Laura Erickson's For the Birds

How can a chickadee be so smart with such a tiny brain? The answer has surprised many neurobiologists. 3:55

Chickadees are tough enough to withstand temperatures colder than 40 below, so why can’t they live through a cat attack? 4:06

What’s black and white and fun all over? 3:29

Today Laura brings us up to date on her continuing relationship with humor-writer Dave Barry. (3:58) Date confirmed.

Winter begins tomorrow according to astronomers, but birds and sensible humans know it really started last month. (4:11) (Date confirmed)

A possible Calliope Hummingbird was in the Twin Cities this month! What on earth? (Year and month are correct.)

What are some of the practical ways humans can help birds? 4:00

Today Laura Erickson gives some tips for increasing the number of birds at your feeding station. 3:46

No matter what you think of the cold white stuff, Laura Erickson says there’s one kind of snowflake we’ll never have too many of. 3:10

Birds may not eat lutefisk, but some things they do eat are just as unappetizing. 3:46

Minnesota’s state bird may have migrated away from here for the winter, but evidence of its status remains. 4:00

Interested in buying a heater for your bird bath? Laura Erickson says think again. 3:13

What’s the best bird seed to use? Today’s For the Birds has tips for setting up a successful bird feeding station. 3:30

When does Alexander the Great’s horse and Laura Erickson’s favorite duck have in common? Their name. 3:31

Pigeon heroes inspired Laura Erickson’s program today. 3:30

Today Laura Erickson talks about the butcherbird. 3:33

Today Laura Erickson talks about the petty thieves of the bird world. 3:57

Not all birdwatchers are peaceable people—some have been in big trouble with the law. 3:53

Where do good little birds go when they die? Laura Erickson thinks she may know. 3:29

Laura Erickson, who was born on Veteran’s Day, remembers Vietnam veterans today. 4:00

How do birds spend those long November nights? 3:41

Back when Columbus came to America, some birds were much more abundant. What happened to them? 3:55

Why would Dave Barry call Laura Erickson on the phone? (3:09) Date confirmed.

What kinds of beer commercials might appeal to birds? 4:26

Laura Erickson does not approve of Daylight Savings Time, and apparently neither do chickadees. 3:15

Laura asks who will love a little sparrow. (3:36)

Birds are smarter than most people realize. 3:33 Date confirmed.

Many people associate Disney with cute little forest animals, but he also brought to life a pack of jolly, ironic vultures. (3:58)

Laura bids farewell to Fred the Nighthawk.

How do you choose a pair of binoculars? 4:30

The Duluth News-Tribune says cat-eating foxes in Duluth are just a rumor, but Laura Erickson thinks the foxes on Peabody Street must be eating something. 3:52

This time of year, birds don’t feather their nests–they’re too busy feathering their bodies. (3:43) may be a rerun.

How much blood does a bird have? And how do we know this? (3:36) (I think it’s correct that I reworked the script from 2-7-94)

What’s the difference between a Golden Eagle and a Bald Eagle? Laura Erickson says to look at their feet. (3:56) may be a rerun

Fishing with a rod and reel is simple and tame compared with the ancient technique of fishing with cormorants. (3:15) may be a rerun

Today we hear about the ups, and especially the downs, of bird feathers.

Today Laura Erickson reminds hunters to be careful not to shoot swans. 3:59 (May be a repeat?)

The meteorologists of the bird world—Canada Geese—are once again on the move. 3:52

Today Laura Erickson talks about fast food restaurants and the birds who love them. 3:32

The Common Tern isn’t common anymore. Find out why.

Today, Laura Erickson talks about a coot-footed, sex-reversed shorebird with duck feathers and albatross salt glands. 4:16

The trees in our backyards often seem like little more than background scenery for the real action, but once in a while the trees take center stage.

(Not sure when this first aired, but it fit in here, between mostly known dates for the month.)

(The sound file is from a later re-use, modified slightly from the original reflecting the passage of time.)

How are bird bodies designed to allow flight?

What was a Red-tailed Hawk doing in Laura’s bathtub?

Today Laura Erickson talks about the littlest, most colorful hawk of all. 4:02

Hawks are migrating through north country right now, and the most spectacular flights are those of the Broad-winged Hawks. 3:29

One of the most important creatures in the forest ecosystem is also the inspiration for Woody Woodpecker. 4:18

How well can birds smell? 3:41

Just how good ARE an eagle’s eyes? And how do we know? 4:00

Who but Laura Erickson would look for, and find, birds in a roller rink? 4:29 (Date confirmed)

Today Laura Erickson tells how birds keep their feathers clean. 3:56

Do ravens symbolize debauchery and death, or fun and intelligence? It all depends on who you ask. 3:47

Today Laura Erickson talks about laid back, indolent gluttons in the bird world. 3:56

While normal people debate health care, foreign policy, and O.J. Simpson, ornithologists are all abuzz arguing about crows. 3:29

One swallow may not make a summer, but when they leave, autumn is on its way. 3:25

If you spend a lot of time outdoors or use binoculars, you’ll want to hear Laura Erickson’s tips about choosing eyeglasses. 3:46

Why exactly do they call it a “round robin”? And when isn’t a robin a robin? 3:59

Today Laura Erickson talks about the closest thing we Northlanders have to a mockingbird—the Gray Catbird. 3:29

Summer isn’t a bad time to look for winter owls. 3:40

Instead of Lassie Come-Home, Laura Erickson tells a heartwarming story of a loyal little hummingbird. 3:32

If you want to believe summer will never end, don’t look at birds warns Laura Erickson. 3:32

What’s a hummingbird doing on Laura Erickson’s dining room table? 3:11

How are Laura Erickson’s baby flickers doing? 3:50

Hummingbird feeder perches are putting some hummers in jeopardy. Laura Erickson has the details. 3:21

Today Laura Erickson talks about the gentle glutton of the bird world, the Cedar Waxwing. 3:41

One swallow maketh not a summer, but a whole flock of them may presage the end of a season. 3:47

In summertime, backyard birdwatchers ponder the same deep issue as Hamlet: “To feed, or not to feed—that is the question.” 3:55

Laura Erickson tells what a day in her life is really like. 4:15 (Date verified)

How do you teach baby flickers to turn wild? Very carefully 4:49

Today Laura Erickson talks about her newest babies, a nestful of phoebes. 3:49

If Wednesday’s program about bickering baby birds made you think birds are nasty and mean, this may make you reconsider. 3:49

If your children don’t get along like little birdies in the nest, you can thank your lucky stars. 4:07

What are the most common birds of the Northwoods? The answer may surprise you. 4:14

Laura dissected a nighthawk with a group of girls last week. (Date confirmed)

Ever listen to a bird’s heart through a stethoscope? Laura Erickson has. (3:40) (Date confirmed)

What was Northland bird life like in 1919? 3:48

Today Laura talks about one of her favorite warblers, the Chestnut-sided Warbler. 4:06

When someone asks Laura how she spent her summer vacation, the answer is always the same: taking care of baby birds. 3:31

How do you find out where the best places are to find birds? 3:32

Laura tells us how to find hummingbirds along freeway embankments in downtown Los Angeles. (4:04) Date confirmed.

Remember the days when moths used to gather on porch screens? Where are they now? 4:13 Date confirmed.

In response to a listener’s question, Laura takes us on a snipe hunt. 3:41

What do Dave Barry, intestinal parasites, and nighthawks have in common? (3:03) Date confirmed.

Today Laura answers a variety of questions about birds. 4:03

When Laura flies in a DC-10, her thoughts are strictly for the birds. 3:10

Laura tells a fable for our times.

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy, unless you’re a bird with hungry babies to feed. 4:05

When Laura goes out on a Big Day, she never knows what’s going to turn up. 4:14

One of the most beautiful of spring birds is also known as the potato bug bird. 3:52

Today Laura talks about the “teeter tail.” 3:28

How hard is it to spot a cardinal in the Northland? 3:52

Today Laura talks about a little moss plucker. (3:53) May be a rerun.

Which bird has the most beautiful song in the world? (3:00) May be a rerun.

Today Laura Erickson tells us to wake up and smell, or at least notice, the birdies. 3:38, may be a rerun. I THINK this is the right script–it happened at the right time (Bunter would have been 11, and early May was right about when it happened)

Chickadee talk isn’t as hard to translate as you might think. 3:50. May be a rerun.

Which is better: a warm, sunny day or a cool, drizzly, foggy day? It all depends on your point of view. 3:30. May be a rerun

Today Laura Erickson talks about loons, both the wild variety and loon windsocks. 3:27 May be a rerun.

Seeing a Bald Eagle close up can be better than seeing a host of other birds. 3:19

Where have all the Killdeer gone? (3:34) Pretty sure this is the right script for this placeholder.

How do you attract orioles and hummingbirds to your yard? (3:29) Date confirmed.

Where do good little birds go when they die? Laura Erickson’s children figured out the answer. 3:40

Woodcock are calling and dancing in the evening sky, and Laura is out there watching them. 3:27

One flycatcher specializes on the first mosquitoes of the season. 3:59

Today Laura talks about two birds with beautiful songs, the Hermit Thrush and Winter Wren. 3:46

Which can go farther, a 3/4-ounce swallow or a car weighing tons? 3:53

Today Laura gives hints about how to watch migrating birds and how to attract them to feeders. 3:47

Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the death of Rachel Carson. (4:42)

Today Laura talks about the rarest corvid in the Northland. 3:50

The surest signs of spring can be seen clinging to cattails in Northland marshes every morning. 3:35

Can eagles really carry off a human body? 4:17

Everyone knows pigeons and home in on a loft, but some amazing pigeons have even learned to home to army tanks driven miles away during the birds’ absence. 3:32

Today Laura talks about a zippy little chirper. 3:31

Laura wrote this parody of the Winter Olympics after the 1994 event. John Keenan is featured.

How did the first robins of spring feel about last week’s snowfall? 3:17

Robert Frost was a birdwatcher as well as a poet. 3:08 (This is the date on the placeholder, but the script could have been for March 25, too)

When Sneakers the Blue Jay takes on a task, she does a thorough job of it. 3:58

Sometimes it takes an upside-down bird to open a person’s eyes? 3:58

It’s not a pretty subject, but if TV commercials can talk about hemorrhoids and diarrhea, why can’t Laura talk about bird droppings? 3:38 (Confirmed date)

The Artful Dodgers of the bird world. 3:48

Let’s talk about bird houses and the birds that nest in them. 3:42

Why do people spend so much money, and so much time, watching birds instead of other animals? 3:25

What does Tonya Harding have to do with birds? (3:45) Date originally aired.

Some tips for feeding birds. (3:27) Date confirmed.

Alaska’s state bird has the weirdest call in the universe. 3:06

Should we or shouldn’t we put heaters in bird baths? (3:13) Date confirmed.

Today Laura talks about the butcherbird. 3:32

Laura thinks some scientific discoveries might have been better left undiscovered. 3:35 (date verified) (This has a modified script I think I used a year or two later, but don’t know when.)

The hardiest songbird in the world is smaller than you’d think. 3:16

Here’s a consumer’s guide to down jackets that are definitely for the birds. (3:35) Date confirmed.

Is it better to look at a chickadee with scientific precision or poetic anthropomorphism? 3:12 Date confirmed. This has been redone a few times.

Laboratory mice are being replaced by a tiny bird that reproduces just as fast—the tiny Zebra Finch. (3:28)

Peach-faced Lovebirds aren’t the easiest birds to take care of, but the one living at Laura’s has turned into a fine and pleasant pet. 4:15

This week Laura highlights pet birds. Today she discusses how to select and take care of a pet. (3:49)

What does a famous principle of physics have to do with birds? 3:45

Why is it so hard to see crossbills? 3:51

What kinds of family values do birds have? 4:15

Parrots can be taught to talk, but can they really understand what they’re talking about? 3:32

Why does a crossbill’s bill cross? And who cares? Laura Erickson has the answers. 4:50 This is the wrong year.

Why are Pine Grosbeaks Laura’s favorite winter finches? 3:45

How do birds take baths in winter? 4:13