Bring Birds Back

This is part two of our series on the Sustainability in Prisons Project. If you haven’t heard part one already, we encourage you to listen to that first.

Tenijah learns all about Sustainability in Prisons Project’s most successful program to date: rehabilitating the federally endangered Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly. Find out how the incarcerated participants at Mission Creek Corrections Center are saving the endangered species and changing the ecology of the evergreen state year by year. Then, we’ll take a step further out and explore how green projects impact lives inside prison and upon release. Is it possible to move toward a more humane prison system by saving the planet? Listen in.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org

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Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

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The American prison system is complex and there are so many reasons as to why and how it could be improved. For nearly two decades, the Sustainability in Prisons Project (a collaboration between Evergreen State College and Washington state’s Department of Corrections) has been doing just that — and with visible results. In this two-part episode, we venture into Cedar Creek and Mission Creek Correctional Centers to learn all about the ways in which they’re impacting the lives of their incarcerated participants, starting with their newest program, the Avian Acoustic Monitoring Program.

 More info and transcript at BirdNote.org

Want more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.

BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Nature author, photographer and self-taught birder Dudley Edmondson shares how embracing the great outdoors as a child changed his life for the better. With over 30 years of experience, Dudley has dedicated much of his career encouraging Black and Brown people, especially, to venture into nature as refuge from daily societal pressures and microaggressions. Dudley shares why he’s so adamant about advocating for more representation in the field, and he talks about  improving mental health with more solitary time with  our chirping friends. Tune in!

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org

Want more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.

BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode’s guest may be too young to remember the 90’s children’s show, Gullah Gullah Island, but he’s certainly influencing the next generation the same! Isaiah Scott, a rising Gen-Z bird-influencer and ornithologist, reconnects with Tenijah to dish all about his journey into birding while young, Black and curious. He also shares how his Gullah Geechee heritage continues to inspire his work, including a forthcoming field guide that seeks to preserve his ancestral connection to birds. There’s definitely “lots to see and to do there”– press play and take the journey with us!

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org

Want more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.

BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Childhood nostalgia, anyone? Tenijah reminisces about her favorite bird moment in a film and learns all about how it came to be! Our guest this episode is Tony Suffredini, a bird trainer and master falconer, but the real stars are all Hollywood trained professionals – his birds! Tony shares how he got into bird training, how he prioritizes the health and safety of his feathered family on set and how he gives back with his super niche skills as a bird abatement specialist and Golden Eagle conservationist! 

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org

Want more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.

BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence is all the rage these days – for better or for worse. Luckily, in the case of our feathered friends, it’s good news! In this episode, Tenijah speaks with three experts (starting with Garry George and Katie Umekubo) about the great environmental gains of wind energy – and their unfortunate contribution to the decline of birds. But all hope is not lost – in fact, there’s an exciting solution already underway! Susan Downey introduces us to Identiflight, an A.I.-assisted technology that not only assesses potential harm to birds, but also prevents it… to a degree. Tune in.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org

Want more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.

BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the season 4 premiere, we’re joined by wildlife advocate, ornithologist and (social media star) birder, Corina Newsome! Tenijah speaks with Corina about the latest findings in the State of the Birds report, the impact of environmental racism on urban communities and birds, and the uber important 2023 Farm Bill. Plus, they get into the weeds about why a zero-sum mentality could be to blame for a lack of progress on addressing climate change (hats off to Heather McGhee). Press play!

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org

Want more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.

BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Season 4 of Bring Birds Back premieres Wednesday, May 17th

Love is in the air and we’re not talking about your $4.99 Valentine’s Day balloon! For this special episode of Bring Birds Back, we dive into all things bird love! Doves may be the universal bird symbol for love, but romance in the bird world is happening all around. Our guest Wenfei Tong shares various ways birds are wooing each other by song, dance, gifts, and more. From choosy lovers like the Laysan Albatross to opposites-attract lovers like the White-throated Sparrows, bird love languages are real and well documented.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

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We’re happy to share a special feature from our friends at Constant Wonder. Hosted by Marcus Smith, their "Mockingbirds" episode takes you through the complexity of mockingbird songs and why these birds mix hundreds of songs together using sophisticated musical techniques. Constant Wonder’s guiding principle is based on the idea that encounters with wonder and awe are real and spark a sense of mystery and surprise, and the show celebrates these experiences.

Darwin hated peacocks because he couldn't explain their excess beauty. He likely would have hated mockingbirds for the excessive complexity of their songs. Where many birds are content with a few simple chirps, mockingbirds learn hundreds of sounds from other birds and animals and mix them together using sophisticated musical techniques, the kind human musicians often employ. Their songs go far, far beyond anything necessary to find food, defend territory, or attract a mate. Why do they do it?

Find Constant Wonder on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or in your favorite podcast app.