many tree species use birds to propagate their next generation by providing their seed wrapped in nutritious food parcels that we call berries. But even this relationship can be more involved than it at first seems, with some trees using lethal methods to ensure that they get the seed courier method they want, whilst other trees use ultraviolet signals to inform the birds that the berries are ready and even change the shade of the berry to indicate whether it is best eaten in the evening or the morning. Check out my GoodReads Review. Support the show Connect with me at... GoodReads: Hannah Buschert IG: @Hannahgoesbirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at [email protected] Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB