Episodes

  • Chirp Chat: How to participate in Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count in Wisconsin

    Chirp Chat: How to participate in Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count in Wisconsin
    Dec 4 2024
    Celebrate birds this holiday season through the National Audubon Society’s 125th annual Christmas Bird Count. For this episode of Chirp Chat, Milwaukee area Christmas Bird Count organizer, Zoe Finney, explains the history of the bird census, how to participate and how the data helps protect birds.
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    15 mins
  • Chirp Chat: How to help birds survive Wisconsin’s winter

    Chirp Chat: How to help birds survive Wisconsin’s winter
    Nov 22 2024
    For this month’s Chirp Chat, Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez spoke with Toby Seegert, the Regional Conservation Specialist for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. He says winter is a great time to keep backyard bird feeders stocked so you can help birds stay nourished through the season.
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    14 mins
  • Chirp Chat: It’s owl season in Southeast Wisconsin. Here’s how to spot them

    Chirp Chat: It’s owl season in Southeast Wisconsin. Here’s how to spot them
    Oct 29 2024
    You can go on an owl prowl to spot some of these nocturnal predators. Owl prowls are nighttime hikes in the woods where you listen for the calls of owls to help you get a glimpse of them.
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    14 mins
  • Chirp Chat: How you can protect migrating birds from flying into windows

    Chirp Chat: How you can protect migrating birds from flying into windows
    Sep 6 2024
    Window collisions are a leading cause of bird deaths, causing up to 3.5 billion bird deaths in the U.S. each year. They're even more common in the fall when both adult birds and their offspring migrate. But there are various ways to make your home more bird-friendly.
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    23 mins
  • Chirp Chat: Young campers learn about the beauty and science of bird banding

    Chirp Chat: Young campers learn about the beauty and science of bird banding
    Aug 14 2024
    Earlier this summer, Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez spent the day with scientists and Urban Ecology Center campers to learn about bird banding, a way of tracking bird behavior by safely catching, tagging and measuring birds.
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    8 mins
  • Chirp Chat: Caring for Wisconsin's beloved cranes

    Chirp Chat: Caring for Wisconsin's beloved cranes
    Jul 24 2024
    The International Crane Foundation, based in Baraboo, works around the world to save cranes and the ecosystems they depend on. Lake Effect producer Xcaret Nuñez spent a day at its headquarters to learn about the ICF's conservation work with sandhill cranes and whooping cranes.
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    18 mins
  • 'Chirp Chat': Wisconsinites share the birds that sparked their interest in birding

    'Chirp Chat': Wisconsinites share the birds that sparked their interest in birding
    Jun 24 2024
    Think back to a time in your life when you saw a bird that piqued your interest and made you want to learn more about birds. That’s your spark bird! For this month’s Chirp Chat, Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez asked listeners to share the moment they discovered their spark bird.
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    12 mins
  • Chirp Chat: A closer look at Wisconsin’s fascinating birds of prey

    Chirp Chat: A closer look at Wisconsin’s fascinating birds of prey
    May 20 2024
    It’s peak birding season in Wisconsin, and if you look high in the sky, you’ll likely see some raptors soaring. Raptors like hawks, owls and vultures sometimes get a bad reputation, but these birds of prey play a huge ecological role.
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    17 mins