How far would you go for a crow?

Outside/In

NHPR

Natural Sciences, Documentary, Science, Nature, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 8 July 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

To the American birder, spotting the Tamaulipas Crow is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime event. The crow's range is mostly in Mexico and extends ever so slightly into Texas, specifically in and around a dump called the Brownsville Landfill. Spotting the Tamaulipas — north of the border — means being able to check it off your American Bird Association Checklist. So just how far will die-hard birders go to see this bird? In this episode producer (and first-time birder) Michaela Elias sets out to the southern border with a group of experienced birder friends to find out. Together with her "wingmen" Michaela braves the Texas heat, crawls through brush and over slippery rocks, and risks getting attacked by dogs — to find out whether collecting bird sightings as if they're Pokémon is a meaningful way to engage with the natural world. Featuring Jake Glassman, Joe Hack, and Joel Glassman. Produced by Michaela Elias. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast. Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. LINKS Check out the eBird app, a crowdsourced database of bird observations that lets you log all the birds you’ve seen and where you’ve seen them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	From an HPR, this is Outside In a show where curiosity and the natural world collide.
0:05.1	I'm Nate Hedgy.
0:08.6	I want you to picture a sky filled with birds.
0:13.2	And on the ground, there's a colorful field of garbage.
0:17.9	Loden, do you want to describe some of the trash that you see?
0:20.7	Actually, it's funny you ask because I have my eyes set on this beautiful hot tub.
0:26.6	This is the Brownsville landfill, which sits at the southernmost tip of Texas.
0:30.6	It's right on the border with Mexico.
0:32.6	Can you imagine the view?
0:34.6	Sitting in a hot tub, surrounded by beautiful birds.
0:42.9	Brownsville is semi-famous for being the town next to Starbase, where SpaceX launches its big starship rocket.
0:49.7	Hello, once again, star people, and welcome back to Starbase, Texas.
0:53.5	Ignition.
0:55.0	But another thing, Brownsville is famous for is the bird watching that happens at this dump.
1:02.0	Anybody know what these goals are called? Most of these ones with the black hoods?
1:07.0	Laughing goals, right? If you hang out here long enough, you'll go crazy just like them.
1:17.3	To understand why this dump is so popular for birders, you got to understand,
1:23.2	diehard burders are collectors. Many maintain something called a life list.
1:29.0	It's a personal record of all the birds they have ever seen.
1:33.5	Seeing a bird from one of these lists for the very first time, that's called a lifer.
1:39.9	And if you've been collecting your life list for, well, your entire life, it'd be a pretty big deal.
1:54.5	Some lifelists are informal, but others come from official registries almost like a sport.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 9 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NHPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NHPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.