This is Your Brain on Birds

Have you ever worried you’d hit a wild animal while driving down a highway or country road? In this special season closer, we learn about  a new and promising future for wildlife and battered cars: wildways. As technology and development continue to expand, infrastructure and fragmentation are threatening the habitats of wildlife. Christine Laporte explains how wildways bridge the gap between the natural world and rapidly growing cities. And then, Dr. Liz Hillard gives us a glimpse into what it all looks like in real time as evidence of its success rolls in. Co-produced by our guest host, Marcus Rosten. Press play!For more information about the From Love to Action campaign, episode transcript and other resources from this episode, visit BirdNote.org.Want more Bring Birds Back? Subscribe to our show and follow us on Instagram! For more about BirdNote, sign up for our weekly newsletter. And for ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Special Season 5 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

25 years ago, a mysterious cause of eagle and osprey deaths plagued a small town in Arkansas. And in this special episode, we get to the root of it all: small unassuming weeds, also known as invasive aquatic species. In conversation with aquatic plant experts Stacy Holt Jr. and Greg Bugbee, we share what these invasive plants are, how this happened, what they’re doing in other parts of the world (like Connecticut), and ways we can all prevent them from spreading. Co-produced by our guest host, Adé Ben-Salahuddin. Listen in now!For more information about the From Love to Action campaign, episode transcript and other resources from this episode, visit BirdNote.org.Want more Bring Birds Back? Subscribe to our show and follow us on Instagram! For more about BirdNote, sign up for our weekly newsletter. And for ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Special Season 5 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Water is essential for life, but how much do you know about the health of your local water supply? In this special episode, we speak with two Riverkeepers who explain the importance of water quality monitoring for every living organism, from humans to birds. John Lipscomb shares critical history of the Hudson River and how activism has helped the neighborhood thrive. And John Zaktansky introduces us to Doug Fessler and the technology of BirdNET for his hi-tech patrol. Co-produced by our guest host, Trisha Mukherjee. Tune in!For more information about the From Love to Action campaign, episode transcript and other resources from this episode, visit BirdNote.org.Want more Bring Birds Back? Subscribe to our show and follow us on Instagram! For more about BirdNote, sign up for our weekly newsletter. And for ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Special Season 5 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

In this special episode, we explore the critical effects of noise pollution on both humans and birds. Dr. Erica Walker offers an insightful view of how people are negatively impacted by loud disturbances, from everyday life to health complications. And Dr. Clinton Francis shares his discoveries about the impact of noise on bird health and reproduction, from abandoning their habitats to doubling their fertilization rate. Co-produced by our guest host, Tasha Lawson. Press play!For more information about the From Love to Action campaign, episode transcript and other resources from this episode, visit BirdNote.org.Want more Bring Birds Back? Subscribe to our show and follow us on Instagram! For more about BirdNote, sign up for our weekly newsletter. And for ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Special Season 5 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

A special season of Bring Birds Back launches January 17th! Join our four guest hosts every Wednesday as they tackle a wide range of stories dedicated to habitat loss, pollution and climate change - and, of course, how it all affects our beloved birds. In support of BirdNote’s From Love to Action campaign, we hope this season inspires you to do something - big and small - to better ourselves, our beloved birds and the world we all reside in. Subscribe now to receive weekly updates this season!For more information about the From Love to Action campaign, episode transcript and other resources from this episode, visit BirdNote.org.Want more Bring Birds Back? Subscribe to our show and follow us on Instagram! For more about BirdNote, sign up for our weekly newsletter. And for ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Special Season 5 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This season has been all about the mutual impact birds, humans and nature have on each other. To close it out, Bill McKibben joins Tenijah for an honest chat about the future, nearly 35 years after his book debut, “The End of Nature” first sounded the alarm about climate change. He also talks about his organization, Third Act, that encourages fellow Baby Boomers to be leaders and allies to younger generations, as well as the most vocal in the fight for change — all while knowing they may not be around to see the full extent of its destruction. You don’t want to miss this one — press play!More info and transcript at BirdNote.orgWant more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This is part two of our series on the Sustainability in Prisons Project. If you haven’t heard part one already, we encourage you to listen to that first.Tenijah learns all about Sustainability in Prisons Project’s most successful program to date: rehabilitating the federally endangered Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly. Find out how the incarcerated participants at Mission Creek Corrections Center are saving the endangered species and changing the ecology of the evergreen state year by year. Then, we’ll take a step further out and explore how green projects impact lives inside prison and upon release. Is it possible to move toward a more humane prison system by saving the planet? Listen in.More info and transcript at BirdNote.orgWant more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The American prison system is complex and there are so many reasons as to why and how it could be improved. For nearly two decades, the Sustainability in Prisons Project (a collaboration between Evergreen State College and Washington state’s Department of Corrections) has been doing just that — and with visible results. In this two-part episode, we venture into Cedar Creek and Mission Creek Correctional Centers to learn all about the ways in which they’re impacting the lives of their incarcerated participants, starting with their newest program, the Avian Acoustic Monitoring Program. More info and transcript at BirdNote.orgWant more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Nature author, photographer and self-taught birder Dudley Edmondson shares how embracing the great outdoors as a child changed his life for the better. With over 30 years of experience, Dudley has dedicated much of his career encouraging Black and Brown people, especially, to venture into nature as refuge from daily societal pressures and microaggressions. Dudley shares why he’s so adamant about advocating for more representation in the field, and he talks about  improving mental health with more solitary time with  our chirping friends. Tune in!More info and transcript at BirdNote.orgWant more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This episode’s guest may be too young to remember the 90’s children’s show, Gullah Gullah Island, but he’s certainly influencing the next generation the same! Isaiah Scott, a rising Gen-Z bird-influencer and ornithologist, reconnects with Tenijah to dish all about his journey into birding while young, Black and curious. He also shares how his Gullah Geechee heritage continues to inspire his work, including a forthcoming field guide that seeks to preserve his ancestral connection to birds. There’s definitely “lots to see and to do there”– press play and take the journey with us!More info and transcript at BirdNote.orgWant more Bring Birds Back? Follow us on Instagram! For more BirdNote, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For ad-free listening and other perks, sign up for BirdNote+ here.BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.Bring Birds Back Season 4 is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.