With a lifelong passion for birds, Keith has connected countless people with nature and sparked the saving of two priceless wild places in the city.

Hear how a kind neighbor helped open the world of birds for him as a kid … why Philadelphia is a great city for wildlife … how on a lark he ran a citywide bird census, still going strong 33 years later … how years of bird census data convinced the water department to save and reopen a beautiful wild reservoir in a low-income neighborhood … discovering rare birds thriving in industrial settings … how a passion for birding (and the financial crisis!) allowed saving a vast exquisite meadow in the city … how despite declines some bird species are actually increasing or rebounding … and more.

You’ll be drawn in by his easygoing enthusiasm and deep knowledge.

Podcast website: https://nwphillypodcast.net

More about Keith Russell:

• Audubon staff bio
• Delaware Valley Ornithological Club bio (2007)
• Philadelphia Mid-Winter Bird Census
• Discovery Center 
• Hidden habitat reclaimed as Discovery Center opens in Fairmount Park (WHYY, 2018)

Houston Meadow

• If You Restore It, They Will Come (FoW Newsletter, 2017, p.10)
• Meadow Lark: Hard work and determination restores Houston Meadows (Grid, 2013)
• Houston Meadow Reclamation Project is on track to achieve its goals (FoW newsletter, 2012, p.10)
• Forest or meadow? Not everyone agrees (Inquirer, March 2010)
• A Wissahickon Valley gem (Roxborough Review, 2009)

Articles

• For migrating birds, the Philly skyline can be deadly (Billy Penn, 2018)
• Birding in Philly’s Forgotten Habitats (Audubon, 2018)
• The 2016 Ludlow Griscom Award for Contributions to Regional Ornithology (American Birding Association, 2016)
• Birding in the City of Brotherly Love (Audubon, 2016)
• Talk will show how to prevent bird-window collisions (Chestnut Hill Local, 2018)
• Profile: For the Birds (Grid, 2009)
• Where have all the pigeons gone? Philly numbers are down as predators thrive. Could it be a trend? (Inquirer, 2019)

Videos

• Bird Watching in the City: Who Knew? (2015)
• Audubon: Keith Russell (2018)