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…

When illustrator Diana Sudyka was in second grade, she was given a Peterson’s Bird Field Guide. She still remembers making her first bird ID — a Brown-headed Cowbird. Even years later, Sudyka’s love of birds has stuck with her. She recently illustrated the children’s book, How to Find a…

When illustrator Diana Sudyka was in second grade, she was given a Peterson’s Bird Field Guide. She still remembers making her first bird ID — a Brown-headed Cowbird. Even years later, Sudyka’s love of birds has stuck with her. She recently illustrated the children’s book, How to Find a…

In an ornithology class in college, Corina Newsome was introduced to the Blue Jay. After this, Newsome was determined to learn about the world of birds she had never noticed before. Now she’s an avian ecology graduate student and Community Engagement Manager for Georgia Audubon, where she…

Lifelong birder Jordan Rutter co-founded the campaign Bird Names for Birds. The goal? To discontinue the use of honorific names and replace them with names that celebrate the unique attributes, behaviors, and biomes of the birds. “There's a way for us to remember and learn the history of…

Lifelong birder Jordan Rutter co-founded the campaign Bird Names for Birds. The goal? To discontinue the use of honorific names and replace them with names that celebrate the unique attributes, behaviors, and biomes of the birds. “There's a way for us to remember and learn the history of…

Back when he was a bike messenger in downtown Seattle, Gordon Hempton was drawn to the sonic richness of a remote canyon in eastern Washington State. “Pipestone Canyon was my oasis from all the urban din and construction activity,” he says. The canyon walls echo and amplify the sounds of…

Back when he was a bike messenger in downtown Seattle, Gordon Hempton was drawn to the sonic richness of a remote canyon in eastern Washington State. “Pipestone Canyon was my oasis from all the urban din and construction activity,” he says. The canyon walls echo and amplify the sounds of…

In the spring, Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota bursts into song. For nature sound recordist Gordon Hempton, the greatest sound is the arrival of loons. A fond and venerable bit of folklore holds that loons mate for life. In their calls, Gordon hears true love. “It was full of…

Gordon Hempton started a nonprofit that designates “quiet parks” around the world. These special places are to be protected from noise pollution, where you can experience true, profound quiet. On Earth Day 2019, the first Quiet Park was created on the Zabalo River in Ecuador. “There’s no…