BirdNote Daily

With today’s mobile apps and sound libraries, it’s never been easier to listen to birds on demand. But that wasn’t always the case – not until the 1920s when ornithologist Arthur Allen teamed up with an ambitious film production crew to record the dawn performance of a Song Sparrow. That first recording, featured in this episode, is now one of millions in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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The Reddish Egret, a particularly glamorous heron, is best known for its startling antics in capturing fish. When fishing, the egret sprints across the lagoon, weaving left and right, simultaneously flicking its broad wings in and out, while stabbing into the water with its bill. Fish startled at the egret’s crazed movements become targets of that pink dagger. At times, the bird will raise its wings forward over its head, creating a shadow on the water. It then freezes in this position for minutes. Fish swim in, attracted by a patch of shade and . . . well, you know the rest.

Support comes from Wild Delight Bird Food, offering a variety of blends designed to mimic the natural resources wild birds crave, available at Chewy.com.

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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Hummingbirds are built for hovering flight, with flexible wrists that rotate their wings in a rapid figure-eight motion that generates almost constant lift. Eurasian Skylarks, on the other hand, hover by fluttering their wings 10-12 times per second, singing all the while. Some raptors such as American Kestrels use a different strategy: by flying into the wind, they can float in place while they scan for prey.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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The Golden-cheeked Warbler is an endangered species and the only bird that nests exclusively in central Texas. Males arrive in March to stake out a territory in the juniper-oak woodlands – the older the trees, the better! By the end of July, the warblers are on their way back to mountain forests of southern Mexico and Central America. Sadly, deforestation has destroyed and fragmented much of their habitat across the Americas. Now, this special songbird’s future depends on people stepping up to protect our forests — from Nicaragua to Texas.

This episode is dedicated to naturalist Dave Sutherland from Boulder, Colorado, who has taught so many so much!

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Outdoor cats are one of the biggest threats to birds, killing over a billion a year in North America. And indoor-outdoor cats live much shorter lives than indoor-only cats. So keeping a cat indoors helps protect birds. And there are plenty of ways to make the “great indoors” more exciting for your cat. In this episode, BirdNote senior producer Mark Bramhill shares his experience with his cat, Pigeon, who enjoys a ‘catio’ — cat-patio — and walks on a leash.

This episode was produced as part of BirdNote’s “From Love to Action” campaign, an effort to inspire people to take action to help birds. To learn more and to tell us how you’re helping birds, visit this link.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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

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