Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast

Songbirding takes you on an auditory journey through the songs of birds. Recorded entirely outdoors, a variety of songbird species from the Great Lakes region of North America are featured. Each episode provides listeners with a unique and immersive experience, as they listen to the beautiful melodies and calls of different birds in their natural habitats. Along with the sounds, birding guide Rob Porter shares interesting facts and insights about the birds, providing a deeper understanding of their behaviour and significance in the ecosystems they inhabit. Twice nominated as best Science Podcast in the Canadian Podcast Awards. Season 1, "The Bruce Peninsula" was recorded in July of 2019, in various locales of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. Season 2, "Midsummer" was recorded in July and August of 2019, in Hamilton, Waterloo, and Cambridge. Season 3, "Spring of Solitude" was recorded in spring of 2020, in the Hamilton, the Niagara Region, and Norfolk County. Season 4, "On Territory" was recorded throughout 2020 & 2021, in various places in Ontario. Season 5, “In The Quietude” was recorded in 2021 through 2023 in Bruce Peninsula National Park. Season 6, "Allegheny National Forest" was recorded in 2022 through 2024 in Allegheny National Forest and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania and New York states. Season 7 is forthcoming and was/is being recorded in Kananaskis Country, Alberta in 2023 through 2025. For those with high-frequency hearing loss, please search for "Songbirding Under 5kHz" Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Cover art by Lauren Helton - https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/ Support the show at https://songbirding.com/support

Preview of Season 1, "The Bruce Peninsula"

Experience birding by ear in this relaxed-pace acoustic exploration of bird habitats in the Great Lakes region. Premieres on October 14, 2019. Excerpts from (in order of appearance in episode): Episode 5, "The Juniper Flats, Part 1" along the Bruce Trail near Dyer's Bay, Ontario. Recorded July 18, 2019. Episode 4, "Lindsay Tract" at the Lindsay Tract Trail near Lion's Head, Ontario. Recorded July 17, 2019. Episode 10, "MTB Adventure Park" at the Mountain Bike Adventure Park near Wiarton, Ontario. Recorded July 19, 2019. Episode 2, "Otter Lake, Part 2" along the Bruce Trail near Cape Chin North, Ontario. Recorded July 17, 2019. For those with high-frequency hearing loss, you may alternatively download "Songbirding Under 5kHz".-- Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter.Creative Commons by Scott Buckley – https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/Find out more at http://songbirding.com

09-12
11:48

Spooky Songbirding Halloween Special

An autumnal owling adventure in the twilight hour. Common Raven recorded on January 21, 2018 in Cootes Paradise Sanctuary, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Owling session recorded on October 9, 2019 in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. Referenced article on audio playback (or whistling!) in birding: https://www.sibleyguides.com/2011/04/the-proper-use-of-playback-in-birding/ Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Creepy Creative Commons music by Scott Buckley. Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding

10-24
12:41

Discussion: Bad Weather Birding

How do you go birding in bad weather? A short discussion on the topic, plus a bit of news about the Songbirding podcast.

11-07
15:54

Songscapes: The "Sore Throated" Vireo

(Bonus) This features the episode 'The "Sore-throated" Vireo' from season 1 of the podcast "Songscapes". The episode is a soundscape of birdsongs recorded in Cootes Paradise in Hamilton, Ontario on June 30, 2019, comprised predominantly of Yellow-throated Vireo song. Subscribe to Songscapes if you enjoyed this episode! Includes Creative Commons soundscape from the Hamilton Naturalists' Club. The original episode notes from Songscapes follows: The Yellow-throated Vireo shares much in common with its red-eyed cousins. Their song is only different in its harsh intonation, making it sound like a "sore-throated" rendition of the Red-eyed Vireo song. Found in wet forest habitats, it sometimes overlaps with Red-eyed Vireos, making them difficult to separate to the untrained ear. This soundscape features two different Yellow-throated Vireos, both on breeding territory on the south share of Cootes Paradise along the Ravine Road Trail, bordering McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In the final minutes of the soundscape, after 14m 30s, both Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos are heard in contrast to one another. Also heard: Carolina Wren, American Redstart, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow Warbler, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Red-tailed Hawk, and more! Recorded on June 30, 2019. Audio recording and editing by Rob Porter. Recorded on an iPhone 6S with an Edutige EIM-001 mic. For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding

11-21
22:03

2019-20 Christmas Bird Count Special, Part 1

Black-capped Chickadees and Snow Buntings abound in the Hanover-Walkerton Christmas Bird Count (part 1 of 2). Learn more about the Christmas Bird Count at https://www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/cbc/ Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Creative Commons music by Scott Buckley – https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/ Creative Commons music provided by Kat Claire – https://freesound.org/people/googlekatclaire/ Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding

12-22
25:22

2019-20 Christmas Bird Count Special, Part 2

Winter songbirds are featured both on the Bruce Peninsula, and around Hamilton, Ontario. Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Creative Commons music by Scott Buckley – https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/ Creative Commons music provided by Kat Claire – https://freesound.org/people/googlekatclaire/ Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding

12-25
26:56

Beginner Birder Tips: Equipment, Learning, Styles of Birding

Some tips for starting out when birding. Includes discussion on binoculars, cameras, apps, where to find birds locally, how to learn bird identification effectively, and more.

02-08
28:44

Birdsong Identification Quiz (Season 1)

Put your birdsong ID skills to the test, with this selection of clips from Season 1 of Songbirding. Scroll down for the quiz answer key. Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Creative Commons music by Alexander Nakarada. ==QUIZ ANSWERS BELOW= = . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . = . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - - - - Indigo Bunting, Red-eyed Vireo Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, (American Redstart background) Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush Purple Finch Blackburnian Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo Blackburnian Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo (Pine Warbler near end) Common Yellowthroat Black-throated Blue Warbler, Hermit Thrush Red-winged Blackbird Black-throated Green Warbler American Redstart Gray Catbird (Mourning Dove & Common Yellowthroat in background) Eastern Wood-Pewee Ovenbird Black-throated Green Warbler, Winter Wren Nashville Warbler Dark-eyed Junco Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding

02-15
22:47

Songbirds of Hamilton 1: Beverly Swamp CA Virtual Field Event

(Bonus) In lieu of an in person field event I was scheduled to lead around Hamilton, Ontario in June 2020, here's a short virtual tour of one of the locations.

06-06
15:09

Songbirds of Hamilton 2: McMaster Forest Virtual Field Event

(Bonus) In lieu of an in person field event I was scheduled to lead around Hamilton, Ontario in June 2020, here's a short virtual tour of one of the locations, McMaster Forest on Lower Lion's Club Road.

06-13
17:20

Soundscape Bonus: Song of the Mourning Warbler

More Season 3 episodes coming soon. In the meantime, here's a soundscape of a Mourning Warbler, and a few other species, recorded on June 6, 2020 at the Robertson Tract in Halton Region, Ontario.

07-13
10:30

Learning Birding During COVID-19

A review of resources for new birders, especially during COVID-19, with a teaser bonus at the end. Also, please note the podcast will be bi-weekly for a bit until things are less busy.

07-27
27:52

In Conversation: #Hike4Birds

A hike & conversation with Sonya Richmond and Sean Morton about #Hike4Birds, their cross-Canada journey. Read more about them at http://comewalkwithus.online Credits Recorded, edited, and created by Rob Porter. Special guests: Sonya Richmond, Sean Morton Creative Commons music by Assai. Support You can now support Songbirding at https://patreon.com/songbirding

08-31
44:38

Fall Migration at Petrel Point

The autumn migration is not a great time for hearing full birdsongs, but birding-by-ear is still possible, and useful to help you find all kinds of migrant species. For those with high-frequency hearing loss, you may alternatively download to "Songbirding Under 5kHz". Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Creative Commons music by Scott Buckley - https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/ Support You can support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/songbirding or on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/songbirding

09-14
20:33

PRRP Goes Songbirding (International Podcast Month Episode 1)

Special episode for International Podcast Month. Kenneth Eckle, host of PRRP, goes birding. About PRRP aka Podcast Reviews Reviews Podcast: On this podcast, I review the reviews of this podcast. Multi-award-winning. More info: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/prrp-podcast-reviews-reviews-p-766873

09-24
04:35

How To: Recording Nature Sounds (International Podcast Month Episode 2)

(For International Podcast Month) What are the challenges of recording a podcast in natural spaces? Join "Songbirding" host Rob Porter on a hike while he talks about hazards to good quality field recordings, tips and tricks for both recordists and audio documentarians for recording birdsong and other natural phenomena, and much more. Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Creative Commons Music by Scott Buckley – https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/

09-28
35:26

The Owl-o-ween Special

🎃🦉🦉🎃 A dusk walk amongst some Great Horned Owls.. and some other creatures of the night! Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Creative Commons music by Scott Buckley - https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/ Support You can support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/songbirding

10-29
16:16

A Winter Finch Special

The winter of 2020-2021 is gearing up to be an important season for winter finches. In this special, the sounds of the various kinds of winter finches are reviewed. Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Creative Commons music by Scott Buckley - https://www.scottbuckley.com.au Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-da20d0 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast.

12-16
50:43

First Birds of 2021

It's a new year, which means the start of a new "year list". Credits Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. Songbirding Cover Art (Blackburnian Warbler) by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music by Scott Buckley: https://www.scottbuckley.com.au Join the patreon on https://patreon.com/songbirding This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-da20d0 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast.

01-14
26:27

Dawn Chorus Special, Part 1

This soundscape contains the following species: Blue Jay, American Robin, European Starling, Carolina Wren, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bald Eagle (!), Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Swamp Sparrow Listeners with high-frequency hearing loss can find a modified version by searching for "Songbirding Under 5KHz". Credits Recorded, engineered, and created by Rob Porter. This episode was produced with the support of the High Park Nature Centre: https://highparknaturecentre.com/ Songbirding Cover Art (Blackburnian Warbler) by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Discord Chat Songbirding has a channel on the Cast Junkie Discord server, use the following invite link to join: https://discord.gg/MHcPrhc There's also a patron-only private server, which you can get access to via Patreon. Support You can support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/songbirding This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-da20d0 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast.

05-08
23:40

Recommend Channels