I put birds & beeps on the radio • Producer @EnthusiastFM @BirdNoteRadio @MacintoshFM • Creator of the Yoga Emoji 🧘♀️ • @bramhill@journa.host
Articles by Mark Bramhill
Spark Bird: Thomas Poulsom and the LEGO Robin
BirdNote® Spark Bird: Thomas Poulsom and the LEGO Robin By Mark Bramhill This is BirdNote. [Birdsong] As he trained to be an arborist, Thomas Poulsom started developing two new interests. The first was birds: Thomas Poulsom: My favorite bird is a robin, robin red-breast in Europe. [European Robin song] Thomas Poulsom:
Because when you're digging, a little robin is always following you around looking for food. Worms and grubs and all sorts of things that you're digging up.
The Skatebirder | BirdNote
BirdNote® The Skatebirder Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. [Bouncy bassline begins, “Foundation, Donation” by Dave Mull] Dave Mull is an avid birder and a professional skateboarder — or "skatebirder," as he likes to say. And he definitely turns some heads: Dave Mull: If I'm skateboarding and then I pull out my binoculars and start birding, some people see that and they’re like, just totally taken aback. They're like, “Why does he have binoculars?
International Dawn Chorus Day
BirdNote® International Dawn Chorus Day Written by Mark Bramhill This is BirdNote. The first Sunday of May is International Dawn Chorus Day, a day to appreciate the beauty of birds’ dawn songs. Each morning, right as the sun begins to rise, birds sing forth in a symphony of song. [Dawn Song] ML516838 Marsh Dawn North Dakota The timing of these early morning concerts may be related to the weather.
Puffin Bills Glow
BirdNote® Puffin Bills Glow Written by Mark Bramhill This is BirdNote. Puffins are known for their flashy bills, striped in black, white, and vibrant yellow and orange, like a giant piece of candy-corn. They shed and regrow the bill’s colorful outer layer each year, likely donning their best attire to help attract a mate. But there’s more to their bills than meets the eye — well, the human eye, anyway.
Poetry in the Parks
BirdNote® Poetry in the Parks Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Shauna Potocky, education strategist for the National Park Service, has always loved poetry, and even writes poems herself. And a few years ago, she got a phone call she was pretty excited about. Shauna Potocky: Well it's always exciting when you get a call from the Library of Congress and the U. S.
BirdNoir: The Mystery of Public Media Funding
BirdNote® BirdNoir: The Mystery of Public Media Funding Written by Jonese Franklin and Mark Bramhill Michael Stein: This is BirdNoir. I’m Private Eye Michael Stein. When starting out to solve a mystery, remember this: follow the money. Although sometimes, that’s to find out who to thank. Like when my pal Roy called me… Roy: Hey Michael, settle a bet for me.
Poet Holly J. Hughes’ book Passings is a collection of poems about fifteen species of birds that we have lost, or presume to be extinct. For National Poetry Month, Hughes shares the inspiration behind her work and three poems: Passenger Pigeon, Northern Curlew, and Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. BirdNote® Poet Holly J. Hughes Honors the Birds We've Lost Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Birds have always been a part of poet Holly J. Hughes’s life.
BirdNote Celebrates 20 Years
Twenty years ago today, the first BirdNote Daily episode aired on the public radio station now known as KNKX - 88.5 FM Tacoma/Seattle. Since then, through thousands of sound-rich stories about the lives of birds, BirdNote has inspired people to care about the natural world and take steps to protect it.
BirdNote® Kenon Walker, Duckmaster Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. [Sound of hotel lobby] The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee is a swanky hotel best known for its ducks. It has five ducks that live in a 'palace' on the roof; each morning they’re marched into the lobby fountain with great fanfare, then marched back up in the afternoon.
BirdNoir – The Mystery of the Blue Bird | BirdNote
BirdNote® BirdNoir - The Mystery of the Blue Bird Written by Conor Gearin and Mark Bramhill This is BirdNoir. I’m Michael Stein, Private Eye. [Saxophone rises] I have this friend, Danny. Talks fast, sometimes gets a little mixed up. He called me the other day — bird emergency. Danny: [on the phone] Michael, you gotta help me. There was a blue bird in my backyard — boy, I’ve never seen a bird that blue — but now he up and vanished. Gone, presto. What happened? Slow down, Danny. Run that back.
Sam ‘Ohu Gon on Protecting the ‘I‘iwi
Because of invasive species and climate change, many of the native birds of Hawai‘i are endangered or have gone extinct. Sam ‘Ohu Gon, Senior Scientist and Cultural Advisor for the Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i, says the bright red bird called the ‘i‘iwi holds a special place in native Hawaiian culture. The bird’s feathers appear as the red color in traditional Hawaiian featherwork. Preserving the bird means preserving the strong cultural relationship with the species.
Spark Bird: Chidi Paige and the Yellow Warbler
BirdNote® Spark Bird: Chidi Paige and the Yellow Warbler Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Chidi Paige grew up in Nigeria, and while she studied zoology, she was not an expert on birds. So, when she moved to the United States and got a job running a youth STEM program at the Newark Museum in New Jersey and had to teach lessons on bird identification, she was in for a challenge. Chidi Paige: So here I was, brand new to the country, going through a lot of culture shock.
Bird Facts Stranger Than Fiction
BirdNote® Bird Facts Stranger Than Fiction Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Novelist Kira Jane Buxton has written several books about a pet crow navigating a post-apocalyptic world. But while the premise is outlandish, her writing is full of real-world bird and animal behaviors: Kira Jane Buxton: I was so endlessly fascinated doing the research. I would read and read and read and get so excited.
BirdNoir: A Dark and Stormy Night
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.
Keeping Cats Indoors
BirdNote® Keeping Cats Indoors Written by Mark Bramhill This is BirdNote. I’m Mark Bramhill. I adore cats — especially my own. Her name is Pigeon. [Pigeon meows] But outdoor cats are one of the biggest threats to birds, killing over a billion a year in North America. And indoor-outdoor cats live much shorter lives than indoor-only cats. By keeping Pigeon indoors, we’re doing our part to help the birds.
Building Birds with LEGO
BirdNote® Building Birds with LEGO By Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Thomas Poulsom is a hobbyist LEGO builder best known for his models of birds. And he says making birds out of bricks isn't easy: Thomas Poulsom: Building anything organic at LEGO is actually a real challenge. You're trying to make round objects out of square bricks. Mark Bramhill: So, how do you do that?
Spark Bird: Thomas Poulsom and the LEGO Robin
BirdNote® Spark Bird: Thomas Poulsom and the LEGO Robin By Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. [Birdsong] As he trained to be an arborist, Thomas Poulsom started developing two new interests. The first was birds: Thomas Poulsom: My favorite bird is a robin, robin red-breast in Europe. [European Robin song] Thomas Poulsom:
Because when you're digging, a little robin is always following you around looking for food. Worms and grubs and all sorts of things that you're digging up.
“Clearing” by Camille T. Dungy
In this episode, writer Camille T. Dungy shares the poem “Clearing” from her new book, Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden. BirdNote® "Clearing" by Camille T. Dungy Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Today, we’re sharing a poem by writer Camille T. Dungy. Camille T.
Changing How You Hear the World
BirdNote® Changing How You Hear the World Written by Mark Bramhill This is BirdNote. We’re at the end of our spring fundraising week, and if you haven’t already pitched in, please consider doing so now at BirdNote.org. [Song of the White-throated Sparrow] We often hear from listeners that BirdNote has changed the way they see and interact with the world around them. It's had that impact for those of us who help make the show, too.
Sean Hill on Nature, Place, and Black Life
Poet Sean Hill performs three poems that encapsulate his dynamic relationship to birds, travel and life as a Black wanderer in the great outdoors. First is The Western Tanager or Why Montana, a villanelle reflecting on why people choose a home. Then, In Houston examines the intimacy of quiet moments and the surprising sounds that can be heard when we really listen. And finally, Silas Fishing 1967 shows how connecting with even small moments in nature can have a transformational effect.
Camille T. Dungy on Nature and Motherhood
BirdNote® Camille T. Dungy on Nature and Motherhood Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. For poetry month, we're sharing poems about birds from contemporary writers. In her book Trophic Cascade, Camille T. Dungy writes about themes of nature and becoming a mother. The title is an ecological term about how ecosystems go through far-reaching changes with the removal or introduction of a top "trophy" predator.
Spark Bird: Jerome Gaw at the Aquarium
BirdNote® Spark Bird: Jerome Gaw at the Aquarium Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. [Ambient aquarium music starts] Mark Bramhill: When Jerome Gaw got the chance to volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific, he was stoked. He'd loved sharks and marine life since he was a kid. But for his interview, he had to give a presentation on a creature he wasn't familiar with: Jerome Gaw: They asked me to prepare information on the Great Blue Heron.
Living on Earth: BirdNote®: Sound Escapes – Learning to Be a Deep Listener
Air Date: Week of March 3, 2023 Sound recordist Gordon Hempton brings us the sounds of the Amazon in this BirdNote® from Ashley Ahearn. Transcript BASCOMB: Industrial and other human-made noises permeate our modern world. But nature is still singing, if we just listen. BirdNote®'s Ashley Ahearn has more. BirdNote® Sound Escapes - Learning to Be a Deep Listener AHEARN: Gordon Hempton is a sound recordist who has spent his life capturing the sounds of the natural world.
The Skatebirder | BirdNote
BirdNote® The Skatebirder Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. [Bouncy bassline begins, “Foundation, Donation” by Dave Mull] Dave Mull is an avid birder and a professional skateboarder — or "skatebirder," as he likes to say. And he definitely turns some heads: Dave Mull: If I'm skateboarding and then I pull out my binoculars and start birding, some people see that and they’re like, just totally taken aback. They're like, “Why does he have binoculars?
A Pigeon’s Eye View
BirdNote® A Pigeon’s Eye View Written by Mark Bramhill This is BirdNote. Seeing the earth from above, out of an airplane window or from the top of a skyscraper, has a sublime beauty. While today you can just load up Google Maps, in the early 20th century, almost no one had seen a birds-eye view of the world. But in 1907, Dr. Julius Neubronner, a German pharmacist who used carrier pigeons to deliver medicine, invented the pigeon camera.
Spark Bird: H. Jon Benjamin’s Bird Reports
When the COVID pandemic started, comedian and actor H. Jon Benjamin and his family moved to a secluded house by a creek in upstate New York. And living there, he started to get really interested in birds. He began videotaping himself getting excited about seeing birds and sharing these “bird reports” with his Twitter followers. And many people were delighted to see them. BirdNote® Spark Bird: H. Jon Benjamin's Bird Reports Written by Mark Bramhill Allison Wilson: This is BirdNote.
The Wood Thrush as a Symbol for Inner Peace
When we think of a bird to represent peace, many of us might think of doves. Deja Perkins, an urban ecologist, says that the Wood Thrush is the bird that best represents inner peace and peace of mind. BirdNote® The Wood Thrush as a Symbol for Inner Peace Written by Mark Bramhill Tenijah Hamilton: This is BirdNote. [Rock Doves cooing] Tenijah Hamilton: When we think of a bird to represent peace, many of us might think of doves — they’re bright and cute and mellow.
Dave Mull and the Courage of Steller’s Jays
BirdNote® Dave Mull and the Courage of Steller's Jays Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote.
Clark’s Nutcracker and the Whitebark Pine
Clark’s Nutcracker is a clever corvid that has a special relationship with a tree called the whitebark pine. The tree’s cones don’t open on their own, and Clark’s Nutcracker is one of the few species that can pry them open. When the nutcrackers cache the seeds for the winter, they’ll leave a few behind, helping spread the next generation of whitebark pines. BirdNote® Clark’s Nutcracker and the Whitebark Pine Written by Mark Bramhill Tenijah Hamilton: This is BirdNote.
Spark Bird: Maya Higa and Bean
BirdNote® Spark Bird - Maya Higa and Bean Written by Mark Bramhill Tenijah Hamilton: This is BirdNote. [Red-tailed Hawk call] When Maya Higa started interning at a zoo, she wasn't especially into birds — until she began rehabilitating a Red-tailed Hawk named Bean. Maya Higa: I tube fed him for the first few nights and got him to hunt on his own again, and then did this big release thing. And it was [a] pretty wild experience, but really, really, special.
Wenfei Tong on Seeing Ourselves in Birds
BirdNote® Wenfei Tong on Seeing Ourselves in Birds Written by Mark Bramhill Tenijah Hamilton: This is BirdNote. [Acorn Woodpecker calls] For biologist and writer Wenfei Tong, the line between people and animals has always felt fuzzy — or maybe feathery, in the case of birds. Wenfei Tong: If I know a bit about the birds, it's almost like seeing a friend or something and then thinking, oh, I wonder what they're off to do right now today.
BirdNoir: The Squirrel Mafia
BirdNote® BirdNoir: The Squirrel Mafia 🐿️ Written by Mark Bramhill This is BirdNoir. I’m Private Eye Michael Stein. [Music : “A Shot in the Dark”] Not all thieves in the animal world are sneaky. Some of them will rob you in broad daylight, like what happened to my friend Danny. Danny: [on phone] Michael, I need your help.
Who’s Afraid of Corvids?
BirdNote® Who’s Afraid of Corvids? Written by Mark Bramhill Tenijah Hamilton: This is BirdNote. [Organ music] Tenijah Hamilton: Of all the birds out there, the corvid family — the crows, ravens, and jays — might have the spookiest reputation. We call a flock a "murder" of crows, the birds are scary smart, and then there's Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven: [Spooky sounding voice]: Quoth the Raven “Nevermore” [Lightning crack] Tenijah Hamilton: They just feel like a bad omen.
Tykee James on Recovering America's Wildlife Act
BirdNote® Tykee James on Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Written by Mark Bramhill Tenijah Hamilton: This is BirdNote. Tykee James is a Senior Government Affairs Representative at The Wilderness Society in DC. Gridlock in Washington can be a real challenge to protecting birds, but a bill called Recovering America's Wildlife Act is giving Tykee hope: Tykee James: Recovering America's Wildlife Act in a lifetime opportunity to fund wildlife for generations today and yet to come.
BirdNoir - The Hair Bandit
BirdNote® The Hair Bandit Written by Conor Gearin and Mark Bramhill This is BirdNoir. I’m Michael Stein, Private Eye. [Music: Perry Mason theme] Some birds are simple, hard-boiled predators – hawks, owls, falcons. But other birds come up with some surprisingly crafty mischief. Take this call I got the other day: Caller: Hello, I’d like you to investigate a theft. A heist! Anything valuable?
BirdNoir: The One That Got Away
BirdNote® BirdNoir: The One That Got Away Written by Conor Gearin and Mark Bramhill This is BirdNoir. I’m Michael Stein, Private Eye. [music: Teddy Wilson, “As Time Goes By”] Of all my sorry tales, the sorriest one is my nemesis bird. That’s what us birders call a species that just keeps giving you the slip. Well, my nemesis bird is the Painted Bunting. A real gem of a bird — the males have blue heads, green wings and red breasts, and the females are yellow-green.
Stefania Gomez - Swifts
BirdNote® Swifts by Stefania Gomez Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Sometimes, birds can connect with us in surprising ways. Poet and teaching artist Stefania Gomez recently had a profound experience with Vaux's Swifts — and was inspired to write a poem about it. It starts with an epigraph from Portland Audubon: Swifts “Each September, thousands of Vaux’s Swifts congregate in the chimney of Chapman Elementary School before they fly south for the winter.
Bird Facts Stranger Than Fiction
BirdNote® Bird Facts Stranger Than Fiction Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Novelist Kira Jane Buxton has written several books about a pet crow navigating a post-apocalyptic world. But while the premise is outlandish, her writing is full of real-world bird and animal behaviors: Kira Jane Buxton: I was so endlessly fascinated doing the research. I would read and read and read and get so excited.
Ada Limón: The Hurting Kind
BirdNote® Ada Limón: The Hurting Kind Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Poet Ada Limón often writes about birds, and her new book, The Hurting Kind, is no exception. Birds are a throughline in the book — between the seasons, from childhood to present, and knowing and unknowing. That last part, knowing and unknowing, is what we're going to look at in today's episode, with two poems that examine opposite sides of that coin.
Joyce Clement: Birds Punctuate the Days
BirdNote® Joyce Clement: Birds Punctuate the Days Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. It's National Poetry Month in the US, and we're celebrating by sharing some bird-related work from contemporary poets. Joyce Clement writes haiku, a traditional Japanese form. Often thought of as having three lines with 5-7-5 syllables, many English haikus don't follow this pattern strictly.
Puffin Bills Glow
BirdNote® Puffin Bills Glow Written by Mark Bramhill This is BirdNote. Puffins are known for their flashy bills, striped in black, white, and vibrant yellow and orange, like a giant piece of candy-corn. They shed and regrow the bill’s colorful outer layer each year, likely donning their best attire to help attract a mate. But there’s more to their bills than meets the eye — well, the human eye, anyway.
BirdNoir: The Wild Tom Turkey
BirdNote® BirdNoir: The Wild Tom Turkey Written by Conor Gearin and Mark Bramhill This is BirdNoir. I’m Michael Stein, Private Eye. [music: “A Night” Laurent Mignard”] Wild Turkeys are real city slickers nowadays, strutting around parks and lawns. But sometimes they act a little strange. Caller: [on the phone] Hi Michael, H. Jon Benjamin here. This turkey won’t leave my new car alone. Your car?
Donika Kelly and the Bowerbird
BirdNote® Donika Kelly and the Bowerbird Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. A number of years ago, poet Donika Kelly was trying to figure out how to date, when she saw a nature documentary about a bowerbird.
I Dream of Grosbeaks
BirdNote® I Dream of Grosbeaks Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Science educator Chidi Paige was working hard preparing her students for the World Series of Birding, a competition hosted by New Jersey Audubon. The event has a category for kids, and Chidi’s students were studying with the goal of identifying the most birds in the kid’s competition. And then something happened that made Chidi wonder if they were thinking about birds a little too much.
Ada Limón and the Birds of Kentucky
BirdNote® Ada Limón and the Birds of Kentucky Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. For National Poetry Month, we're featuring contemporary writers exploring their relationships with birds. And there is certainly no shortage of poetry featuring birds. But that never scared poet Ada Limón away from writing about them — quite the opposite. Ada Limón: I don't think that there can be enough bird poems.
T and Dart | BirdNote
Author Kira Jane Buxton loves crows — so much that she’s written two novels about a crow named S.T. navigating the extinction of humanity. When she was writing those books, she tried befriending the crows in her neighborhood, and wound up bonding with a pair of them. She named them T and Dart. T, the female, is clumsy and playful. Dart, her mate, is more aloof towards Kira but always shares his food with T. This crow couple helped inspire the fictional crows in Kira’s books.
BirdNoir: Vultures Come to Town
BirdNote® BirdNoir: Vultures Come to Town Written by Conor Gearin and Mark Bramhill This is BirdNoir. I’m Michael Stein, Private Eye. [music] The other day, the Mayor of Bricksville called me in a bit of a bind. Mayor: [over the phone] Michael, this is an upstanding town. A town with pride in itself. It’s a charming little place, Mayor.
Games Make Bird ID Fun
BirdNote® Games Make Bird ID Fun Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. When science educator Chidi Page began teaching her students how to identify birds, she wanted a way to engage kids and help them learn quickly. She looked for bird related games, but only found bird bingo and some flashcards. So Chidi decided to make her own game.
The Royal Pigeons
BirdNote® The Royal Pigeons Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. [Pigeon coos, ML 144324561] Mark Bramhill: It's hard to think of a more lowly regarded bird than the pigeon. But as Rosemary Mosco writes in her book A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching, people and pigeons go back thousands of years, and were beloved by royalty. Akbar the Great, ruler of the Mughal Empire in the 16th Century, kept over 20,000 pigeons.
Spark Bird: Chidi Paige and the Yellow Warbler
BirdNote® Spark Bird: Chidi Paige and the Yellow Warbler Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. Chidi Paige grew up in Nigeria, and while she studied zoology, she was not an expert on birds. So, when she moved to the United States and got a job running a youth STEM program at the Newark Museum in New Jersey and had to teach lessons on bird identification, she was in for a challenge. Chidi Paige: So here I was, brand new to the country, going through a lot of culture shock.
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