The Bird Emergency

086 Tongan Megapode with Ann Goth

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ann Göth spent some of her formative years as a scientist studying one of the most curious birds on the planet, the Tongan Megapode, that uses the he...

085 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Update with Michelle Wille

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You have probably seen the devastating reports about the infestations of avian influenza sweeping parts of the world, affecting nesting colonies of se...

084 Milly Formby - Wing Threads Flight Around Australia for Shorebirds Update

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Almost exactly a year ago, Milly Formby told me about the planning and the extraordinary fundraising campaign that had enabled her to embark on a flig...

Bonus - Achieving DeGrowth with Martin Tye

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you heard the term "DeGrowth" being thrown around in recent years? Have you wondered what it really means, and can it be achieved in a modern soc...

Bonus - Art in Conservation - Brenton See and Sally Edmonds

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does art influence attitudes to nature, and how can it help to create positive outcomes in conservation? These two artists who put nature and wild...

Bonus - The toll of feral cats on Australian wildlife with Judy Dunlop

19 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 thr...

Bonus - Monday with Grant - Gregory Andrews

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gregory Andrews is a D'harawal man and was Australia's first-appointed Threatened Species Commissioner. He owns and manages Wombat Ridge Nature Reserv...

083 Designing and running a crowdfunded reseach project with Matt Herring

25 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Giving you a special Christmas present, and celebrating the work Dr. Matt Herring and the team behind the Tracking Australia's Painted Snipe crowdfund...

Bonus - Monday with Holly - The Urban Powerful Owls of Brisbane

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

082 - The Critically Endangered birds of SW Western Australia wth Sarah Comer

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Managing isoloated populations is difficult, more so when bushfire places and entire population in peril. Sarah Comer explains how the Western Austral...

Monday with Holly - Painted Snipe and Matt Herring

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 crowdfundin...

081 - The Plains-wanderer with Saskia Gerhardy

04 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 mo...

Bonus - Gang-gang Cockatoos and the NZ Bird Of The Year

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Coc...

080 - The Helmeted Honeyeater with Ainsley Power-Walters

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

079 Using Soundscapes for Habitat Restoration with Dr. David Watson

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. David Watson, is an ornithologist, and Professor in Ecology in the school of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences at Charles Sturt ...

Bonus - The new Weekend Birder podcast with Kirsty Costa

01 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 p...

078 The Ghost Bird with Neil Hamilton

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For almost 30 years, ornithologist, Neil Hamilton has been caring for, working with and studying birds, and many of Australia's unique animals. Beginn...

Red-rumped Parrot Citizen Science "Rumpuary" with Rob Ashworth

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This bonus episode is the audio from the live stream recently conducted with Robert Ashworth, A Masters student at Melbourne University. Robert is run...

Fotography Friday with Nicolas Rakotopare and Sandy Horne

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Here is the Fotography Friday conversation that Grant and Nicolas Rakotopare had with Sandy Horne, recounting her introduction to photography, and bir...

Selecting plants to use in a bird-friendly garden

07 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 wildl...

077 Aotearoa Southern Dotterel

30 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do you think is the rarest bird in New Zealand?  Perhaps, you immediately think of the Kakapo? But the title probably belongs to a seabird, or a...

076 The Adrift Lab - Plastic Pollution and the Flesh-footed Shearwaters of Lord Howe Island

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a little different than our usual "regular" episode, in that is the audio of the video live stream, and a number of images and videos ...

Fotography Friday with Nicolas Rakotopare (Reboot)

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fotography Friday has been given a bit of an overhaul, and will be an irregular regular bonus in The Bird Emergency feed.  The reboot episode feature...

075 Bird Conservation Policy and (much more) with Hugh Possingham

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Hugh Possingham is widely know in Australia, as the Chief Scientist in the State of Queensland, but also as a champion of birds, and for his...

Corvus urbanis - Are urban birds evolving into new species? with Darryl Jones

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing with our regular theme exploring the interactions between birds in urban settings, and the humans that have created and live in them, Grant...

Monday with Holly - Wild Birds: To Feed or Not To Feed?

02 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Should we be feeding our local wild birds? Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia, Dr. Johanne Martens and Prof. ...

074 Whimbrels in Iceland with Camilo Carneiro

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Camilo Carniero is a biologist and ecologist and postdoc researcher at the South Iceland Research Centre, after completing a PhD in Biology and Ecolog...

073 Migratory Birds of the Middle East with Yoav Perlman

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yoav Perlman is based in a region of the world that is not often the first thought when bird nerds begin thinking about destinations to sate our birdw...

Monday with Holly - Urban Biodiversity with Jacinta Humphrey

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The term "biodiversity" is thrown around and inserted into conversations all the time. But when one person says biodiversity, is the full meaning of t...

072 Captive Breeding at Zoos SA with Chad Crittle

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is it like to be involved in a breeding program and managing part of an insurance population of an endangered species that is under human care? ...

071 Successful conservation strategies for the Forty-spotted Pardalote with Sally Bryant

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Sally Bryant is the Chair of the Forty-spotted Pardalote Recovery Team. The Recovery Plan for the 40-Spot is currently being updated, so the team ...

070 Drones are improving conservation efforts and woodland bird with Rohan Clarke

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you have a copy of the Australian Bird Guide, then you already are familiar with some of the work of Rohan Clarke.  If you have been a keen Bird N...

Monday with Dr Holly - The Fairywren Project with Dr Joe Welklin

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds Program at Birdlife Australia, and Grant Williams recently spoke with Dr. Joe Welklin, one of the princi...

069 Prothonotary Warbler with Jarod Hitchings

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode began as a celebration of one of the most curiously named, most loved and interesting migratory species of North and Central America, the...

068 Migratory Birds and the Salt Pans project in Taiwan with Scott Pursner

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (WorldMigratoryBirdDay.org) and this episode we talk to Scott Pursner from the Taiwan Wild Bird Federation about ...

067 Bird Strike in Asia and the evolution of Pittas with David Tan

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (WorldMigratoryBirdDay.org), PhD candidate, David Tan, tells us about the stunning Pittas that needlessly fall vi...

066 Adelie Penguins with Javed Riaz

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Photo courtesy - Marcus Salton What could be for fun than talking again about penguins, with somebody who has summed up their research project in a h...

065 New approaches to urban nest boxes with Kylie Soanes

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Something we have returned to time and time again in The Bird Emergency is how we have removed the nesting opportunities for birds that require hollow...

A new course for birdwatching with Ricki Coughlan

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever considered brushing up on your bird-watching skills in a more formal and structured way?  Are you just starting out and would like to g...

064 Brolgas and Wind Farms with Hamish Cumming

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As we move from traditional power generation methods we may be introducing significant new threats into the landscape. For many years Hamish Cumming h...

063 The Tawaki Project with Ursula Ellenberg

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

World Penguin Day has ambushed me! Truth be know, I did not even know it existed!  Luckily when I saw some Twitter talk about it, I had an episode ju...

062 Urban Powerful Owls with Bronwyn Isaac

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When I was a youngster, I used to imagine being able to venture into the dense schlerophyll eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia with the chance to...

Monday Megaphone - Birdlife Australia current projects Part 2

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Birdlife Australia always has a range of projects underway to learn more about our endangered birds, and to design the important programs to try to en...

Monday Megaphone Livestream with Holly Parsons - Birdlife Australia Current Projects March 2022 Part 1

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Birdlife Australia always has a range of projects underway to learn more about our endangered birds, and to design the important programs to try to en...

061 The disappearing turtle doves of the UK with Charlotte O'Neill

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You may have always been familiar with turtle doves the same way I was - a childhood song that also references pear trees and partridges....  It may ...

Monday Megaphone with Holly Parsons - Albert's Lyrebird and Brush Turkeys

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grant and Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia, are joined by Fiona Backhouse and Matthew Hall, who have both r...

060 Wing Threads - Microlight circumnavigation of Australia with Milly Formby

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Milly Formby is amazing! A zoologist, artist, author and now, an Adventurer! Meet Milly and learn about the amazing Wing Threads project, which will s...

Bonus - Monday Megaphone with Holly Parsons Short - Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Surveys

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Holly Parsons, the Manager - Urban Birds programs at Birdlife Australia, joins Grant Williams regularly to talk about issues of interest to Bird N...

059 The Bruny Island Bird Festival 2022 with Cat Davidson

13 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we talk to Cat Davidson, one of the organisers of the Bruny Island Bird Festival, which is on from the 25th to the 27th of March 2022,...

058 Megaphone Monday - Urban Birds, Cockatoos Bin Chickens and Brush Turkeys

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grant was joined by Dr. Holly Parsons, Manager of the Urban Birds program at Birdlife Australia, Dr. John Martin, Research Scientist at Taronga Conser...

BE 057 The Critically Endangered Birds of King Island

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that 3 out of the 4 birds most likely to go extinct in the coming years are found only on King Island? Let's not quibble about species or...

BE 056 Mallee Emu-wren translocations with Simon Verdon

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Simon Verdon and I had this chat, he was a PhD candidate at LaTrobe University. who had been leading a team in an effort to relocate a group of M...

BE 055 Aussie Bird Count 2020 with Tegan Douglas Part 2

10 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following on from Part One of this discussion, Grant is joined by Tegan Douglas, Citizen Science Project Coordinator, BIrdlife Australia, Western Aust...

BE 054 Grant Humphries - Seabirds and WSC3

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Grant Humphries has become The Data Guy after a long career studying birds, and particularly Seabirds. Grant tells Grant how he became The Data Guy, a...

BE 053 Patrick Jodice talking WSC3 and Black-capped Petrels

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick Jodice was elected Chair of the World Seabird Group in 2015, at WSC2.  Patrick is an ecologist, with a special interest in seabirds, and in t...

BE - 052 Seabird Soundscapes with Aline Da Silva Cerqueira

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Aline Da Silva Cerqueira is a PhD candidate, in the Department of Geography of King's College, London jointly with the ZSL Institute of Zoology. The f...

051 Aussie Backyard Bird Count 2020 Results with Tegan Douglas Part 1

19 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Grant is joined by Tegan Douglas, Citizen Science Project Coordinator, BIrdlife Australia, Western Australia, to promote the upcoming Aussie Backyard ...

050 The Abrolhos Painted Buttonquail with Ryan Carter

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When is it important to study a population of birds?  Ryan Carter from Edith Cowan University in Perth, in Western Australia, is undertaking a Master...

049 Fotography Friday with Nicolas Rakotopare

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fotography Friday has come around again, and joining Grant and Ewen Bell this time is Conservation, Science & Nature media creator, Nicolas Rakotopare...

048 How Likely Is A Bird Flu Pandemic? with Michelle Wille

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are the chances that the avian world will suffer a pandemic? Topical, I know!?!! Well, the best way to find out more about that is to ask a scien...

047 The Extinction of the Carolina Parakeet with Kevin Burgio

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I am joined my Kevin Burgio, PhD, to discuss the rapid decline and eventual extinction of the Carolina Parakeet, the only endemic par...

046 Rodenticides and Pest Control Panel Discussion with Dr Maggie Watson & Dr Holly Parsons

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, you will hear the discussion I had with Dr. Holly Parsons, the Urban Bird Program Manager, BirdLife Australia, which encompases the B...

045 Albert's Lyrebird with Fiona Backhouse

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Australia has a famous lyrebird, the one everyone has seen in the David Attenborough shows, imitating all manner of man-made sounds and the sounds of ...

044 The Philippine Eagle with Jayson Ibanez

25 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Formerly known as the Monkey-eating Eagle, the Philippine Eagle is large, imperious eagle of the remote forests of The Philippines. Sadly, it is cling...

043 Fotography Friday with Christy Bharath in India and Ewen Bell

24 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We are talking photography, bird photography again, and how Christy Bharath snaps the birds in an urban fringe in India with a consumer level camera. ...

042 The fussy Gouldian Finch with Leigh-ann Woolley

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Gouldian Finch is one of the most desired cage birds in the world. Inhabiting northern Australia, in the tropical savannah habitat, it has been un...

Bonus - Hollows for Wildlife - Live stream

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here is the terrific panel discussion live streamed earlier this week, discussing all the issues around the loss of hollows for wildlife, and the vari...

041 The Hollow Crisis with Mick Callan

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we see more and more habitat being lost, replaced by new housing developments, new and wider roads, expansions to agriculture and industry, one cri...

Bonus - Creating and Maintaining a Garden for Birds (and Wildlife)

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here is a bonus for you! This is the Live Stream event/panel/seminar (whatever you want to call it) that took place on Monday July 5th, featuring Dr. ...

040 The Red Goshawk with Chris MacColl

27 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Chris MacColl has been unlocking the secrets of the elusive Red Goshawk in northern Queensland and across the Top End of Australia. The work has invol...

039 Fotography Friday with Ewen Bell and James from @SydneyBirdbaths

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trying something a little different, because a huge part of protecting birds, and their habitat, is for people to know and love birds more! That's wh...

038 World Albatross Day 2021 - Dimas Gianuca is protecting the Albatross and seabirds in the Atlantic waters of Brazil

20 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dimas Gianuca works with Birdlife Marine and the RSPB collaborating with everyone comprising the Albatross Task Force to protect the albatross species...

037 World Albatross Day 2021 - Translocations in Mexico with Federico Mendez from GECI Conservacion de Islas and Dr. Lindsay Young, Executive Director of Pacific Rim Conservation

19 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas and Pacific Rim Conservation are involved in an effort to ensure the survival of the Black-footed Albatros...

036 World Albatross Day 2021 - Steph Borelle from Birdlife Marine

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Let's celebrate the amazing explorers of the ocean, the friends of seafarers and the masters of the vast expanse of the seas! Dr. Stephanie Borelle wa...

035 Tour Guide Thursday with Janine Duffy - Echidna Walkabout Tours

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Doing something a little different for a while- an irregular feature to help those bird nerds who have developed a business sharing their knowledge an...

034 The Kakapo Recovery effort with Dr. Andrew Digby

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone who has ever heard about the Kakapo, or seen footage of this remarkable bird, never forgets them They have clung tenaciously to existence, an...

033 The Golden-shouldered Parrot with Steve Murphy from the Artemis Nature Fund

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Golden-shouldered Parrot is rapidly disappearing from the landscape in northern Australia, where this species requires a very particular habitat -...

032 The Philippine Cockatoo - Katala Foundation with Indira Lacerna-Widmann

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Philippine Cockatoo is restricted to intact lowland forests of the Philippines - increasingly hard to find! Indira Lacerna - Widmann and the Katal...

031 Pint of Science Takeover -Superb Fairywrens with Ettore Camerlenghi

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Wrapping up the Takeover of The Bird Emergency by The Pint of Science Australia, is Ettore Camerlenghi, who is studying the complex and surprising so...

030 Pint Of Science TakeOver Week -Alona Charuvi - How studying a familiar species can help endangered species and Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we meet Alona Charuvi, a researcher who has been studing the reactions to disturbance by the Masked Lapwing, a bird that is very famil...

029 Pint Of Science Takeover Week - Toby Ross and the East Asian Australasian Flyway

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An estimated 8 million migratory shorebirds frequent the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) annually. In recent years, global change has resulted ...

028 Pint of Science Takeover Week - Elodie Camparasse and Seabirds on Kergulen Island

23 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The people at Pint of Science asked me to be part of #PintAU21 Takeover - where we takes science and scientists like Elodie Camprasse to the masses a...

027 Scott Mouat - The Unnatuaral History of the Kakapo (and Takahe)

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Scott Mouat, documentary filmaker from New Zealand - Aoteoroa - who has worked on presenting the plight of the Kakapo, the strange Ni...

026 Managing complex conservation programs - Saving Our Species with Linda Bell

09 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we meet Linda Bell, who manages the Saving Our Species program in the New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environmen...

025 Terry Townsend - Birding in Beijing. Swifts and Cuckoo Projects in Beijing

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that it is World Migratory Bird Day?  May 8th To mark World Migratory Bird Day, this episode features two migratory species that have be...

024 World Curlew Day 2021 with Mary Colwell

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Without doubt, the best friend the Eurasian Curlew has, from a public relations perspective, is Mary Colwell, Chair of the Curlew Recovery Partnership...

023 Dani Teixeira Black-cockatoos and Bioacoustics

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Reliable information is required in the efforts to conserve endangered species, and collecting that information can be expensive to gather, or may nee...

022 Birding and Photography in Bhutan (and other amazing locations) with Ewen Bell

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you sometimes marvel at the stunning photography where birds are the subject?  I am always amazed at the clarity and the action shots, or the perf...

021 Update on Where, Where, Wedgie? surveys with Clare Hawkins

04 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we are coming up to the 2021 surveys for the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle - the Where, Where Wedgie project - Here is an update on last year's resu...

020 Plains-wanderer with Dan Nugent

28 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Meet the Plains-wanderer, one of the oddest birds in Australia, living in the last remaining intact tracts of grassland habitat in south east Australi...

019 Mark Holdsworth - From the 'Old School', but has learned new tricks!

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Holdsworth has been involved in conservation for what seems like forever, but has developed from his initial skills working in the national parks...

018 The Poo Episode - Robin Sinclair - monitoring predators in the Grampians when you can't do fieldwork!

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I have been teasing this episode for a long time....  It seems like a great opportunity to pop out an episode that is not about birds, but where the ...

017 Australian Bird Week and the Aussie Backyard Bird Count with Tegan Douglas

11 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tegan Douglas from Birdlife Australia returns to tell us how easy it is to get involved in National Bird Week and to take part in the Aussie Backyard ...

016 Heidi Trudell - What can we do about BirdStrike?

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marking World Migratory Bird Day (October 10th), today meet Heidi Trudell, an architectural consultant, from Michigan in the USA.  Heidi advises the...

015 Monday Megaphone - Talking energy policy and renewables with Simon Holmes á Court

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this Monday Megaphone, where we break format to discuss issues, somebody who knows what they are talking about tells me about coal-fired power gene...

014 Beak and Feather Disease virus with Johanne Martens

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over four years, Dr. Johanne Martens has been studying the Beak and Feather Disease virus, which is appearing more often among wild bird populations, ...

013 Clare Hawkins talks about Where? Where? Wedgie!, Nature Trackers and Citizen Science helping eagles

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

My guest in this episode is Dr. Clare Hawkins, Citizen Science Co-ordinator at the Bookend Trust, and the driving force behind Where? Where? Wedgie? w...

012 Plover Appreciation Day 2020

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Another bonus episode, to mark Plover Appreciation Day and raise awareness of the particular challenges that are facing a varied group of wading birds...

011 The Priorities, Challenges, Hindrances and Successes of Conservation Policy in Australia with James Trezise

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a fairly casual conversation, I speak to James Trezise, who is a Policy Analyst with the Australian Conservation Foundation about the challenges fo...

010 Dr. Rob Davis and the fight for the Palau Megapode

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of The Bird Emergency introduces you to Dr. Rob Davis, who is based at the Edith Cowan University in Perth, which sits on the Indian Ocea...