Life List: A Birding Podcast

George Armistead, Alvaro Jaramillo, and Mollee Brown
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Apr 2, 2026 • 1h 30min

Middle East birding, missiles, and Mollee's long way home

Mollee sat down with Alvaro to recount her visit to the UAE that was cut short when the US/Iran war broke out. From here, she talks about the journey to get out of the Middle East that ended up involving travel to three countries, closed airspace and canceled flights, a missed birding tour, and experiences missiles being intercepted overhead...plus exploration of dramatic wadis, the pyramids, and Ramadan across three unique cultures. Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Mar 17, 2026 • 1h 8min

Tour mishaps, life bird tales, and combining concerts and birding with Bonner Black

Bonner Black is back! If you need a little quality hang with your birding friends, we've got you covered. A few links: Check out all of Bonner's music and more on her websitePlus, don't miss Beasts of Birdin on YouTube And thanks to Lars Lachmann via Xeno-Canto for the Great Bustard recording! Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Feb 21, 2026 • 1h 3min

Ship-assisted birds, South American travel, and watching winter shift

George and Alvaro are chatting about recent birds in their backyards, ABA rarities, sparrow speciation, recent South American travels, and more!At the end of this episode, Alvaro cites a new paper about genetic expression with wheatears as the example species. Start here to dive into this research: https://www.the-scientist.com/variation-at-a-single-gene-controls-songbird-plumage-73606Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Feb 7, 2026 • 1h 7min

Why visible migration matters: migration counts and seawatch tales with Allison Vilag

Allison has worked coast to (Great Lakes) coast for years, and today, we're chatting about tales from the field and lessons learned from endless days of visible migration experiences. Come for the high counts...stay for the simple joys of watching the world go by!Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Jan 24, 2026 • 1h 14min

Winter birding, subsistence hunting, and a backyard bird feeding debate

New this episode: Check out our chapters in Apple Podcasts to preview our conversation!The gang's all here to chat about winter birding, from backyard feeders to chilly pelagics, plus the consumption of atypical food sources (to us Americans, at least), great places for your first Neotropical birding trip, and a sweet tooth distraction. Come for the look back on recently extinct birds...stay for the cold- and warm-weather travel inspo!Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Jan 11, 2026 • 56min

Blending science, art, and humor to celebrate nature with Rosemary Mosco

We are delighted to be joined by Rosemary Mosco, acclaimed science writer and naturalist, to chat about obscure bird facts, a love of pigeons, and yes, whale poop. Check out all of Rosemary's comics, books, workshops, talks, and everything she's up to on her website. Come for the science-driven whimsy...stay for the joy we can all gleam from nature. Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Dec 31, 2025 • 1h 16min

Our favorite birding experiences of 2025

It's our first-ever year end special! We recount our favorite birds, moments, wildlife, and even sounds of the year. And we get a little sidetracked with other tidbits, as we do. Because this is Life List! From George, Alvaro, and Mollee: Thanks for being here and listening along with us. We're so happy to continue producing this podcast and sharing our love of birds with all of you. Happy New Year!Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Dec 17, 2025 • 1h 15min

How birds shape our lives and landscapes with Stephen Moss

This episode, we're joined by Stephen Moss, who shares his delightful insights into why birds around the world and in our backyards are equally important to us. Check out Stephen's website here and all of his books here. Come for the spark birds (and to hear it's okay if you don't remember every bird on your life list!)…stay for the reminder of why birds matter everywhere.Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Dec 1, 2025 • 1h 3min

Hawkwatch experiences and birding parallel landscapes with Joshua Covill

This episode, we’re joined by Joshua Covill: birding guide, hawkwatcher, and all-around mountain wanderer. Josh is sharing stories from Montana's Jewel Basin and beyond, plus a conversation about parallel ecosystems around the world.Come for the dreams of Mongolia's vastness…stay for the feeling of watching migration from the top of the world!Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 
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Nov 19, 2025 • 1h

Bird taxonomy season! Deep-diving splits, lumps, and our life lists

We're birders, talking about birding! George, Alvaro, and Mollee pulled up their personalized taxonomy updates from eBird (get an overview, all the data, and your personalized report) to chat about their life list updates and what else has changed around the globe. Come for the nuts and bolts, stay for the taxonomic camaraderie!Get more Life list by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Patreon for bonus content. Talk to us and share your topic ideas at lifelistpodcast.com.  Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to. 

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