Weekend Birder

Australia’s most listened-to nature podcast

Over 150 episodes are waiting for you.

Hosted by Kirsty Costa, Weekend Birder invites you to discover the fascinating lives of everyday Australian birds through stories, science and shared experiences. With more than 150 episodes and listeners across the globe, it’s become Australia’s #1 Science Nature Podcast.

New to Weekend Birder? Here are three episodes to get you started.

Episode library

Below is the full episode library, including show notes. You can also search for a bird, topic or guest.

151 Ask Us Anything
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

151 Ask Us Anything

Bird questions can get wonderfully out of hand. For the season four finale, Sean Dooley and Jonah Lafferty answer listener questions about ravens, dinosaurs, car park birds, migration, field guides and what birds can tell us about a changing world.

Read More
150 Honeyeaters at Dawn
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

150 Honeyeaters at Dawn

Honeyeaters don’t just sing at dawn - they listen. In our 150th episode, Andrew Skeoch returns to share what he’s learnt about honeyeater songs, and how they reveal something deeper about birds, place and belonging.

Read More
149 Chasing Rarity
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

149 Chasing Rarity

Rarity can make a bird feel precious, but it can also change how we see everything else. Author and science journalist Justine Hausheer shares her thinking about common birds, endangered species and her book The Vanishing Wild.

Read More
148 The Nature School
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

148 The Nature School

At this school, it’s completely normal to stop class for a bird. Catherine Shaw shares how The Nature School helps young connect with the world around them.

Read More
147 The Birding Movement
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

147 The Birding Movement

At first, it just feels like a hobby and then you realise how many people are part of it. Natalie Kyriacou OAM shares her insights into human relationships with nature and her new book Nature’s Last Dance.

Read More
146 Birds on Country
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

146 Birds on Country

You can learn a lot about a place by noticing which birds are still there. Kai Hill-Crofts shares stories of birds, ecology and growing up on Country.

Read More
145 Woodland Birds
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

145 Woodland Birds

Birdwatching can quietly change how you see yourself. Mia Grundy shares how everyday birding and photography has helped her through tough times and shaped her identity.

Read More
144 Becoming a Birdwatcher
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

144 Becoming a Birdwatcher

Birdwatching can quietly change how you see yourself. Mia Grundy shares how everyday birding and photography has helped her through tough times and shaped her identity.

Read More
Encore: Little Penguins
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

Encore: Little Penguins

Little Penguins come ashore each night - but there’s a lot we don’t see. In this encore episode, researcher Paula Wasiak explores Little Penguin behaviour, conservation and life on Phillip Island.

Read More
143 Filming What We Miss
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

143 Filming What We Miss

Sometimes the moment you miss is the one you remember most. Wildlife filmmaker Jeremy (jeremyfilmsthings) shares how filming birds has changed the way he sees and listens to the living world.

Read More
142 Next-Gen Hills Naturalists
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

142 Next-Gen Hills Naturalists

Every bird sighting is a mystery waiting to be solved. 13-year-old bird lover Coen Pearson shares his journey from noticing little brown birds at Wilsons Promontory to launching a podcast and conservation group in the Dandenong Ranges.

Read More
141 Birding Between Games
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

141 Birding Between Games

A Powerful Owl was there the night Ben Cullen lost everything. He shares his deep commitment to birds, and the work he now does with Trust for Nature to protect habitat on private land.

Read More
140 Australian Owls
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

140 Australian Owls

Most of us live closer to owls than we realise. Beth Mott introduces us to Australia’s owls and their unique behaviours, and what we can do to help them survive.

Read More
139 Making Space for Birds
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

139 Making Space for Birds

A Powerful Owl was there the night Ben Cullen lost everything. He shares his deep commitment to birds, and the work he now does with Trust for Nature to protect habitat on private land.

Read More
137 Terns (Part 1) and 138 Terns (Part 2)
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

137 Terns (Part 1) and 138 Terns (Part 2)

Australia’s terns are fast, fascinating and full of subtle differences. Dr Claire Greenwell shares how to tell Fairy Terns from Little Terns, what makes seabirds so unique and why community action is critical for their conservation.

Read More
136 Kingfishers in Cairns
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

136 Kingfishers in Cairns

Jonah Lafferty shares why Cairns is kingfisher heaven - from Little Kingfishers at the Botanic Gardens to Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfishers up on the Tablelands - plus his favourite local hotspots for birdwatching in Far North Queensland.

Read More
135 Pacific Black Duck
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

135 Pacific Black Duck

From its eyebrow to its shimmering wing panel, there is lots to learn about the Pacific Black Duck. Scientist and conservationist Jason Graham does a deep-dive (pun intended) into this impressive bird and provides insights into a large conservation story unfolding in Tasmania.

Read More
134 The 700 Birds Project
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

134 The 700 Birds Project

Artists Jane Rusden and Bridget Farmer share the story behind The 700 Birds Project - a long-term plan to travel in short trips and draw every bird they encounter.

Read More
133 Why do birds sing?
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

133 Why do birds sing?

Dr Gráinne Cleary explains what birds are really doing when they sing. Along the way, she shares simple ways to tune your ear and hear birdsong as communication, not background noise.

Read More
132 Wingmate
Weekend Birder Weekend Birder

132 Wingmate

Brandon Chapman chats about how birdwatching and game design come together in Wingmate, an app that helps people notice birds, build life lists and turn everyday walks into moments of curiosity and connection.

Read More