Laura Erickson's For the Birds

Today Laura Erickson talks Christmas birds, from cardinals and chickadees to Snoopy’s pal Woodstock. (4:11) Date confirmed

Here’s a gift suggestion that would please Jim Baker and Blue Jay lovers everywhere: Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays.

Today Laura Erickson makes a gift suggestion for hawk lovers: The Wind Masters, by Pete Dunne. 3:40

Tomorrow is Duluth’s Christmas Bird Count, and Laura Erickson will be out there. (3:46) Date confirmed.

Do environmentalists really value animals over humans? (4:19) Date verified. This was refashioned a few years late, but I don’t know when.

Today Laura Erickson reviews a book that tells about birds from a unique viewpoint: Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, by Terry Tempest Williams. 3:38

Today Laura Erickson talks about one of Henry David Thoreau’s favorite birds. 3:27

Do chickadees stay over winter because they like our company, or because they’re stupid? The answer may be neither. (3:20) Date confirmed.

People don’t always like rare birds at their feeders. 4:16

A lone female Evening Grosbeak has been visiting Laura’s yard, and Laura can’t help but wonder about her.

Frank Nicoletti has been teasing out how kestrels capitalize on dragonfly migration to sustain their own journey south.

If you hate squirrels, you may take issue with today’s For the Birds. (4:06) Date confirmed.

What exactly is in that Butterball? 3:27

Signs of winter are starting to appear, but Laura Erickson is hanging onto autumn as long as she can. 4:09

Today Laura Erickson talks about a miserable day of birding and some brave migrant birds searching for the Great White Snow Bunting of the South. 4:09

Laura unearthed some recipes for swans, which provide food for thought if not for her table. 3:11

Today Laura Erickson talks about the hardiest songbird in the world. 4:05

From Forrest Gump to down jackets, Laura Erickson closes her series about feathers with human uses for these lightweight ornaments. (3:47) Date confirmed.

Today Laura Erickson talks about oddly-colored birds. This program was inspired by KAXE programmer Lauren Childs. 4:15 (date confirmed)

Birds are bulking out, preparing for the winter ahead. So Laura begins a 3-part series on feathers. 3:24

What’s the slowest flying bird in the world? The highest flier? Laura Erickson gives the answers on today’s For the Birds. (4:15) Date confirmed.

Today Laura Erickson gives some tips about bird feeding. (3:54) Date confirmed.

Today Laura Erickson interviews Duluth fifth grader Seth Freundshuh about his experiences at the Hawk Ridge Banding Station when they’re catching owls. 3:35

When a Groove-billed Ani turned up in Lutsen, Laura was on the case. 4:09

If you haven’t already seen a Gray Jay this fall, be patient and keep your eyes open. According to Laura Erickson, this is the year they invade the north land. And two of them are very, very special birds. 4:02

Today Laura Erickson tells how to find a Saw-whet Owl, and what to do if you get a Saw-whet Owl in your house. 3:29

Today Laura Erickson reports an early winter visitor to the Northland, the Bohemian Waxwing. 3:09

What happens when Nike the Gray Jay meets up with a baby Cedar Waxwing? The answer may surprise you. 3:45

Laura finally added a Sabine’s Gull to her lifelist. She explains why they might be so shy around people. 3:44

“Why did the chicken cross the road?” “To show the raccoon it was possible.” 3:12

Laura Erickson tells about the intimate friendship she developed with a Swainson’s Thrush. 3:53

Today Laura Erickson talks about the “Wrong Way Corrigan” of the bird world. 3:36

Today Laura Erickson remembers Jeff Sonstegard, who died two weeks ago. 4:23 (Date verified)

When the Blue Jays take on the Hawk, put your money on the jays. 3:49

Today Laura Erickson tells how to adopt an owl and watch owls get banded at Hawk Ridge. 4:07

Today Laura Erickson talks about a bird that came right out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie–at least according to one of its panicky victims. Since she already has a Sneakers and a Nike, she calls this one Reebok. 3:05

One of the most numerous migrants through the Northland is also a bird we see year-round, and it’s Laura Erickson’s favorite bird as well. 3:18

What were all those little brown birds running about in the Northland two weeks ago? 3:07

After getting people interested in the American Redstart last time, today Laura Erickson keys in on its fancy American cousin. 3:45

Today Laura Erickson talks about a colorful warbler called the American Redstart. 3:33

This weekend is the annual “Hawk Ridge Weekend” in Duluth. Today Laura Erickson tells how 49,615 could be counted in a single day. 3:58

Whether you loved or hated The Bridges of Madison County, you won’t want to miss the Baker’s Blue Jay Hall of Fame Theater production of The Pigeons of Madison County. John and Karen Keenan are featured. And a LOT of the dialog came directly from the book–I am not making that up. (Original date confirmed)

Sneakers the Blue Jay has a new friend named Nike. 3:46

Today, Laura Erickson reminds us of some rules about hummingbird feeding. (3:59) Date confirmed.

What kinds of birds can you see at a Duluth Dukes game? The answer may surprise you. (3:32) Date confirmed.

Today Laura Erickson talks about her favorite fall ritual, Dawn Dickey Duty at the Lakewood Pumping Station. 3:58 (Date confirmed)

The Osprey may be smaller, but it’s better adapted for fishing than the Bald Eagle. It’s all in the feet. 3:45

Hawk Ridge is a place for doing a lot more than looking at hawks, according to Laura Erickson and her dog Bunter. 3:56

Laura Erickson learned a novel way of pointing out a bird in a tree with a mirror. (4:11) Date verified.

When a baby Cedar Waxwing with a serious deformity wants to stay alive, Laura Erickson isn’t the person to give up on it. 4:02

Laura Erickson tells about her near-death and after-death experiences with some Arizona owls. 4:03 Date verified. Modified for one I’ver replayed a lot, Arizona Owls.

When Sneakers the Blue Jay discovers Mexican Jumping Beans, things start hopping. (3:39) Date verified

Duluth’s Hawk Ridge is one of the premier birding places in the U.S., and now is when the hawks start flying. 3:33

When a little hummingbird needed help, a Grand Marais couple came to its rescue, and now the hummingbird is returning the favor. 3:28 (I THINK this was repeated 1997-09-12)

Today Laura Erickson talks about one of the more common, and yet glamorous, birds of the American West, the magpie. 4:25

How do ornithologists keep track of bird numbers? With volunteers like Laura Erickson, who conduct annual Breeding Bird Surveys. (3:48) Date confirmed.

Twenty percent of the Erickson family spent vacation time searching but not finding a sage grouse. The rest looked at beautiful scenery. 4:26

Laura Erickson suggests a way to attract new birds to your yard, and to help them cool off besides. (3:59) Date confirmed.

What was a bobwhite quail doing in Duluth?

Today Laura Erickson talks about snipe hunts and how she was almost tricked herself on her trip out west. 4:22

Laura Erickson’s vacation out west gave her a chance to see a special kind of swallow. 4:16

This week Laura Erickson recounts some of her birding experiences on her family’s vacation to Yellowstone. Today she talks about a Mountain Bluebird who took it on herself to announce each eruption of Old Faithful. 4:05

There are more birds in science fiction than you might think. 4:11

According to current research, the expression “bird brain” may turn out to be the ultimate compliment. 3:31

How many birds can you identify on roller blades? (3:52) Date verified.

Today Laura Erickson gives the lowdown on bird’s nest soup. 3:12

Hear about the one woodpecker that damages healthy trees on today’s For the Birds. 3:48

Today Laura Erickson talks about a bird nicknamed the clape, gaffer, and yarrup. 3:46

Today Laura Erickson brings us up-to-date on the latest bird news, from city geese to hawks with an eye for mouse urine. (4:16) Date confirmed.

Today is the birthday of Sneakers the Blue Jay. 4:03

Today Laura Erickson gives the inside scoop on Indigo Buntings. 3:52

Humans may have a lot to offer some birds, but not baby Killdeer. 4:00

Laura found a Merlin nest near where she was staying on Burntside Lake near Ely. She found it fascinating even if she worried about all the little birds in the area. 3:32

Today Laura Erickson talks about the tiniest warbler of them all. 3:50

Today Laura Erickson talks about a tiny bird we don’t often get to see in north country. 3:32

Reworked in May 1998

When a Pine Warbler can’t get a mate no matter how much he sings, Laura Erickson takes notice. 3:15

Today Laura Erickson reviews some bird song recordings. (4:09) Date verified.

The Upland Sandpiper is a lovely bird and a six-ounce living piece of history. Not all wolf whistles are given by wolves. 3:40

Laura Erickson may say she isn’t going to take any more injured birds, but she apparently doesn’t always mean it. 4:00 (date confirmed)

What does it take to be a bird dog? (3:55) Date verified.

How does the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manage the most heavily hunted game bird in the country? Laura Erickson explains why doves aren’t hunted in Minnesota or Wisconsin. 3:32

What’s a Chestnut-sided Warbler doing on Laura Erickson’s hand? Hint: better have a paper towel handy. 4:07 (Recast in June 2000.)

The only thing more exciting than seeing a Great Gray Owl is seeing a whole nest of them. 3:47

What kind of person gets up at 2:30 in the morning to go birding and doesn’t quit until almost 11 at night? 4:06

Today Laura Erickson talks about one of the most common migrants this spring. 3:19

The “teacher bird” is back in the woods just in time for school to let out. 4:28

When a pair of Bald Eagles hatches out babies right along a busy highway, people notice. 4:02

Warblers are flooding through the Northland now, fueling up on pretty much the same insects that fish eat. 4:06

When a woman turned up on Peabody Street with her arms cradling a swaddled Pied-billed Grebe, Laura helped her rescue it. 3:19

A patriotic, homey bird is the subject of today’s For the Birds.

Today Laura Erickson talks about the chipmunk of the bird world. 3:30

When the youngest Erickson finds a robin nest, Laura Erickson finds something to crow about. 4:16

You may not want a Baltimore Oriole in your bird feeder—they weigh at least 180 pounds and wave bats around—but if you want any other kind of oriole in your feeder, it’s time to set those oranges out. 3:33

Today Laura Erickson talks about the littlest bird of them all. 3:13

What’s black and white and can bonk a Downy Woodpecker in the face? That helpless little chickadee may not be so helpless after all. 4:18

Today Laura Erickson talks about some scandalous X-rated activities going on right at a school bus stop. 3:40

Today Laura Erickson talks about a familiar spring visitor to Northland feeders. 3:50

Today Laura Erickson talks about the newest kid on the block in the Northland, the House Finch. 3:37

How do parent birds make sure those eggs will hatch out into baby birds? (3:36) Date verified.

In honor of William Shakespeare’s birthday, Laura Erickson talks about the birds in his plays. (4:08) Date confirmed.

Today Laura Erickson talks about two of the most abundant birds in the Northland this spring, the Pine Siskin and the crow, and how their early nesting is affecting them during this harsh spring. 3:16

Today Laura Erickson talks about the Dennis Franz of the bird world. 4:06

The largest and most beautiful of all waterfowl pass through the Northland every April. 3:24

Thanks to an ominous development in the world of bird feeding, Laura Erickson has an update in her correspondence with humor columnist Dave Barry. (3:12)

This was modified and re-recorded on 1999-02-19

Today Laura Erickson explains how Sandhill Cranes can provide valuable income tax savings. 4:49

What is it like to see and hear 15,000 cranes waking up? Laura Erickson went to the Platte River in Nebraska and has this first-hand report. 4:13

Today Laura Erickson talks about the incredible, edible egg. 4:03 (date confirmed)

One of the loveliest of trees is one of the most important for birds in April. 3:54 (Date confirmed.

Why isn’t a Purple Finch purple? 3:20

Why do birds migrate? And which are the first birds back? 3:47

April Fools Day isn’t until tomorrow, but Laura Erickson is a little ahead of the times. 6:47 (I’m not sure which Jim Baker ad goes with this one.) Date verified.

Today’s For the Birds gives us some tips on searching for spring. (3:20) Date verified.

Laura Erickson celebrates the birth anniversary of Robert Frost with a reading of one of his poems about birds. (2:36) Date confirmed.

When the weather’s good, spring in the Northland is beautiful for people and birds both, but when the weather gets nasty, it’s harder on birds than it is on us. 3:14

Spring in the Northland has its charms, but Laura Erickson has found little to compare with a spring morning along Nebraska’s Platte River when the cranes are in. 3:36

How do birds get along with their neighbors? 3:16

If you’re thinking of signing up for a lawn chemical program, Laura Erickson asks you to think twice. (3:26) Date verified.

According to Laura Erickson, signs of spring are everywhere, from the outdoors to CNN. 4:02 (Date verified)

Who but Laura Erickson would study territorial behavior at a laundromat? (4:12) date confirmed.

Tiny owls are turning up in the Northland, and seeing one makes a memorable experience. 4:03

When a rare winter flicker turned up in Laura Erickson’s neighborhood, it was no stranger. 3:16

What do Bohemian Waxwings and Minnesotans have in common? 3:13

Today Laura Erickson talks about the bird whose skull helped design football helmets. 3:34

March is the month when owls begin mating in the Northland. 3:15

February is Dental Health Month, when Laura Erickson’s thoughts naturally turn to the salivary glands of birds. 3:23 (Date confirmed)

February is the month when the thoughts of humans and birds alike turn to romance. (3:35)

Laura talks about research on White-crowned Sparrows. Re-worked from 1990. (3:48)

Today Laura Erickson reads selections from an old bird book. 3:48

Today’s For the Birds is about chickadee physiology and how one little chickadee spent over an hour feeding on one large peanut. 4:04

Birders seem to have a harder time finding Spruce Grouse than hunters do, but the searching is half the fun.

What’s the largest songbird in the world? 4:10

When Sneakers the Blue Jay visits a fourth grade class, everybody starts to talk—including Sneakers. 3:52

The very act of observing a bird changes its behavior. (Date not known but from a month after I went to Texas with Kim and when I was still using a dot matrix printer.)

Today Laura Erickson talks about the friendliest bird of the north woods, the whiskey jack. 4:07

Scientific names often seem rather dry and dull, but according to Laura Erickson, the Osprey’s scientific name could have come from the most sensationalistic tabloid. 3:34

An unexpected delight this winter is the large number of Rough-legged Hawks overwintering up here. 3:54

Today Laura Erickson talks about a recent study of baby Blue Jays, and its implications for adolescent humans. 3:52 (Date verified)

Since squirrels spend as much time at Northland feeders as birds do, today’s For the Birds is about squirrels and the dogs that love them. 3:59

Helping your son do his paper route may be an unorthodox way to watch birds, but according to Laura Erickson, it works. 3:42 (Date confirmed)

What superstitions can birds conjure up on Friday the Thirteenth? 4:16

Today Laura Erickson talks about the Golden Retriever of the bird world. 3:45

Laura spent New Years Day counting birds on the famous Isabella Christmas Bird Count. 4:19

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

One bird visiting Northland feeders in good numbers this winter is the Pine Siskin. 3:13

When Laura goes high tech, she brings Bullwinkle along. 4:13 (Date confirmed)