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Hello and welcome to the American Birding Podcast from the American Birding Association.

I'm your host, Nate Swick. By the time you get this episode on your podcast folder or app or however you listen to it, I will be on my way to Kansas for the Lec-Trek's Prairie Chicken Festival.

I'm excited.

It's not often that I have a lifer just sitting there waiting for me to intersect with it,

like I do this weekend.

Lesser Prairie Chicken, lesser in name, but not an impression.

It will also be my first real trip to any sort of grouse like.

I've never had that experience before.

All of my grouse experience

heretofore were of random fleshing birds, or in the case of a spruce grouse, you know, just

walking across a trail in Alaska, as if there, you know, wasn't a bunch of people in a grizzly

bear 300 meters away. Grouse are weird. So if you will be there in Kansas, let me know,

say hi. The novelty of being around lots of birders for the first time in two years is

almost as exciting as the birds, which is relevant to the talk that I'm giving. I've been thinking

a lot about the ways in which the hobby of birding encourages behaviors that are beneficial to your

...