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.

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.

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.

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.

This episode, we’re joined by Brian Sullivan—birder, photographer, and co-leader of one of the most transformative projects in the birding world: eBird. From the earliest red-tailed hawk obsessions to building a global platform used by millions, Brian shares stories that bridge fieldwork, data, and wonder.

Highlights include:

• How eBird grew from a niche experiment to a cornerstone of global ornithology
• Red-tailed hawks, pelagics, and what it means to really know a species
• The evolution of Birds of the World and where bird data is headed next
• Balancing tech, fieldwork, and the joy of birdwatching

Come for the redtails and migration maps…stay for the big-picture vision that’s shaping the future of birding.

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.

Alvaro has some juicy stories from the field: did he finally succeed in finding a Saunder's tern, or did a run-in with the law in Qatar foil his attempts yet again?

Topics with George and Alvaro include:

• Birding on a layover in Qatar
• The most accessible birding locations in the Middle East
• A South African springtime tour recap
• The adrenaline of safari birding
• Rocky Mountain oysters and other questionable culinary field experiments
• Late-summer birding notes, migration updates, and trip recaps

Come for Alvaro's verdict...stay for the tales of wild places!

P.S. If you've made it this far in the show notes - thanks! - and from Mollee, sorry that this one is out a few days late!

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.

We’re joined by Bonner Black: Nashville-based singer-songwriter, birder, and all-around force of nature.

Highlights of our chat include:

• Growing up birding in Tennessee and carrying that love on the road as a touring musician
• The parallels between birding, music, and life on the road
• How songwriting and birding both demand patience, attention, and a little obsession
• The ways nature sneaks into Bonner's lyrics

Come for behind-the-scenes tales of a professional music artist…stay for shared love of birding!

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.

One of our favorite things to hear from guests is that it's like you're birding with us during our conversations. This time, you actually can!

We're each recording from our backyards, during some mid-afternoon, mid-September birdwatching. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to join us on a birdwalk, now's your chance!

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.