Fast Shorebirds, Tricky Flycatchers, and the Great Vulture Contorversy

This episode, first aired on 7 September 2026, starts off with the usual roundup of bird activity in the local area.

We then segue into a short feature on one of my favourite shorebirds, Baird's Sandpiper, which is currently passing through on its way to Tierra del Fuego.

Birders know that the Empidonax flycatchers, especially Willow and Alder Flycatchers, are tricky to identify. On this show we will introduce the "other" tricky flycatchers that belong to the genus Myiarchus.

We then delve into the odd history of a question that plagued the minds and raised the tempers of ornithologists for 100 years: do Turkey Vultures use the nostrils to find their carrion prey?