On January 17, 2019, renowned American poet Mary Oliver passed away. She was known for her beautiful writing about the natural world. We spoke with poet Traci Brimhall about Oliver's passing and asked her to read the first poem she ever memorized, Wild Geese.

Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park, just a few miles north of the Canada/US border... To be heard over the loud winds, birds like this Chestnut-collared Longspur need to have a wide dynamic range. But even with their many adaptations, bird songs are most plentiful when the wind is the…

Today we head to Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan, just a few miles north of the Canada/US border. We'll hear a prairie dawn chorus — complete with coyotes. Today he’s taking us to Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park, just a few miles north of the Canada/US border. As you’re…

April is National Poetry Month in the United States, and to celebrate, we're featuring some of our favorite poets who write about our feathered friends. Today, in this extended podcast, we're sharing the work of poet Sidney Wade, professor emeritus at the University of Florida. Her most…

Take a trip to the Hawaiian Islands with BirdNote with our new podcast Sound Escapes. We’ve teamed up with Gordon Hempton to bring the world’s sonic landscapes to your ears. This show is made possible by Jim and Birte Falconer of Seattle, the Bobolink Foundation, Idie Ulsh, and the…

It’s a warm summer morning on the western shore of the Big Island of Hawaii. A native 'Apapane is foraging in the brush. It’s early, the sun is rising, and the tide is coming in. The Pacific Ocean is “Peaceful Ocean,” and its beat is something that permeates every place you go on the…

In the Hawaiian lowlands, most of birds you hear are from somewhere else. But when you get away from the beaches and climb higher, you’ll find the great forest refuges, where many of Hawaii’s native birds still thrive — and where the Big Island’s natural soundscape plays on. You can hear…

Take a carbon-free journey to Hawaii in the second episode of Sound Escapes. The Song of the Big Island takes us from the waves on the beach to deep within the Hawaiian rainforest.

Gordon Hempton has spent his life capturing the sounds of the natural world — and learning to really listen to the world around him. He says over the course of our lives we apply more and more filters that dictate what is and isn’t worth our attention. That can help us navigate the human…

Gordon Hempton has spent his life recording the sounds of the natural world, from the rainforest of Hawai’i to the vast dry prairies of North America. Then, one morning, he woke up to silence. Ever since his first sudden encounter with hearing loss, Gordon has made it his mission to share…