The young Samuel Langhorne Clemens - later known as Mark Twain - signed on to train as a pilot on a Mississippi riverboat when he was just 22. He quickly discovered that if he volunteered for the early morning shift, he could experience one of the most incredible musical shows there is.

Gordon Hempton has spent his whole life recording the sounds of the natural world. But capturing intricate, immersive soundscapes is a challenge: Gordon has to keep entirely silent, sometimes for hours at a time. Tune in to the entire journey at birdnote.org/soundescapes. This show is made…

Gordon Hempton has spent his whole life recording the sounds of the natural world. But capturing intricate, immersive soundscapes is a challenge: Gordon has to keep entirely silent, sometimes for hours at a time. Tune in to the entire journey at birdnote.org/soundescapes. This show is made…

We’re at the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, just 50 miles northwest of Nashville, Tennessee. It’s this massive inland peninsula, bordered by sections of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. It’s a sneak peek of Sound Escapes, our new podcast series. This show is made…

We’re at the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, just 50 miles northwest of Nashville, Tennessee. It’s this massive inland peninsula, bordered by sections of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. It’s a sneak peek of Sound Escapes, our new podcast series. This show is made…

Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is a massive inland peninsula, bordered by sections of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers that were permanently flooded as a part of FDR’s New Deal. Humans changed this landscape, but now birds have claimed it - and they are flourishing.

Looking out from a tall mountain on a clear day, you might be able to see for dozens of miles. Expansive, scenic views are treasured for their beauty — but what about being able to hear over long distances? For that, the ideal location is wide open prairie, like Saskatchewan’s Grasslands…

Looking out from a tall mountain on a clear day, you might be able to see for dozens of miles. Expansive, scenic views are treasured for their beauty — but what about being able to hear over long distances? For that, the ideal location is wide open prairie, like Saskatchewan’s Grasslands…

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…