Image: The Ultimate Bird Drawing Throwdown Showdown Graphic featuring images of David Sibley and H. Jon Benjamin

Join BirdNote tomorrow, November 30th!

Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction!

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Shows With Contributions by Mark Bramhill

American Robin standing in sunny grass

Spark Bird: The First Robin of Spring

Rasheena Fountain studied environmental science and worked at her local Audubon Society. Now she writes about nature and diversity in the outdoors. And what got her interested in the first place? It all started in kindergarten, with a teacher named Miss Beak and the first robin of spring.
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BirdNote Celebrates 20 Years

Twenty years ago today, the first BirdNote Daily episode aired on the public radio station now known as KNKX - 88.5 FM Tacoma/Seattle. Since then, through thousands of sound-rich stories about the lives of birds, BirdNote has inspired people to care about the natural world and take steps…
Kenon Walker stands on a red carpet with five ducks at his feet

Kenon Walker, Duckmaster

Kenon Walker got one of the most unusual job offers you can get: be the Duckmaster of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. That means he would lead the hotel’s five ducks on a daily march to the fountain in the lobby, a bizarre and beloved tradition that draws visitors from all over. But when he…
Blue Jay perched on log, looking to its left

Spark Bird: Corina Newsome Meets the Blue Jay

In an ornithology class in college, Corina Newsome was introduced to the Blue Jay. After this, Corina was determined to learn about the world of birds she had never noticed before. She went on to study avian ecology and now works in the field professionally, where she shares her passion…
A pair of sitting Black Vultures seen against a clear blue sky

BirdNoir: Vultures Come to Town

On this episode of BirdNoir, the Mayor of Bricksville calls the Private Eye with a bit of a problem. “Several dozen giant bird-punks loitering on top of City Hall!” The detective figures out the most likely reason why these birds have chosen the top of a building as their hangout, and…
Male Mallard duck in flight, seen in left profile, wings extended, against a pale blue sky and autumn foliage

Spark Bird: Drew Lanham Takes Flight

Acclaimed ornithologist and writer J. Drew Lanham’s obsession with birds began when he was a kid, when he wished to take flight alongside them. He tried out cardboard wings and an umbrella, trying to defeat gravity. He kept refining his designs and finding better jump-off spots. He…
Male Mallard duck in flight, seen in left profile, wings extended, against a pale blue sky and autumn foliage

Spark Bird: Drew Lanham Takes Flight

Acclaimed ornithologist and writer J. Drew Lanham’s obsession with birds began when he was a kid, when he wished to take flight alongside them. He tried out cardboard wings and an umbrella, trying to defeat gravity. He kept refining his designs and finding better jump-off spots. He…
Five Long-tailed Tits eat at a tube feeder

Do Birds Become Dependent on Bird Feeders?

You may have heard that feeding birds makes them dependent on humans for food, but it’s just not true. Even if you see your local birds ravenously eating at your feeder, those same birds are also finding wild sources of food from elsewhere at other times of the day. That being said, a…
Male Indigo Bunting, a vivid blue bird with black stripes on the wings.

BirdNoir – The Mystery of the Blue Bird

In this episode of BirdNoir, Michael Stein — Private Eye — gets a call from a friend, Danny, who wants to know why the bluest bird he’s ever seen has vanished. But there are many birds that are blue besides the true bluebirds (which belong to the thrush family). To solve the mystery, the…
A squirrel balances on a metal hook that holds a birdfeeder

BirdNoir: The Squirrel Mafia

In this episode of BirdNoir, the Private Eye hears from his friend Danny, who is having his bird feeders pilfered by a pack of rowdy squirrels. While a determined squirrel thief is hard to stop, the detective gives Danny suggestions on the best ways to foil these clever critters.