Bring Birds Back

In order for us to show up for birds, we must first show up for ourselves. Our show is all about ways we can help our bird friends, but today we’re looking at how birds and nature can help restore us. Over the past few decades, researchers have found strong links between our connection to the outdoors and our mental and physical health. Deja Perkins, an urban ecologist, science communicator, and friend of the show, joins Tenijah to talk about her nature and wellness practices and some research about the mutual benefits between the two. Deja shares how birding can be good for our wellbeing, ways we can all enjoy those benefits, and even guides us through her very own breathing meditation to help you really sit with nature.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Clark’s Nutcracker and the whitebark pine have a strong mutualistic relationship: the tree is the bird’s best source of food, and the bird is the tree’s most dependable seed disperser. But several factors are putting the tree at risk — and the decline in whitebark pines is making that partnership less stable.

Peri Sasnett, a ranger at Glacier National Park and co-host of the park’s podcast Headwaters, joins Tenijah to talk all about the birds, their intricately interconnected ecosystems, and ways researchers are learning if and how the birds are adapting. Season 2 of Glacier National Park's podcast Headwaters is all about the charismatic whitebark pine and its role as a keystone species.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Since Tenijah began birding, a lot of questions have come up about why birds do some of the strange things that they do. Writer and biologist Wenfei Tong joins Tenijah to answer some burning questions about what’s going on with our bird friends – questions about different parenting styles to reasons why we noticed birds more during the pandemic, and of course, the question plaguing all of us, are birds tiny dinosaurs?

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Maya Higa is a 24 year old streamer, falconer, and sole founder of Alveus Sanctuary, a wildlife reserve outside of Austin, TX. What's unusual about Alveus is its digital footprint — it's "a virtual conservation education center facility" primarily found on Twitch where Maya streams to teach viewers about the animals and conservation challenges they face. This novel approach to conservation and science communication is not only reaching and engaging newer and wider audiences, but helping to change the landscape of conservation.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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For Halloween, corvid researcher Kaeli Swift joins Tenijah for a show-and-tell of spooky birds. Corvids, vultures, and owls all have reputations as ominous and foreboding — and today, we’re digging into those ideas. Kaeli unpacks why the birds are seen as scary, shares cool facts beyond their mysterious façade, and explores conservation opportunities to help these birds.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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So many of the challenges facing birds are systemic, bigger than what any one person can fix — so how do we get governments to step in and do something? Tykee James, a Sr. Government Relations Representative for The Wilderness Society, has approached this issue in a creative way: by organizing bird walks around the U.S. Capitol. These walks bring in staffers and legislators from across the country and across the aisle, creating a rare space in politics for people to come together and kindle a love of birds. Tenijah talks to Tykee about his bird walks, staying hopeful in the face of huge issues, and they delve into some promising legislation called Recovering America’s Wildlife Act that has the potential to help our bird friends.

You can check if your Senators are cosponsors of Recovering America’s Wildlife Act and contact them about what the legislation means to you

.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Tenijah has been on a birding journey since she was drawn into bird watching at the start of the pandemic — and now, she’s inspiring new birders with Bring Birds Back. For our season finale, Tenijah talks to two of the heroes who inspired her: Tracy Clayton and Ashley C. Ford. They’re podcasters and writers, and they love birds and talk about them on social media or in their work. Tenijah wants to learn how they think about their role in science communication and inspiring new birders — and they have a lot of fun.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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People with disabilities often face barriers to birding. These can be infrastructural and cultural. The organization Birdability is addressing those barriers by raising awareness, crowdsourcing information on what trails and birding spots are already accessible (or what other locations need to do to improve), advocating for these changes, and building community for disabled people in birding. Tenijah travels to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama to go birding and learns how to make nature more accessible with Freya McGregor of Birdability and birders BJ Allen, Linda Neighbors, and Hal Tichenor.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Since her bird journey began, Tenijah’s been learning how to be a better birder —but not just with new birding skills. There’s also the important lesson of how to be an “ethical birder” or treating the birds with respect. Tenijah talks to writer Martha Harbison about “the rules” of birding and how we can be more thoughtful to our feathered friends. But these rules can also be twisted and weaponized against birders from marginalized backgrounds, so she talks to photographer David Lei about how to make sure we’re also being thoughtful to our fellow birders.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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