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Laura Erickson"s For the Birds

"For the Birds" began airing on KUMD in Duluth, MN, in May, 1986, and is the longest continually-running radio program about birds in the U.S. Hundreds more episodes are available for free at http://www.lauraerickson.com/radio/.

science & medicine natural sciences

All Episodes

6:47

A future trip jogs memories of a past trip

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/28

Laura and Russ are headed to the Galápagos Islands next year. The tour leader, Alvaro Jamarillo, is someone Laura met almost 20 years ago on a different tour.

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7:25

Monarchs as Bird Food

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/27

Monarch caterpillars and butterflies are supposed to be toxic, but birds haven't always gotten that memo. (The blog post accompanying this program has a LOT of cool photos and videos, especially of the monarch's life cycle.)

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7:07

Air Quality, Part 2

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/21

Even as Laura is as furious as she is terrified of the horrible conditions in Duluth right now, she's finding beauty.

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5:18

Air quality, Part 1

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/20

This past week, the Air Quality Index in Duluth reached at least 1134 even as the temperature on Laura's front porch exceeded 100ºF. This situation is terrifying.

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7:25

Canada Jay: What's in a Name?

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/16

Laura talks about an exceptionally friendly bird and why it's hard for her to remember its name.

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6:46

Blue Jays: Family Ties, Part 2

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/10

The summer of 1991, Laura and her children raised four baby Blue Jays, embedding the little things deeply in Laura's heart.

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8:44

To Sin by Silence

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/05

On our nation's birthday, Laura is thinking about our right to free speech and our obligation to exercise it.

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4:47

Moving Forward, and Now Backward, on the Lead Issue

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/03

Two different California governors, a Republican and a Democrat, did their best to protect California Condors from the scourge of lead ammo. The Obama and Biden administrations did their best to at least protect wildlife on some national wildlife refuges, but in both cases, the Trump administration reversed their actions.

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6:02

How Lead in Ammo and Tackle Harm Wildlife

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/02

Wildlife suffer much more than humans do from the lead hunters and anglers use.

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5:56

How Lead in Hunters' Ammo Harms Humans

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/07/01

The lead in the shot and bullets fired at shooting ranges and by hunters harms human beings. Laura explains how.

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9:03

Lead in Human History

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/06/30

Within days of the start taking office in his first administration, Donald Trump rescinded an Obama administration rule outlawing lead ammo and tackle on all national wildlife refuges. The Biden administration created a new rule outlawing the use of lead by hunters and anglers in just 8 national wildlife refuges, but now the Trump administration is reversing that. This week Laura discusses the issue in depth, starting today with how lead has been used in human history.

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6:03

Blue Jays--Family Ties, Part 1

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/06/23

Blue Jays have figured prominently in Laura's family life for many decades.

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6:11

Ludwig Part 3

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/06/18

Ludwig the Blue Jay taught Laura a lot of important lessons.

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5:46

Ludwig the Blue Jay, Part 2

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/06/17

Ludwig, the baby Blue Jay Laura took care of in 1979, taught her all kinds of interesting things.

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7:59

Ludwig the Blue Jay, Part 1

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/06/16

The Blue Jay is among Laura's top three favorite birds, in large part because of one individual bird.

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4:51

My Top Ten Favorite Birds

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/06/09

Laura does not have a favorite child, but she does have a favorite bird--the one who feels like part of her immediate family.

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6:02

Not a very warm welcome

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/06/05

A cold spring can be hard on birds.

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8:30

You CAN Go Home Again

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/05/29

Laura revisited one of her most beloved places on the planet two weeks ago, and had a lovely time.

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7:27

Down to the Wire (Time Sensitive)

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/05/26

Duluthians have only 5 days left to sign two petitions to protect a beautiful, beloved park in Duluth.

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6:49

Whip-poor-will

Laura Erickson"s For the Birds ·

2026/05/21

When Laura was in Ohio earlier this month, she saw roosting whip-poor-wills for the first time in half a century.

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