Albany naturalist Jim Fowler to be on live BirdCallsRadio podcast Tuesday

ALBANY — Naturalist Jim Fowler will be the guest Tuesday morning for a live podcast on BirdCallsRadio.

Fowler, an Albany native, will join host Mardi W. Dickinson on the podcast, which starts at 9 a.m. The show can be heard online at http://birdcallsradio.com. To access the show featuring Fowler, click on episode No. 111 to activate the player.

Fowler has been involved in wildlife and nature for more than four decades, with his best remembered work as co-host of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” with Marlin Perkins, a show that Fowler later hosted solo. Fowler was on “Wild Kingdom” for 28 years.

Speaking to the Dougherty County Kiwanis Club in 2012, Fowler, who often brought animals with him to “The Tonight Show” appearances, quipped about his years of work with Perkins.

“Johnny Carson used to say I got the job because I was the only person dumb enough to do the things Perkins wanted,” he said. “I wasn’t worried, though, because I had Mutual of Omaha insurance.”

A year earlier in an interview with The Albany Herald, Fowler, who engaged in the more physical interactions with animals on the long-running TV series, said, “I still wrestle alligators once in a while, but only the old ones.”

Fowler has been involved with Chehaw and its wild animal habitat since its inception, as well as the zoo at Tift Park that preceded it. The park was one of the first to advocate for open areas for animals to roam rather than the old concrete-bottom display areas that once were common. That vision was the forerunner for experiences like Chehaw’s African Veldt Ride, which takes zoo visitors through the park’s largest exhibit where seven different species roam in natural herds.

And while he often has amusing stories, Fowler said he also recognizes the seriousness of nature and the environment. He has said that people must be educated, coupling information with experience, to enhance the survival of wildlife on the planet.

“These is a difference in information and education,” he said. “Information is what you get in college lectures. It’s knowing how hot the stove is. Education is sitting on the stove and saying, ‘I’ll never do that again!’”

Dickinson says her podcast will continue to bring “exciting and forward-thinking guests” like Fowler for conversations on matters that relate to wild birds and the environment. Guests include birders, artists, educators, authors, scientists and members of organizations. She says her goal is to get beyond a few sounds bytes through in-depth conversations designed to provide a more thorough examination of a given subject.

In addition to the Bird calls Radio website, the podcast is also available through BCR’s free podcast subscriptions in iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher on all Mac, PC and Android platforms.