Lifer Pie

BirdNote^®
Lifer Pie
Written by Ariana Remmel

This is BirdNote.

         [Northern Yellow Warbler and background ambi]

In birding lingo, a lifer — or life bird — is any species you see or hear for the first time. Birders get very excited about lifers. Some even mark the occasion with a special dessert called lifer pie!

The tradition started at a birding festival in northwest Ohio — called the Biggest Week in American Birding — where attendees celebrate new life birds at the local tavern over a slice of homemade pie. Any flavor will do! Lifer pie is more about the feeling than the filling – making it easy for anyone to join in.

For example, if it’s your first time hearing a Northern Yellow Warbler sing “Sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet!”...

         [Northern Yellow Warbler]

… you definitely deserve a sweet treat! But if you prefer something savory, no problem! Grab a piece of pizza pie.

There’s no wrong way to celebrate birds. Because let’s be honest: birding isn’t always a piece of cake. But lifers are always worth… a slice of pie!

         [Northern Yellow Warbler]

For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.

This episode is brought to you by Wild Delight Bird Food, which aims to support wild bird populations with clean, nutritious ingredients in every blend. Available at Chewy.com.

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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Northern Yellow Warbler ML57524601 recorded by Jay McGowan.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2026 BirdNote March 2026
Narrator: Ariana Remmel

ID# birding-41-2026-03-14            birding-41