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!
BirdNoir: A Dark and Stormy Night
Where do birds go when it rains?
© Becky Matsubara
In this episode of BirdNoir, Private Eye Michael Stein gets a call from his friend Billy, a mail carrier. Billy says he hasn’t seen a single bird on his route since the storm came into town, even though at this time of year the streets are usually chock full of birds. He asks, what happens to birds when it rains?
BirdNote®
BirdNoir: A Dark and Stormy Night
Written by Mark Bramhill
Michael Stein: This is BirdNoir. I’m private eye Michael Stein.
[Rain, a crack of thunder; brooding saxophone jazz]
Michael Stein: It was storming that night — a hard rain, hammering on the roof, when my phone rang.
[Old fashioned phone rings briefly]
Postman Billy: Michael, I’ve got a missing bird — well, birds, actually.
Michael Stein: It was my friend Billy, the mail carrier.
Postman Billy: This time of year the town’s usually chock-full of birds on their way north, but I haven’t seen heads or tails of any birds since this rain began. Not even the regulars on my route! Come to think of it, I almost never see birds in the rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor hail! Where are they disappearing to, Michael?
Michael Stein: Aha! — they say this is nice weather for ducks, but not every bird gets on so swimmingly with the rain. Most birds will perch somewhere nice and sheltered and wait the weather out.
Postman Billy: What, birds ain’t got good enough rain jackets then?
Michael Stein: That’s not quite it — feathers make a great raincoat. The problem is flying. When a storm rolls in, the air pressure drops, and that less-dense air makes flight mighty difficult. And since birds have an ear for air pressure in a way that people don’t, they’ll often take shelter before we notice the coming storm.
[Crack of thunder]
Postman Billy: So you say my bird buddies are hunkering down right now?
Michael Stein: Indeed they are, Billy. But when these storms finally let up, the streets will be bustling with migratory birds.
For BirdNote, I’m private eye, Michael Stein.
###
Senior Producer: John Kessler
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2024 BirdNote March 2024
Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# noir-11-2024-03-27 noir-11
