95 episodes

This Birding Life is a podcast from the folks at Bird Watcher's Digest. And like the magazine's content, the topics covered by This Birding Life range far and wide -- from the backyard to the tropics, from bird feeding to bird chasing, from authors reading from their books to birders talking about their "spark" bird. This Birding Life is guaranteed to make you think, laugh, and want to spend more time out there with the birds. It's all about this wonderful hobby we share: watching and enjoying wild birds. Welcome to This Birding Life! Look for our Podcast in the iTunes Music Store.

This Birding Life Bird Watcher’s Digest

    • Leisure
    • 4.6 • 89 Ratings

This Birding Life is a podcast from the folks at Bird Watcher's Digest. And like the magazine's content, the topics covered by This Birding Life range far and wide -- from the backyard to the tropics, from bird feeding to bird chasing, from authors reading from their books to birders talking about their "spark" bird. This Birding Life is guaranteed to make you think, laugh, and want to spend more time out there with the birds. It's all about this wonderful hobby we share: watching and enjoying wild birds. Welcome to This Birding Life! Look for our Podcast in the iTunes Music Store.

    Episode 90: The Final Episode! An Interview with Mark Garland

    Episode 90: The Final Episode! An Interview with Mark Garland

    Grab the Kleenex: This is the final episode that TBL host Bill Thompson, III, recorded before succumbing to pancreatic cancer on March 25, 2019. Bill interviews Mark S. Garland, a naturalist who has been sharing his enthusiasm for nature for over 40 years. He is also the proud recipient of the Paul Bartsch Award for Distinguished Contributions to Natural History. Bird Watcher's Digest subscribers will recognize him as the author of "Birders Question Mark," a Q&A column that has featured in the magazine since 2015. Mark reveals what sparked his interest in nature and birds early in life, and how it evolved throughout his lifetime. He ends with advice for aspiring naturalists: Be persistent, follow your heart, and in the end, it will all work out!

    • 43 min
    Episode 89: An Interview with Jeff and Liz Gordon

    Episode 89: An Interview with Jeff and Liz Gordon

    In July and August, This Birding Life will feature two episodes that Bill Thompson, III, recorded before succumbing to pancreatic cancer on March 25, 2019. In this episode Bill interviews longtime friend Jeff Gordon, president of the American Birding Association, and his wife, Liz. Bill's guests discuss how they met, how their relationship evolved through their love of birds, the accomplishments that they value most in their work with the ABA, current trends in birding, and what the future holds for the hobby we all love.

    • 39 min
    Best of This Birding Life: The Early Days of Bird Watcher's Digest

    Best of This Birding Life: The Early Days of Bird Watcher's Digest

    As you may know, our beloved TBL host Bill Thompson, III, died on March 25, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. What you may not know is that Bill's mother, Bird Watcher's Digest founding publisher Elsa Thompson, died in a fire in her home in Marietta, Ohio, on May 25. We know you share our grief in losing these two wonderful people who have contributed so much to the world of birding. In honor of BT3 and Elsa, we're re-airing this episode from 2013, when Bill interviewed Elsa about the early days of Bird Watcher's Digest, why the family started the magazine, and what it has meant in their lives.

    • 49 min
    Best of This Birding Life: Music and Birds: Jonathan Meiberg of Shearwater

    Best of This Birding Life: Music and Birds: Jonathan Meiberg of Shearwater

    Originally recorded in 2010, this episode of TBL features host Bill Thompson, III, interviewing Jonathan Meiberg, a birder and leader of the indie-rock band Shearwater. Both a musician and a bird watcher, Jonathan Meiberg sparked on music at an early age, but he did not catch the birding bug until his college years, while on a visit to the Falkland Islands. In this episode Bill and Jonathan discuss a range of topics including songwriting, bird behavior, life birds, and the vagaries of small travel guitars. Interspersed throughout the interview are short samples of Shearwater's music. This was one of Bill's favorite episodes!

    • 34 min
    Best of This Birding Life: The Birding Life of Greg Miller

    Best of This Birding Life: The Birding Life of Greg Miller

    In this popular episode from 2011, TBL host Bill Thompson, III, interviewed Greg Miller, an Ohio birder who served as inspiration for the character played by actor Jack Black in the feature film The Big Year. In this episode, Greg tells the story of his own birding life.

    • 59 min
    Episode 88: Jim McCormac: A Man for All Seasons

    Episode 88: Jim McCormac: A Man for All Seasons

    Bill interviews Ohio birding legend Jim McCormac about his lifelong fascination with nature, his career preserving special places and creatures in Ohio, and his many other accomplishments. Jim is the author of several books; he guides birding and photo tours; and he is one of the few people to see both a red-cockaded woodpecker and a Bachman's sparrow in Ohio! Listen to the banter of these two old friends.

    • 49 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
89 Ratings

89 Ratings

Shelby, North Carolina ,

Taking Flight!

Being naturalist’s all our lives birding came naturally to me and my husband. As we’ve gotten older and have more time we’ve really taken flight into the world of birding and documenting our sightings as citizen scientists.
We’d also love to start a “Young Birders” group in our area in NC.
This podcast really enlightens us as we hit the trails with our binoculars!
Thank you!

hgddyv ,

....

God’s speed BT3...i hope they have birds where you are.

Crowbar10 ,

Great fun!

I'm so hooked on this podcast. I'm a dedicated birder, but even my non-birding husband can enjoy this one. This is great to listen to in the car, on the way to work, when we would all rather be out in the wild with our binoculars.

Top Podcasts In Leisure

THIS CAR POD! With Doug DeMuro & Friends!
Doug DeMuro
Critical Role
Critical Role
The Big Three by Donut Media
Donut
Duck Call Room
Si Robertson & Justin Martin
The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz
The Car Mom LLC / tentwentytwo Projects
ClutterBug - Organize, Clean and Transform your Home
Clutterbug