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

Eurasian Wren seen in left profile, beak open wide as it sings. This Eurasian wren shows the warm brown wing feathers and buff colored breast, and its short tail is tilted upward.

International Dawn Chorus Day

The first Sunday of May is International Dawn Chorus Day, a day to appreciate the beauty of birds’ dawn songs. Dawn Chorus Day began as a small event in Birmingham, England in the 1980s and has grown to be a worldwide celebration of birdsong. You can join in wherever you are by listening…
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Eurasian Wren seen in left profile, beak open wide as it sings. This Eurasian wren shows the warm brown wing feathers and buff colored breast, and its short tail is tilted upward.

International Dawn Chorus Day

The first Sunday of May is International Dawn Chorus Day, a day to appreciate the beauty of birds’ dawn songs. Dawn Chorus Day began as a small event in Birmingham, England in the 1980s and has grown to be a worldwide celebration of birdsong. You can join in wherever you are by listening…
Listen Now
Northern Mockingbird perched on a branch against a clear blue sky, its head turned to the left and its beak open as it sings in the sunlight

Timothy Steele - Mockingbird

Many years ago, poet Timothy Steele had a Northern Mockingbird take up residence right outside his bedroom window. And the bird sang day and night. “I love mockingbirds generally,” Steele said, “but in this case, I did wish that this particular fellow would shut up! And I wrote the poem as…
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Northern Mockingbird perched on a branch against a clear blue sky, its head turned to the left and its beak open as it sings in the sunlight

Timothy Steele - Mockingbird

Many years ago, poet Timothy Steele had a Northern Mockingbird take up residence right outside his bedroom window. And the bird sang day and night. “I love mockingbirds generally,” Steele said, “but in this case, I did wish that this particular fellow would shut up! And I wrote the poem as…
Listen Now
Male Northern Cardinal perched on edge of bird feeder tray, partially lit by sunlight, his red crest glowing

Spark Bird: Tig Notaro and the Dinosaurs

Tig Notaro is known for her acting, writing, and especially her deadpan comedy. Less well known is her love for birds. Watching the film Jurassic Park, she noticed how the dinosaurs were portrayed to move similarly to birds, and it piqued her interest. These days, she has bird feeders…
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Male Northern Cardinal perched on edge of bird feeder tray, partially lit by sunlight, his red crest glowing

Spark Bird: Tig Notaro and the Dinosaurs

Tig Notaro is known for her acting, writing, and especially her deadpan comedy. Less well known is her love for birds. Watching the film Jurassic Park, she noticed how the dinosaurs were portrayed to move similarly to birds, and it piqued her interest. These days, she has bird feeders…
Listen Now
House Finch perched on a branch in the sun, looking to its left, red head and chest showing well

Wendy S. Walters - Hollywood Finches

When writer Wendy S. Walters lived in LA in the early 2000s, she wrote a collection of poems about the city called The Birds of Los Angeles. For one of her poems, she wanted to examine the idea of the Hollywood romance “and the ways in which people think that they're going to be walking…
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House Finch perched on a branch in the sun, looking to its left, red head and chest showing well

Wendy S. Walters - Hollywood Finches

When writer Wendy S. Walters lived in LA in the early 2000s, she wrote a collection of poems about the city called The Birds of Los Angeles. For one of her poems, she wanted to examine the idea of the Hollywood romance “and the ways in which people think that they're going to be walking…
Listen Now
Great Blue Heron perched on branch, its head turned to the left showing long curved neck and sharp beak

Spark Bird: Ryan Mandelbaum and the Great Blue Heron

As a kid, science writer Ryan Mandelbaum avoided birds, thinking they were gross and kind of scary. But doing a video project in journalism school, Ryan had to search all over to get footage of a Great Blue Heron. When Ryan found one in its nest, they were shocked at how majestic and…
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A male and a female Northern Harrier "sky dancing" with each other against a clear blue sky

Spark Bird: Olivia Wang and the Sky Dancers

When Olivia Wang was in college, she did field work with Northern Harriers. She remembers the first time she saw a male doing a courtship display known as sky dancing: “It's just all these aerial acrobatics and loops and dives. And it was just… breathtaking to watch — and it still is every…
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