Life List: A Birding Podcast

Hawkwatch experiences and birding parallel landscapes with Joshua Covill

This episode, we’re joined by Joshua Covill: birding guide, hawkwatcher, and all-around mountain wanderer. Josh is sharing stories from Montana's Jewel Basin and beyond, plus a conversation about parallel ecosystems around the world. Come for the dreams of Mongolia's vastness…stay for the feeling of watching migration from the top of the world! Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter [https://lifelistpodcast.com/newsletter] and joining our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/lifelist] for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com [https://lifelistpodcast.com/talk-to-us/]. Thanks to Kowa Optics [https://www.kowaoptic.com/] for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature [https://www.hillstarnature.com/]; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures [https://alvarosadventures.com/], and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency [https://nighthawkagency.com/], to see more about what we're up to.

Bird taxonomy season! Deep-diving splits, lumps, and our life lists

We're birders, talking about birding! George, Alvaro, and Mollee pulled up their personalized taxonomy updates from eBird (get an overview [https://ebird.org/news/2025-taxonomy-update], all the data [https://science.ebird.org/en/use-ebird-data/the-ebird-taxonomy/2025-ebird-taxonomy-update?_gl=1%2arfzgwl%2a_gcl_au%2aODA3OTMzNTg0LjE3NjE1MDA4NDc.%2a_ga%2aODA2MTYzODA5LjE3NDQ4MjM2MDE.%2a_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM%2aczE3NjM1NzQyNjQkbzgwJGcwJHQxNzYzNTc0MjY0JGo2MCRsMCRoMTU4NTY2NjM1], and your personalized report [https://ebird.org/news/your-personalized-report-from-the-ebird-taxonomy-update]) to chat about their life list updates and what else has changed around the globe.  Come for the nuts and bolts, stay for the taxonomic camaraderie! Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter [https://lifelistpodcast.com/newsletter] and joining our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/lifelist] for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com [https://lifelistpodcast.com/talk-to-us/]. Thanks to Kowa Optics [https://www.kowaoptic.com/] for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature [https://www.hillstarnature.com/]; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures [https://alvarosadventures.com/], and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency [https://nighthawkagency.com/], to see more about what we're up to.

Inside eBird: The world’s biggest birding project with Brian Sullivan

This episode, we’re joined by Brian Sullivan—birder, photographer, and co-leader of one of the most transformative projects in the birding world: eBird. From the earliest red-tailed hawk obsessions to building a global platform used by millions, Brian shares stories that bridge fieldwork, data, and wonder. Highlights include: * How eBird grew from a niche experiment to a cornerstone of global ornithology * Red-tailed hawks, pelagics, and what it means to really know a species * The evolution of Birds of the World and where bird data is headed next * Balancing tech, fieldwork, and the joy of birdwatching Come for the redtails and migration maps…stay for the big-picture vision that’s shaping the future of birding. Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter [https://lifelistpodcast.com/newsletter] and joining our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/lifelist] for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com [https://lifelistpodcast.com/talk-to-us/]. Thanks to Kowa Optics [https://www.kowaoptic.com/] for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature [https://www.hillstarnature.com/]; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures [https://alvarosadventures.com/], and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency [https://nighthawkagency.com/], to see more about what we're up to.

Almost arrested: Birding in Qatar and South African springtime adventures

Alvaro has some juicy stories from the field: did he finally succeed in finding a Saunder's tern, or did a run-in with the law in Qatar foil his attempts yet again?  Topics with George and Alvaro include:  * Birding on a layover in Qatar * The most accessible birding locations in the Middle East * A South African springtime tour recap * The adrenaline of safari birding  * Rocky Mountain oysters and other questionable culinary field experiments * Late-summer birding notes, migration updates, and trip recaps Come for Alvaro's verdict...stay for the tales of wild places! P.S. If you've made it this far in the show notes - thanks! - and from Mollee, sorry that this one is out a few days late!  Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter [https://lifelistpodcast.com/newsletter] and joining our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/lifelist] for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com [https://lifelistpodcast.com/talk-to-us/]. Thanks to Kowa Optics [https://www.kowaoptic.com/] for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature [https://www.hillstarnature.com/]; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures [https://alvarosadventures.com/], and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency [https://nighthawkagency.com/], to see more about what we're up to.

Traveling as a birder and musician with Bonner Black

We’re joined by Bonner Black: Nashville-based singer-songwriter, birder, and all-around force of nature.  Highlights of our chat include: * Growing up birding in Tennessee and carrying that love on the road as a touring musician * The parallels between birding, music, and life on the road * How songwriting and birding both demand patience, attention, and a little obsession * The ways nature sneaks into Bonner's lyrics Come for behind-the-scenes tales of a professional music artist…stay for shared love of birding! Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter [https://lifelistpodcast.com/newsletter] and joining our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/lifelist] for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com [https://lifelistpodcast.com/talk-to-us/]. Thanks to Kowa Optics [https://www.kowaoptic.com/] for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature [https://www.hillstarnature.com/]; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures [https://alvarosadventures.com/], and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency [https://nighthawkagency.com/], to see more about what we're up to.