Episode 197: Birding Retrospective

This episode of “Nature Calls, Conversations from the Hudson Valley” is a retrospective look at one of the early radio interviews from our precursor show, “Digging in With Master Gardeners,” aired on WGXC, 90.7 FM. Teresa and Jean interviewed Master Gardener Volunteer Kathryn Schneider about birds. Kathryn was introduced to the joys of birding by her mother who was a birdwatcher. She took it about as far as you can, since she now has a PhD in Ornithology and has written a guidebook called “Birding the Hudson Valley.” The purpose of the book was to allow people to understand their area and go birding. She started by covering the basics on bird identification and the recording of observations, where to find particular birds, and the importance of knowing the bird's biology. Learning about how birds feed and what they do helps guide successful birders.

The second half of the book is a list of sites in the Hudson Valley where birdwatching is rewarding. Actually feeding birds is the second biggest hobby in the country. But we don't feed birds for ecology and the good of nature. We tend to feed them to amuse ourselves watching them. We can prevent getting bored by providing the correct food for the birds we want to watch, so a little research can improve the view.

Planting your garden to draw birds is another way to enhance your enjoyment. In a nutshell, native plants are best, and the careful choice of trees can be helpful. Birds don't just eat seeds. They eat bugs, worms, caterpillars, berries and even nectar. Bird feeders are best used when the flowers are not blooming because birds will ignore feeders if they have more interesting things to eat. Winter is prime time because they can use the extra nutrition to keep warm. Late November to early April are safer months to put out feeders, especially if you have bears for neighbors. But keep in mind that they're not always sleeping when you think they should be in these times of climate change so adjust based on the weather. Bears don't tend to hibernate until they can no longer find food. After the first significant snowfall might be the safer bet to put out your feeders.

Going down the list of pesky critters, we also have: squirrels. Baffles above and below the feeder can help to keep them away. Grackles, cowbirds and starlings usually travel around in flocks. Hawks and cats can also be problematic. Kathy says cats shouldn't be outside because they are killing millions of birds and have even made some of them extinct, while it should be remembered that hawks need to feed their babies, too. It's best to give blue jays their own feeder with peanuts in the shell to keep them distracted and away from your other feeders.

Kathy then reviews the best ways to observe birds and how to identify them. Sibley and Peterson Guides are her favorite, and the Merlin phone app is an excellent resource. She also suggests you research the type of binoculars to use. Many will work fine, but many are just wrong. Once you've outgrown watching your feeder visitors, it's time to go to them. She suggests that you look for a local bird club and ask to go along on a walk. Figure what birds to expect there and look for them specifically. Bird clubs are relatively easy to find, including the Audubon Society, so join groups in your area. Guided bird walks are everywhere, including Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) sponsored ones, often led by Kathy herself.

The conversation concludes with specific topics including the population biology for birds, the Christmas Bird Count, and specific discussions about robins, bluebirds, ravens and vultures.

Hosts: Teresa Golden and Jean Thomas
Guest: Kathryn Schneider, PhD.
Photo: Jean Thomas
Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski, Jean Thomas

Resources:

• Managing Habitat for Grassland Birds | Audubon New York 
• Hawks and Falcons Browse by Shape, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• New York Birds of Prey - 
• Birding the Hudson Valley by Kathryn J. Schneider - 
• Capital Region Audubon
• Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central NA
• Sibley Guides
• North American Grasslands Birds Report

Last updated October 30, 2025