Keith Russell - Birds, Community, and Saving Wild Places in the City

Northwest Philly Neighbors

English - October 03, 2019 02:00 - 50 minutes - 29.1 MB - ★★★★★ - 6 ratings
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Previous Episode: Voices of the Village Fair

Next Episode: Dave Gillies - Juggler and Wire Walker (part 1)

With a lifelong passion for birds, Keith has connected countless people with nature and sparked the saving of two priceless wild places in the city.

Hear how a kind neighbor helped open the world of birds for him as a kid … why Philadelphia is a great city for wildlife … how on a lark he ran a citywide bird census, still going strong 33 years later … how years of bird census data convinced the water department to save and reopen a beautiful wild reservoir in a low-income neighborhood … discovering rare birds thriving in industrial settings … how a passion for birding (and the financial crisis!) allowed saving a vast exquisite meadow in the city … how despite declines some bird species are actually increasing or rebounding … and more.

You’ll be drawn in by his easygoing enthusiasm and deep knowledge.

Podcast website: https://nwphillypodcast.net

More about Keith Russell:

Audubon staff bio Delaware Valley Ornithological Club bio (2007)Philadelphia Mid-Winter Bird Census Discovery Center Hidden habitat reclaimed as Discovery Center opens in Fairmount Park (WHYY, 2018)

Houston Meadow

If You Restore It, They Will Come (FoW Newsletter, 2017, p.10)Meadow Lark: Hard work and determination restores Houston Meadows (Grid, 2013)Houston Meadow Reclamation Project is on track to achieve its goals (FoW newsletter, 2012, p.10)Forest or meadow? Not everyone agrees (Inquirer, March 2010)A Wissahickon Valley gem (Roxborough Review, 2009)

Articles

For migrating birds, the Philly skyline can be deadly (Billy Penn, 2018)Birding in Philly’s Forgotten Habitats (Audubon, 2018)The 2016 Ludlow Griscom Award for Contributions to Regional Ornithology (American Birding Association, 2016)Birding in the City of Brotherly Love (Audubon, 2016)Talk will show how to prevent bird-window collisions (Chestnut Hill Local, 2018)Profile: For the Birds (Grid, 2009)Where have all the pigeons gone? Philly numbers are down as predators thrive. Could it be a trend? (Inquirer, 2019)

Videos

Bird Watching in the City: Who Knew? (2015)Audubon: Keith Russell (2018)