Laura Erickson's For the Birds

Some people grow sentimental over old photos. Laura does over her bird lists.

Laura has a close encounter of the bird kind

The popular Christmas story

How many birds would a real true love give a person?

When Laura sees Bohemian Waxwings, she thinks of Charles Dickens.

How do you say “pileated”?

How can birds eat suet, which is 100 percent saturated animal fat?

How do birds stay warm in winter? They shiver.

What do children have in common with postal carriers? Leave it to Laura to find out.

What’s a Baltimore Oriole doing in Duluth in December? (3:34) Date verified

How do Bald Eagles spend the winter?

Mammals aren’t the only warm-blooded animals that hibernate.

One flaky bird missing a toe

Laura talks about the “butcher bird.”

This is the time of year when Laura thinks about gluttony, which naturally sets her to thinking about birds. (3:57)

Today, Laura looks at a multi-billion dollar industry.

When northlanders feel gloomy about our winter weather, Laura advises us to consider the chickadee.

Laura loves studying avian physiology, but even as she dissects a dead bird to learn the inside story, she grieves the loss. (Date confirmed)

Today Laura talks about the little bird commonly dubbed the snowflake.

When a “For the Birds” listener sent Laura a story about a robin, she knew right off that this guy was for the birds. (3:52)

If you think Friday the 13th is unlucky, seeing a rare little warbler is even unluckier, if your name is Alger Hiss.

Laura talks about war and peace.

Having a Blue Jay for an alarm clock isn’t most people’s ideal.

Laura talks about a miniature version of the Great Horned Owl. (Original tape has distortions.)

In honor of the Toronto Blue Jays, Laura reprises a popular dissertation on the birds of baseball.

Laura isn’t happy about any of the presidential candidates.

When the Varied Thrush turned up in Laura’s yard last Sunday, it disappeared when a Northern Shrike flew in.

Does the Bobolink really sing “spink, spank, spink”?

A Varied Thrush turned up in Laura’s yard, but it took her a while to figure it out. (3:53) (Recast the next year)

Today Laura talks about her little part in helping the Air National Guard investigate the crash of an F-16 fighter jet. Date verified.

How can a four-ounce bird destroy a $27 million aircraft? (Date verified)

Laura used to think that there were too many crows in the northland. Now she thinks there is one too few.

A nighthawk on your pillow doesn’t make for romantic evenings.

Why can’t hunters and non-hunters get along?

When Laura makes an unpleasant discovery about one of her nighthawks, she lets everyone in on it. Date confirmed.

What’s the best way to get rid of a pesky bear? Laura developed a novel approach. 3:42 (with music, The Bare Necessities, 4:02) Date verified.

Today Laura gives a progress report on Ginger the Nighthawk. (Date confirmed)

It used to be that the only cardinals people saw in the northland were the St. Louis variety on TV. But lately the real thing has been appearing at more and more feeders. (3:47) Date verified.

How do birds find their way home?

Today Laura tells the story of a common city pigeon, caught by a little boy, that turned into a fine racer.

How can it be that the most abundant bird in the whole world in the year 1700 was extinct by 1900?

Why do geese fly in a ‘V’?

What got Laura interested in birds in the first place?

(If this is the one I repeated on 1998-02-25, it should be 3:48)

When Laura says the Blue Jay is her favorite bird, she’s in good company. Mark Twain apparently favored the same species.

Is it possible that a chickadee is related to the dinosaurs?

Today Laura gives tips about feeding birds in fall. (I’m assuming this transcript goes to this placeholder)

September is the month when northlanders watch the passage of the hawks.

Laura misses a lot of her son’s soccer plays when nighthawks are on the move.

Today, Laura puts a foot in her mouth–that is, a bird foot. Date sort of confirmed.

On this Labor Day, Laura celebrates an occupation that pays far less than minimum wage and will never have union representation.

Many people in the northland have noticed the decline in songbirds this year. What is causing it? Laura rounds up the usual suspects. (I think this transcript is the right one for this placeholder.)

As Laura counted hawks at Hawk Ridge in August, she had the most unusual assistants to help her spot distant raptors–two little nighthawks. Date confirmed.

Laura gives some tips on choosing the best glasses for wearing outdoors and while using binoculars.

Laura turns to fiction with the story of Frederick and Sneakers. (date confirmed)

For a change, Laura talks about pet birds rather than wild ones.

Today Laura talks about a small but fierce little bird-hunting hawk.

Today Laura talks about a bird that flies well over a million miles during its lifetime.

What’s the true scoop on Jenny Wren? (I THINK this is a recasting of one I produced on 1986-08-04. That’s the script I modified for this.)

The Weekly World News may report about sharks in Lake Superior, but the true story of some Evening Grosbeaks is far more bizarre than any supermarket tabloid could begin to imagine.

It’s tricky business escaping on a vacation when you have to make sure a dog, cat, bunny, and 7 birds are taken care of.

What’s it like to sit out in a backyard with a baby crow and two nighthawks?

This summer’s outbreak of Newcastle Disease in western Minnesota has made many people wonder what other diseases birds are susceptible to.

Television fishing programs never show people giving up on rod and reel and fishing with a bird.

Laura has gone stark raven mad. (I think this is the script I reworked for this, but am not certain.)

The only ones not worried about fat or cholesterol at fast food joints these days are the gulls.

Only Laura would think of birds while watching beer commercials.

Today Laura continues her ongoing diatribe against cats. (I’m assuming this transcript goes with this placeholder)

Today Laura gives the inside story of the Common Nighthawk. 3:09 (This MIGHT be the right script to go with the placeholder–it definitely was recorded for and aired on 7-1-94)

What kinds of moral and family values do birds have?

Today Laura considers the language and conversation of parrots.

Is it really possible for a Blue Jay to learn to talk? (Date verified)

What’s it like to have a hummingbird in the house? (Date confirmed)

What kinds of questions are people asking Laura lately? (Date confirmed)

Laura turns out to be allergic to one thing: birds. (Date confirmed)

This is about taking Ginger to the American Ornithologists’ Union meeting. I’m pretty certain this is the correct date. The meeting was June 24-27, and this is the one date open with a lot of confirmed dates around it.

When a Burlington-Northern derailment led to a benzene spill, Laura, her children, their dog, and a bunch of birds had to evacuate. (Date confirmed.)

The jewels of the forest nest in the north woods, and can be found here all summer. 3:53 (Date verified)

Taking care of hurt birds isn’t all fun and games. (4:04) Date verified

Picking up a nighthawk on Northwest Airlines flight 404 was only the beginning of a novel adventure. (4:04) Date confirmed

The big issue rocking the members of the American Birding Association these days is whether or not birders are allowed to count on lifelists birds that they have heard but not seen. (4:02) Date confirmed.

Today Laura talks about the bird world’s own androgynous Pat. (3:36) Date confirmed.

Today Laura talks about the little masked bandit of the bird world.

Laura talks about the Cedar Waxwing Days of summer.

When a lost pigeon from Thunder Bay found its way to Laura, she thought of another little pigeon from long ago. Date confirmed.

How do you care for a nighthawk with a major head wound? (Date confirmed)

Why would a bird fly in a jet plane just to meet Laura? (date confirmed)

Laura talks about the Captain Ahab of the bird world. (4:07) Date verified.

Laura talks about the Robert O’Lincoln of the bird world. Date confirmed. 3:37

Laura gives tips for remembering some common bird songs. (4:37) date verified.

What’s the best field guide for identifying birds?

What kind of a mother would drag her husband and little children a hundred and twenty miles just to see a bird?

Those little signs alerting people to lawns that have been treated with pesticides don’t do much good for the birds.

What costs $2.99 and can bring endless satisfaction to people and birds alike?

Sometimes a good sense of smell isn’t all it’s cracked up to be—especially when you’re birding near a sewage pond.

What’s it like to start birding at 3 am and not quit until 9 at night? (4:01) Date confirmed.

Reworked from May 19, 1986 (3:41)

In this program, Laura and friends produce a parody of “A Farewell to Arms” and “Love Story.” John and Karen Keenan are featured.

Recast from 4-4-89

Laura talks about a wonderful rarity of north country. (Re-worked from 10-16-89)