Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast
Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast

Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast

Rob Porter

Overview
Episodes

Details

Take a unique auditory journey through the habitats of songbirds in North America. Guided by naturalist and field recordist Rob Porter, the Songbirding podcast is an audio nature documentary, taking you on guided hikes while identifying the songs of dozens of songbird species. Entirely recorded in the field, you won't hear any other podcast quite like this. Three-time nominated as Best Science Podcast in the Canadian Podcast Awards. The seasons focus on, in order -- 1: Bruce Peninsula, Ontario; 2: Southern Ontario; 3: Southern Ontario; 4: Mid-western & Southern Ontario; 5: Johnston Harbour, Ontario; 6: Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania; 7: Kananaskis Country, Alberta (forthcoming, in editing); 8: All Across Canada (forthcoming, in pre-production) 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 No "generative AI" is used in the production of Songbirding. Some machine learning tools such as Merlin Bird ID and BirdNET (which are sometimes marketed as "AI"-based) are used for birdsong identification and sorting of raw recordings to aid in the production process.

Recent Episodes

2025-26 Christmas Bird Count Special, Part 1
DEC 11, 2025
2025-26 Christmas Bird Count Special, Part 1
<p>The Christmas Bird Count is a census of birds in the western hemisphere that is held between December 14 and January 5 each winter.</p> <p>It was devised originally as an alternative to the 19th century tradition of hunting birds at Christmas, and has evolved to become the longest running citizen science project.</p> <p>There are tens of thousands of participants - seeking out and counting tens of millions of birds each year.</p> <p>2025 will be the 126th year of the Christmas Bird Count. If you don’t already participate in one, as of this episode’s release, you still have time to find and join a count local to you.</p> <p>For the next two episodes I’ll be sharing with you my experiences out in the field during two of the 2024 Christmas Bird Counts, starting with the 49th Hanover-Walkerton Christmas Bird Count in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada.</p> <p>Credits</p> <p>Songbirding is a Songbirding Studios production, and was recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter.</p> <p>The Songbirding cover art (Blackburnian Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: <a href="https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062" rel="nofollow">https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062</a></p> <p>Creative Commons music is by Scott Buckley.</p> <p>For more information about the Christmas Bird Count, see: <a href="https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count" rel="nofollow">https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count</a></p> <p>The eBird checklist: <a href="https://ebird.org/checklist/S124632617" rel="nofollow">https://ebird.org/checklist/S124632617</a></p> <p>Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding" rel="payment nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding</a></p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code <strong>r-da20d0</strong> for 40% off for 4 months, and support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast.</p>
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22 MIN
Species in Focus: Northern Yellow Warbler
NOV 25, 2025
Species in Focus: Northern Yellow Warbler
<p>The Northern Yellow Warbler is a bright and cheerful sounding songbird found during the breeding season all across North America.</p> <p>Males of the species are yellow with some red flecks along their chest, and are very songful.</p> <p>They have a number of different songs, but their most common one can be described as sounding like “sweet sweet, sweeter than sweet”.</p> <p>In 2025, this species was split from what was called simply the Yellow Warbler, so this might be the first you’re hearing of it being a Northern Yellow Warbler. This is in contrast to the Mangrove Yellow Warbler, which has a reddish head and is a nonmigratory species found along the mangrove shores from Florida, south to Mexico, the Caribbean, through Central America down to South America.</p> <p>Credits</p> <p>Songbirding: Species in Focus is a Songbirding Studios production.</p> <p>Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter.</p> <p>The Songbirding cover art (Blackburnian Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: <a href="https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062" rel="nofollow">https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062</a></p> <p>Creative Commons music is from Universfield.</p> <p>Learn how to support the show at <a href="https://songbirding.com/support" rel="nofollow">https://songbirding.com/support</a></p> <p>Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding" rel="payment nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding</a></p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code <strong>r-da20d0</strong> for 40% off for 4 months, and support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast.</p>
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20 MIN
Species in Focus: Sedge Wren
OCT 22, 2025
Species in Focus: Sedge Wren
<p>The Sedge Wren is a small, russet coloured energetic songbird found breeding in fields and shallow marshes in many parts of inland North America.</p> <p>Their song consists of several dry-sounding chirps followed by a short trill. Unlike other wren species they tend to be more shy, and without their loud song, can easily go unnoticed.</p> <p>This episode we will be exploring Taquanyah Conservation Area near Cayuga Ontario, in May of 2022. </p> <p>Credits Songbirding: Species in Focus is a Songbirding Studios production.</p> <p>Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter.</p> <p>The Songbirding cover art (Blackburnian Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: <a href="https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062" rel="nofollow">https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062</a></p> <p>Creative Commons music is from Universfield.</p> <p>Learn how to support the show at <a href="https://songbirding.com/support" rel="nofollow">https://songbirding.com/support</a></p> <p>Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding" rel="payment nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding</a></p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code <strong>r-da20d0</strong> for 40% off for 4 months, and support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast.</p>
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28 MIN
Species In Focus: Marsh Wren
OCT 17, 2025
Species In Focus: Marsh Wren
<p>The Marsh Wren is a small, brownish, energetic songbird found in wetlands across a large swath of North America.</p> <p>Their song is a mix of harsh trills, gurgles, and buzzes. And, like most wren species, are much louder than their small size might suggest.</p> <p>This episode we will be exploring Taquanyah Conservation Area near Cayuga Ontario, first on two dates in 2024, then in the conclusion you’ll hear a surprise I found there in May of 2022. </p> <p>Credits</p> <p>Songbirding: Species in Focus is a Songbirding Studios production.</p> <p>Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter.</p> <p>The Songbirding cover art (Blackburnian Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: <a href="https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062" rel="nofollow">https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062</a></p> <p>Creative Commons music is from Universfield.</p> <p>Learn how to support the show at <a href="https://songbirding.com/support" rel="nofollow">https://songbirding.com/support</a></p> <p>Support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding" rel="payment nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/songbirding</a></p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code <strong>r-da20d0</strong> for 40% off for 4 months, and support Songbirding: A Birding-by-ear Podcast.</p>
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24 MIN