Episode 291: Assorted Corvids - A Battle for the Crown

In this episode, artist Missy Dunaway discusses her work on The Birds of Shakespeare, a series of paintings and essays that will cover every bird mentioned in Shakespeare's works! This episode looks at how birds are used symbolically by Shakespeare, and the reputation corvids had back in the Bard's day.   

We are thrilled to have Dr. John Marzluff, author and professor of wildlife biology at the University of Washington join us on the podcast. Dr. Marzluff shares stories of grudge holding crows, people's strange stories of interacting with corvids, and, best of all, how you can befriend your backyard corvids!   

Everyone has been wondering: "What's the best corvid in Minnesota?" Well, we are going to try and answer that question in this episode! Ellen has assigned teams and we are going to bring out the best facts we have about blue jays, Canada (gray) jays, crows, and ravens. Which bird will win? Natural sounds provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.

For the final episode on the Mississippi Flyway, it's time to zoom in with John Lindstrom from Ducks Unlimited. The flyway is thousands of miles of habitat, but here in the park district, Ducks Unlimited has partnered with Three Rivers to improve Lake 2 in Carver Park Reserve. We cover the many steps a restoration project like this takes, and how it's helping our local migrants. 

Dr. Wayne Thogmartin from the US Geological Survey joins us in this episode to discuss the economic impacts of birds along the flyway. We cover the prairie pothole region and what threatens it, as well as the many different ways migrating birds impact people. 

The Mississippi flyway is the name of the route migratory birds take following the Mississippi, Missouri, and Lower Ohio Rivers in the US. In this episode we chat with our coworkers Adrian Iacovino and Michelle Bierma from Mississippi Gateway to talk about all the activity on the river! 

Dr. Carrol Henderson is Minnesota's first Non-game Wildlife Program Supervisor. He defined what this position is in Minnesota and nationally. He joins us to talk about one of his favorite projects he worked on, bringing river otters back to the Minnesota River Valley. He shares stories, the challenges and successes, and how the public helped make this a success.     

Dr. Caroline DeLong has studied the cognitive ability of animals ranging from goldfish, to orangutangs, river otters, and many others. She joins us to discuss how she measures the cognitive abilities of animals, what she has learned through her tests on River Otters, and whether she believes they are intelligent. 

Bound along with Brandon and Ellen as they investigate river otters. Often viewed as playful, these members of the weasel family are full of adaptations that help them survive. From vibrissae, to unique spines, and the ability to hunt in murky water, they are efficient predators that love to eat fish, crayfish, and other water creatures.     

Sarah Nassif joins us to talk about the group she created, Art, Water, and Ecology (AWE) Network. Using her past experience as an educator, and her current profession as an artist she connects artists, scientists, and teachers to inspire people to connect with waterways through art. We discuss how she came up with the idea, the work that has been accomplished, and how you can get involved.