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Urban Birding with Deja Perkins
It just takes five minutes of mindfulness!
© Deja Perkins
In this episode, urban ecologist Deja Perkins talks about how many bird species live right within bustling cities. Whether you’re on your porch, at your local park, or the parking lot of your favorite store, you can find birds. Deja suggests taking five minutes to focus your attention on birds. Look up in the sky, along power lines and the tops of buildings. Close your eyes and listen — past the sounds of traffic — for the songs of nearby birds.
This week is Black Birders Week. Learn how to participate in Black Birders Week here and by following #BlackBirdersWeek on social media.
BirdNote®
Urban Birding with Deja Perkins
Written by Deja Perkins
This is BirdNote. I’m Deja Perkins, an urban ecologist, and I’d like to give you a crash course on urban birding.
[Eastern Towhee song, ML 238431511, 0:16-0:17]
There’s nothing like the sound of the Eastern Towhee reminding you to “drink your tea” first thing in the morning. In the eastern U.S., these are not birds you have to travel far to see. In fact, you can see the Eastern Towhee and many other birds just by taking a walk around your neighborhood.
One of the reasons I love birds is that you don’t have to go far to find them. You can sit on your porch, at your local park or even the parking lot of your favorite store and you will find birds. All it takes is at least 5 minutes of mindfulness.
If you don’t see anything right away, don’t be discouraged. Remember to look up! Maybe you will catch a vulture soaring overhead on a warm breezy day, or the flash of red on a Red-tailed Hawk as it soars by.
[Red-tailed Hawk call, ML 241076151]
Check the power lines, light poles and tops of buildings for the electric blue flash of the Eastern Bluebird. Close your eyes. [cityscape ambience] Listen. Past the sounds of the cars and the traffic. Past the sounds of people chatting nearby. [fade ambience] Do you hear it? Drink your teaaaaaa.
[Eastern Towhee song, ML 238431511, 0:16-0:17]
[Calls: American Crow, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Song Sparrow]
This week is Black Birders Week. To learn how to participate, follow the hashtag Black Birders Week on social media and visit BirdNote dot org. I’m Deja Perkins.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Content Director: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Eastern Towhee ML 238431511 recorded by G. Seeholzer, Red-tailed Hawk ML 241076151 recorded by P. Marvin, American Crow ML 229089 recorded by B. McGuire, Brown-headed Cowbird ML 94262 recorded by W. Hershberger, and Song Sparrow ML 94448 recorded by W. Hershberger.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote June 2022 Narrator: Deja Perkins
ID# birding-30-2022-06-01 birding-30
Deja Perkins
Writer NarratorSights & Sounds
