Life List: A Birding Podcast

We're fans of fall, migration, learning about weather patterns, and trees. Today, we're catching up and geeking out about all of it. Plus, Mollee recaps her recent birding tour in Costa Rica, and Alvaro talks about finding a Townsend's Solitaire near his home in Ontario.

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Check out our upcoming tours

• Birds & Wine: Chile with Argentina: March 6-22, 2027
• Costa Rica: A Birder’s Paradise: March 7 - 15, 2027
• Thailand: Apr 4 - 18, 2027
• Colorado Grouse: Apr 1 - Apr 11, 2027
• Texas Hill Country: April 23 - 28, 2027
• Safari Brazil: The Pantanal: July 10 - 19, 2027

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Topics covered

• What's missing from "bird weather" forecasts
• Alvaro's Townsend's Solitaire find
• Varied thrush migration
• Molly's Caribbean-slope Costa Rica tour.
• Birding from different perspectives
• Old-growth trees
• Favorite trees in the United States
• Planting trees for birds
• Long-term planting decisions with a warming climate in mind

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

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 management plans and volunteer outreach to the challenge of asking beachgoers to share crowded shorelines with nesting birds. Along the way, the conversation gets into birding culture, funding, and why some species, like black rails, are so difficult to monitor.

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

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 fun
• Steppe habitats of the world
• How the word "discovering" might be overused in new species

Plus, check out our tours!

• Birds Georgia is collaborating with Hillstar Nature in India
• Alvaro's Adventures has upcoming tours in India, birds and wine features, and soon a newly scheduled tour in Thailand
• See Mollee's most recent tour announcements on her website

Thanks for listening along as we chat about our lives...and our lists!

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

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.

Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

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 Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.

Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

We're catching up on tales from the field as we return home between birding tours.

Donate to #BirdersTogether to support Colombians in the aftermath of the recent earthquake:
https://vaki.co/vaki/birders-together

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

We're excited to be joined by Douglas Tallamy, author of many bestsellers including Bringing Nature Home and Nature's Best Hope, and the founder of Homegrown National Park. We chat about why pollinators are important for birds, the components crucial to food webs, and tons of tips and advice on how you can make your backyard (or patio, or any outdoor space!) into a part of the Homegrown National Park.

Learn more:

• Homegrown National Park
• Homegrown National Park's biodiversity map
• Doug's books
• Mt. Cuba Center (as mentioned in the episode!)

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

George and Alvaro are catching up on their recent birding, and new things they've discovered along the way. We hope this inspires you to take a closer look (or listen) at common birds around you — even if you've already identified them!

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

As is the case with many beautiful things in this world, some of the biggest successes in conservation result from the toughest challenges that birds and wildlife face. Pulitzer-prize finalist Scott Weidensaul is with us today to share stories he's gathered from near and far to share a message of hope for conservation.

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Mollee, Alvaro, and George are catching up in a classic hangout episode. Join us in conversations about why we call this podcast Life List, the birds and other wildlife in our home patches, and a preview of what might come from El Niño in future months now that it's officially been declared.

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

This week, we’re turning the tables. Instead of interviewing a guest, Alex Harper takes over hosting duties and puts the Life List Podcast hosts in the hot seats to chat about how they became professional birding guides, what they do and don't like about their profession, and what their jobs are like.

P.S. Thanks to our friends of the pod in this episode's cover photo - Jeff, Angela, and Surya!

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Birds - crabs - fish - mammals...oh my! Spring birding gets us out there and finding all sorts of things. Alvaro, Mollee, and George are catching up on stories from their time in the field and their backyards throughout May.

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

If you've read anything by Ed Yong, you know that he tackles the challenge of explaining some of the most difficult-to-grasp concepts in the animal world in ways that humans can (nearly) imagine. In this episode, we're chatting with Ed — Pulitzer Prize–winning science writer and bestselling author — about migration, animal senses, and seeing the world differently through nature.

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Jason Hall is back on the podcast to talk about mid-April spring migration, backyard adventures, and time on the other side of the world in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, India.

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Another classic Life List episode: a recipe of biological and ecological facts, rabbit holes, and a healthy dose of talk about life! Bryony Angell wrote The Migratory Suitor for a recent issue of BWD magazine, and she joined us along with Wenfei Tong, an evolutionary biologist, to discuss how pair bonding in birds could relate to that in humans. This is a fun one!

Helpful links:

• Read The Migratory Suitor here as a free PDF download
• Wenfei's main book that we referenced throughout the episode is Bird Love: The Family Life of Birds
• More about Bryony and her work on her website
• More about Wenfei and her work on her website

One correction for this episode: It's prolactin that is involved in crop milk let down, not oxytocin 🙂

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Mollee sat down with Alvaro to recount her visit to the UAE that was cut short when the US/Iran war broke out. From here, she talks about the journey to get out of the Middle East that ended up involving travel to three countries, closed airspace and canceled flights, a missed birding tour, and experiences missiles being intercepted overhead...plus exploration of dramatic wadis, the pyramids, and Ramadan across three unique cultures.

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Bonner Black is back! If you need a little quality hang with your birding friends, we've got you covered.

A few links:

• Check out all of Bonner's music and more on her website
• Plus, don't miss Beasts of Birdin on YouTube
• And thanks to Lars Lachmann via Xeno-Canto for the Great Bustard recording!

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

George and Alvaro are chatting about recent birds in their backyards, ABA rarities, sparrow speciation, recent South American travels, and more!

At the end of this episode, Alvaro cites a new paper about genetic expression with wheatears as the example species. Start here to dive into this research: https://www.the-scientist.com/variation-at-a-single-gene-controls-songbird-plumage-73606

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.

Allison has worked coast to (Great Lakes) coast for years, and today, we're chatting about tales from the field and lessons learned from endless days of visible migration experiences.

Come for the high counts...stay for the simple joys of watching the world go by!

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 sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.