I had so much to talk about with my latest Ten Birding Questions guest ryan mandelbirder that the episode could have easily warranted 20 questions. Repeat guest opportunity? Here’s hoping!
What a shame we didn’t get to dive deep into Ryan’s recent trips to Antarctica and Colombia. I also wouldn’t have minded spending an hour or so just on eyy i’m walkin here—Ryan’s magnificent Substack, one you should subscribe to Right! The! Freak! Now! so you too can experience Ryan’s epic nature adventures in New York and beyond (including Antarctica and Colombia), unfailingly wrapped in their always playful, always profound writing style.
But of paramount importance to me was spending a good deal of time on their brilliant book Wild NYC, released by Timber Press earlier this year. In reading Wild NYC you’ll learn—
The role fake flamingos and real herons played in paving Ryan’s path to birding greatness.
How they tracked down grandma’s sweater of a moth species.
Why a train viaduct has some of the most exciting nature in New York.
How New York keeps having to engineer its way out of its own environmental blunders.
Why New York’s wonderful green spaces often come with some less-than-wonderful baggage.
I also hope you enjoy their impersonation of a New Yorker vexed by the exclusion of a certain (Thanksgiving-appropriate) bird from the field guide section of their book.
More than anything I hope our talk about New York and its nature inspires you to explore the nature you encounter in your daily life, regardless of where you live. As you do so, I encourage you to make like Ryan and think about the forces—environmental, political, historical—that shaped the green spaces (or lack thereof) in your corner of the world.
Finally, if I haven’t made it clear, buy Ryan’s book. Especially today. Right now. On Black Friday. When you can get a discount. I’m offering Birding with BillBow’s personal guarantee that it will be one of the most entertaining and informative nature guides you’ll ever read.
Oh, and don’t forget to follow Ryan on Instagram too.
Show note—the triangular West Village square I couldn’t remember was Father Demo Square. The pizza we ate at that square was Joe’s.
That’s all for this month. Have you experienced the amazing nature in New York City? Are you a fan of urban birding? What are the most unlikely places you’ve had memorable encounters with nature? What are the most surprising species you’ve found? The comments, as always, are open for business!👇
Until next time, thanks for listening, and don’t forget to boid yer ass off!
nwb
Enjoy this podcast? Birding with BillBow’s monthly podcast will always be free, but you can help support my writerly, podcasterly, and birderly dreams in the form of a paid subscription (save $10/year by choosing the yearly plan!). As always, 5% of earnings donated to the American Birding Association.
Or buy me an egg cream. A lot of people think an egg cream is gross, but I love them.
Not ready to make a financial contribution? No worries! Sharing this post is a great and free way to help spread the birding joy!
This post was human generated.
Developmental edits by Alexandra Hidalgo.
