Gia and Bob just cannot let go of the 17 year cicadas. They discuss a very cool bird the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo that has a special taste for cicadas.

Special thanks to photographer Richard Payne for allowing us to share this amazing yellow-billed cuckoo picture taken at Cincinnati Park’s Magrish Riverlands Preserve.

Check out this great YouTube video from our listener Deb of a common European cuckoo in Rhode Island (see the details in her comment):
https://youtu.be/vw5XeXrTci4

Related episodes: Cicadas, 17 Years to Awesome and The Nature of Oaks with Doug Tallamy

Our sources for this episode include:

• Cicada Safari App created by Dr. Gene Kritsky 
• Ohio Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species published by Waterford Press
• Bird Note Podcast on the Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Charles chats with Brooke Mitchell-Norman, the host of the podcast Rewildology. They discuss Brooke’s love of big cats and how travel can help protect wildlife.

Related series: Through the Eyes of Nature Guys

Our sources for this episode include:

• Rewildology

It seems everyone has a story about poison ivy. Greg and Bob share some of their favorite stories. They discuss the often overlooked benefits of poison ivy. They will also cover how to identify it and how to remove it from areas where you would likely encounter the plant.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Poison Ivy Leaf Gall Mite by Joe Boggs
• Poison Ivy Rash
• Interesting Facts about Poison Ivy
• 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Poison Ivy

Bob chats with Doug Chadwick, the author of Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All. Doug has travelled the world writing for National Geographic. This amazing book caps a long career. 

The source for this interview is Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that just Might Save Us All published by Patagonia Books in June of 2021.

The Bug Chicks, Kristie Reddick and Jessica Honaker, are in Bob’s backyard to share the amazing story of how they got started.  Co-hosts Greg Torres and Chris Anderson (of Science Around Cincy) join in the fun.

Learn more about The Bug Chicks on their website: thebugchicks.com.

Tune in to find out the winners of our cicada contest. Check out all the wonderful entries on our Celebrating Cicadas page.

Related episodes: Cicadas, 17 Years to Awesome and Cicadas are Kinda Cute

Be sure to tune in next week for our special guests The Bug Chicks.

If you love hummingbirds, tune in to listen to Bob’s conversation with John Shewey. His book, The Hummingbird Handbook, is filled with facts and practical tips to care for hummingbirds right in your own neighborhood. 

Related episodes: Hummingbirds, Bicycling with Butterflies with Sara Dykman, The Nature of Oaks with Doug Tallamy

The source for this interview is The Hummingbird Handbook: Everything You Need to Know about These Fascinating Birds by John Shewey from Timber Press.

Greg and Bob talk about wild ginger, a plant that makes a great native ground cover. You have to get down on your knees to see the flower. Who pollinates this flower that is hidden from view?

Related episode: The Nature of Oaks with Doug Tallamy

Our sources for this episode include:

• Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover: The Curious Case of Wild Ginger Pollination
• Wild Ginger
• Caring For Wild Ginger: How To Grow Wild Ginger Plants

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Bob is excited to talk to Holly Merker about her wonderful book Ornitherapy For Your Mind Body Soul. Tune in to his conversation with Holly Merker and listen to the story of how birds saved Holly’s life!

The source for this interview is Ornitherapy by Holly Merker, Richard Crossley and Sophie Crossley

Charles Van Rees, Nature Guys Podcast’s very own science guy, has a fascinating conversation with Kim McCoy about Kim’s new book Waves and Beaches: The Powerful Dynamics of Sea and Coast by Willard Bascom and Kim McCoy published by Patagonia.

Kim mentions salmon in the conversation. To learn more about salmon, check out Bob’s interview with Mark Kurlansky in the episode Salmon are a Gift about Mark’s book Salmon: A Fish, the Earth and the History of Their Common Fate also published by Patagonia.