Bring Birds Back

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Episodes

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Episodes

The Past, Present, and Future of Purple Martins

Purple Martins and people have a long history. Native Americans started a practice of providing homes for the birds, which was copied by European colonizers. But those colonizers released invasive species and cleared habitats to the point that the species is entirely reliant on man-made housing. Tenijah talks to Kelly Applegate, Director of Natural Resources for the Mille-Lacs band of Ojibwe about the history of Purple Martins; Joe Siegrist, president of the Purple Martin Conservation Associatio...

Jun 08, 2022•25 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast

What's in a Name?

Names have power. In North America, more than 100 species of birds have eponymous names, many honoring white colonizers. The “Bird Names for Birds” movement to change these names, or “verbal statues,” can be traced to Ph.D candidate Robert Driver’s 2018 proposal about the Thick-billed Longspur (then called McCown’s Longspur, named for a confederate general). More bird name changes are coming, albeit slowly — and some environmental organizations named after colonizers are following suit. One is t...

Jun 01, 2022•28 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast

Lights Out

Migratory birds use starlight to find their way on their long journeys — which makes light pollution a serious threat. Drawn off course by bright, artificial lighting, birds can wind up fatally colliding with windows or wasting precious time and energy that they need to survive. “Lights Out” programs get cities and their residents to turn off nonessential lighting during migration seasons which can help make their journeys a little easier (and save energy!). BirdCast, a tool that can forecast th...

May 25, 2022•25 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast

The Bird Journey Continues!

Tenijah got hooked on birding at the start of the pandemic, and during the last season of Bring Birds Back she learned a lot about our feathered friends. This season, she’s ready to learn and share more simple ways to help birds — while discovering new birding skills from experts. After going birding with her mom and not seeing much, Tenijah wants to know how to better find and identify birds around her. Conor Gearin, managing producer of BirdNote Daily, joins Tenijah to teach her how to identif...

May 18, 2022•21 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast

How Can We Protect Birds From Plastics?

In our season finale, Tenijah to Tybee Island off the Georgia coast for a day at the beach... picking up trash. She joins Tim Arnold, founder of Tybee Clean Beach Volunteers, to see first hand how plastics and trash can pose a threat to migratory shorebirds and marine life. And she speaks with Kelly Martin, Texas Coastal Outreach Coordinator at American Bird Conservancy, about some of the actions we can take to solve our problem with plastics. Learn more: More about the Break Free From Plastic P...

Aug 25, 2021•23 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast

How Can Coffee Help Birds?

Host Tenijah Hamilton hears firsthand from coffee grower Oswaldo Acevedo in Colombia how shade-grown coffee farms offer better wildlife habitat and working conditions than most industrial coffee plantations. She speaks to Ruth Bennett and Justine Bowe from the Smithsonian Institute Migratory Bird Center about the science behind the Bird Friendly Coffee certification, how bird friendly coffee growers benefit birds and other wildlife, how to find bird friendly coffee near you, and the goal to have...

Aug 11, 2021•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast

How Can Native Plants Help Birds?

Host Tenijah Hamilton joins volunteers from Georgia Audubon and Trees Atlanta who are planting wildflowers and grasses along an urban rail trail, where she learns how native plants can provide food and shelter for birds within cities. She talks to ecologist Desiree Narango about why birds depend on plants, and how we can transform our backyards and shared green spaces to serve the needs of both people and birds. Related Resources: Check out the Native Plant Finder Find native plants in your regi...

Jul 28, 2021•28 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast

For Birds to Win, Do Cats Have to Lose? – Part 2

The second of this two-part segment pulls apart the issues with cats and birds. Host Tenijah Hamilton gets an overview of how outdoor cats affect bird populations, why it’s such a controversial issue, and what’s to be done about it. She discusses this with producer Mark Bramhill and guests including Karen Krauss, and Joe Liebezeit. BirdNote is an independent nonprofit media production company. Your dollars make it possible to create sound-rich shows that connect you to the joys of birds and natu...

Jul 14, 2021•29 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast

For Birds to Win, Do Cats Have to Lose? – Part 1

The first of this two-part episode pulls apart the issues with cats and birds. Producer Mark Bramhill gives Tenijah an overview of how outdoor cats affect bird populations, why it’s such a controversial issue, and what’s to be done about it. Guests including “The Cat Daddy,” Jackson Galaxy, and Dr. Peter Marra. BirdNote is an independent nonprofit media production company. Your dollars make it possible to create sound-rich shows that connect you to the joys of birds and nature. Support BirdNote’...

Jun 30, 2021•31 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast

Can We Make Our Cities Safer For Birds?

Tenijah talks with NYC Audubon Senior Conservation Biologist Kaitlyn Parkins and Seattle Audubon Urban Conservation Manager Joshua Morris to break down the challenge that glass in our built environment poses to birds, how a local solution is becoming a national policy, and what you can do to support it. If you find a dead or injured bird, you can make an important contribution to bird mortality research by filing a report on dBird Learn about how you can support the Bird-Safe Buildings Act Visit...

Jun 16, 2021•29 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast

Who Is Birding For?

In the second installment of Bring Birds Back, host Tenijah Hamilton and Sheridan Alford , co-founder of Black Birders Week, talk about how to celebrate Black people who love birds. Then they get out into the wilds of Georgia in search of, you guessed it, birds. Check out the #ForTheBirds Birding Playlist! Stream the official Sheridan Alford × BirdNote birding playlist on Apple Music and Spotify . Visit BlackAFinSTEM's official schedule for Black Birders Week BirdNote is an independent nonprofit...

Jun 02, 2021•24 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast

How Do We Know that Birds are in Trouble?

In the inaugural episode of Bring Birds Back, host Tenijah Hamilton gets to know biostatistician Dr. Adam C. Smith, coauthor of the study that found we’ve lost 3 billion birds in North America in the last fifty years, and helps us wrap our heads around that gigantic number. The good news? There are lots of ways to help. Bring Birds Back is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology . Resources: Get involved in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count Find your local Audubon Society Get connected with e...

May 19, 2021•25 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast