Bill and Bob do their first podcast in front of a live audience at the amazing Roads Rivers and Trails store in Milford, Ohio. Bill brought a bunch of bird feeders from Cincinnati Nature Center and explains how to use them. Bob has a very special low cost bird ‘feederʼ! Listen in to find out what Bill thinks about Bobʼs feeder. Photo thanks to Eve Smallwood.

The main source for this podcast is Bill and his 43 years of experience with birds. Also donʼt miss the last part when our audience asks some great questions!

Bob has two plants growing in his backyard that Bill is not excited about. Bob decides it is finally time to do something about Winter Creeper and English Ivy. Join us to find out how and why these invasive plants are taking over. Photos taken by Bob in his backyard.

Our sources for this episode include:

• English Ivy: The Hazards and Removal Strategies
• 5 Fast Facts About English Ivy
• Winter creeper isnʼt a keeper
• Journey with Nature Winter creeper

Sassafras is a tree that produces a small blue fruit in the early fall. The fruit comes at the perfect time to help birds get ready for winter. This is a beautiful tree that has four different leaf shapes. Bill of course has a special word for trees that have different shape leaves. Photos taken by Bob at the Cincinnati Nature Center.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Sassafras Facts
• Sassafras in America
• Sassafras
• Sassafras Tea Safety

If you are not a birder you might think the yellow-bellied sapsucker is a crazy made up name from some movie. Join us a we explore the world of this wonderful woodpecker. Photos thanks to Mark Applebaum.

Our sources for this episode include:

• All About Birds
• Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Natures 7-11
• Audubon Guide To North American Birds

Opossums are really cute or really ugly. It all depends on your point of view. They are great at killing ticks. So they might be a good thing to see in your neighborhood.

Our sources for this episode include:

• 10 things you didnʼt know about opossums
• All About Opossums
• Opossums – killers of ticks
• The ‘Possum Pages: FAQs
• Facts on Opossums Playing Dead

This is a tree that may show up in your neighborhood as a volunteer. It is a great food source for birds. You might even have an old pencil made from this tree. The photo is from Bob’s back yard.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Eastern Redcedar
• Juniperus virginiana
• Eastern Redcedar in the Landscape
• Go Botany Juniperus Virginiana

Carol emails Nature Guys about a problem with fox. Bill and Bob struggle to come up with an answer but are inspired to do a show on foxes. This is an animal that you can occasionally see in the daytime. You might even see a gray fox in a tree!  Photos are of two young red fox in Bob’s back yard.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Are Red Fox Native?
• What Kind of Foxes Live in Ohio?
• Fox and Surplus Prey
• Fox
• Sarcoptic Mange In Red Foxes
• You Tube Video on Mange

This is a bird that Bill thinks should have a new name. When Bob moved into his neighborhood hawks were a big topic of conversation. Tune in to learn more about the red-shouldered hawk. Photos thanks to John Howard.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Protective Hawks go on Attack
• Red-shouldered vs Red tailed Hawk
• Red-shouldered Hawk from BioKIDS
• Red-shouldered Hawk from National Geographic

Bob looks outside and notices that all the birds are suddenly gone from his bird feeders. He soon discovers the reason. A Cooper’s Hawk is on the ground right next to the feeders. Learn all about this amazing bird in this episode.  Photos thanks to Mark Applebaum.

Our sources for this episode include:

• Kids’ Inquiry of Diverse Species
• 8 Interesting Facts about the Cooper’s Hawk
• The Raptor Trust Accipiters
• Cooper’s Hawk Life History
• Predator Management for small and backyard poultry flocks
• Hawk Mountain