Immerse yourself in the elsewhere. Guided by award-winning naturalist and field recordist Rob Porter, the Songbirding podcast is an audio nature documentary that takes you on guided hikes while you learn the songs of dozens of North American songbird species. Entirely recorded in the field, and equally ideal for learning or relaxing to. You really won't hear any other podcast quite like this (and if you do, we'd really like to hear about it!). Songbirding has been four-time nominated as Best Science Podcast for the Canadian Podcast Awards. You can start with any episode in any season. Season 1: Bruce Peninsula, Ontario; 2-3: Southern Ontario; 4: Mid-western & Southern Ontario; 5: Johnston Harbour, Ontario; 6: Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania; 7: Kananaskis Country, Alberta. 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/ About the Host Rob is a software engineer and naturalist in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is the winner of the 2025 Betty Blashill Environmental Prize, and started the Songbirding podcast in 2019. He is also currently the Bird Studies Group Director of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club. Support Support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
A classic birding-by-ear problem is having two or more species in the same area that have similar songs. The Chipping Sparrow and the Orange-crowned Warbler are two such species: two of many that are infamous for their cryptic trills. First, the Chipping Sparrow has a straight trill with a consistent spacing between each “note”. In contrast, this Orange-crowned Warbler’s trill slows down as it progresses, and is not very consistent in quality. For this species in contrast episode I’ll be sharing my recordings of Orange-crowned Warbler & Chipping Sparrow from the Barrier Lake Forestry Trails, the Fullerton Trail, Prairie View, and the Sibbald Flats. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
This episode concludes the morning at Jumpingpound Demonstraton Forest, with a focus on the Townsend's Warbler Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
Not wanting to leave a good birding location, I’m continuing to hike up and down the main hill at the Pine Woods Loop Trail at Jumpingpound Demonstration Forest, following each new bird species I hear. It may be getting late into the morning, but the intensity of birdsong is not letting up yet. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
I’m continuing my hike through Jumpingpound Demonstration Forest. As the morning air warms, the birdsong continues to increase in intensity and diversity. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
We continue the exploration of Jumpingpound Forest. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
The Northern Waterthrush is a small, brown bird that may resemble a thrush, and may even inhabit thrush habitat, but is actually a warbler. They live in bogs and wooded swamps throughout Canada and the northeastern United States. The song of the Northern Waterthrush can be considered similar to the Yellow Warbler, and is described as sounding like twit-twit-twit, sweet-sweet, chew-chew-chew. For this hike I’ve returned to Jumpingpound Demonstration Forest, this time in much better weather and early in the morning. It is the last day of May 2025, and I don’t know what to expect this time, I’m just hoping to hear and record some new bird songs. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is an abundant, versatile warbler found throughout Canada and the western United States during the summer. They are easily identified by the bright yellow patch on their rump just above their tail. The males sing a slow, soft warble or trill in two phrases, which is usually faster in the second part. This species was once considered to be three separate species, and Kananaskis Country is right in the midst of the hybrid zone of two of them: the Myrtle Warbler, and the Audubon’s Warbler. For this species in focus episode I’ll be sharing my recordings of the Yellow-rumped Warbler at Little Elbow PRA, Prairie View, Allen Bill Park, and Long Lake Provincial Park (not in Kananakis, but in Alberta). Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
Note: unlike most of my episodes this one will have some very loud weather. I know there are quite a few listeners who use Songbirding to relax and fall asleep, and I just wanted to give you a heads up that if you’re one of them, you may want to skip this one as it ends quite loudly, or, if you happen to find thunder sounds relaxing, set a sleep timer of 20 minutes. When I first arrived in Kanaskis Country to begin to record Songbirding, I started at Jumpingpound Demonstration Forest, one of the eastmost hiking areas of Kananaskis. It was noon, and I hadn’t looked at any forecasts, and also had no idea what to expect in terms of bird activity. Noon isn’t the best time for birdsong recording, especially as late as it was in the season. And while what I recorded wasn’t very many bird sounds, I encountered a very different experience with nature sounds that I will always remember. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
It’s almost two years later and I’m back again at this mountain forest, but this time in the evening. Earlier in the bird breeding season, many species will make a special effort to be heard before the sun sets, to make one last proclamation of territory before everything goes dark. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
The conclusion of a hike through this forest off of Sibbald Trail in Kananaskis in July of 2023. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
Off the Sibbald Trail, just west of Sibbald Meadows Pond, I found a small pull-over and hiking trail leading into the woods to explore. With just a few hours until my flight back for this first trip I decided to pop in for a quick listen, to hear what might be singing in this unnamed mountain forest. (I still don't know a name for this trail, but it is part of the Lusk Ridge hills.) Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
I’m continuing my exploration of Opal Day Use area along the main highway of Kananaksis Trail. This location is alongside a river and seems to be abundant with warblers, sandpipers, Columbian ground squirresl and more. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
One thing I’ve learned from years of birding is not to ignore a good roadside birding location. It often seems counterintuitive to me as a sound recordist — I do want to be away from traffic sounds, of course. But often roadside stops consist of edge habitats that songbirds love to occupy. And, also in this case, Columbian Ground Squirrels. You’ll hear them in this episode, but I wasn’t aware they were called Colombian Ground Squirrels at the time. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
This is my second try at finding birds to record at Kananaksis Lake, the first being a couple years earlier and being only of moderate success. I’m hoping despite the clinging of the last vestiages of winter, I might have some success finding some birdsong at cold climate lake. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
The Tennessee Warbler is a small, drab warbler with a thin pointy bill and a short tail. They breed mostly in the Boreal Forest in Canada, but can also be found here in mountains of Kananskis Country. Their song is a very (very) loud jumble of rapidly accelerating very high pitched notes that can sound like "ticka ticka swit sisisisisisi”. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
I’m continuing my hike along the Elk Pass Trail in Kananaskis Country, close to BC border. It’s a quieter and cooler climate than I’m used to, but the crossbills, wrens, thrushes and more don’t seem to mind the weather. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
The Pacific Wren is a tiny-yet-loud brown bird that can be found all year round in much of its West Coast range, though some of the more northern deeper interior populations in Canada make a short migration sound. Their songs are a loud and tumbling cascade of bright musical phrases, lasting anywhere from 5 to 10 seconds on average, and sometimes even longer. The species has a couple very similar sounding cousins around the world, namely the Winter Wren found more east in North America, and the Eurasian Wren in other parts of the world. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
The morning is beginning to draw to a close and I am wrapping up my first exploration of the Sibbald Meadows Pond. Things may be a bit quieter but that does allow for me to focus more on the sounds of individual birds. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
The Common Yellowthroat is a loud and lively warbler found along the edges of marshes and wetlands. It is one of the few warblers found nearly everywhere across North America every summer. Males are known for their broad black masks, and unmistakable "witchety-witchety-witchety" song. In this episiode, we continue our hike around Sibbald Meadows Pond. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
It’s a sunny mid-July morning and I’m continuing my exporation of the Sibbald Meadows Pond: a secluded wetland surrounded in all directions by mountains, and abundant with bird song. Credits Songbirding: Kananaskis Country is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Townsend's Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Bluedot Sessions. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
Producer's note
Steal the structure. Not the show.
Keep the useful structure, then change the audience, point of view, and voice until the idea is unmistakably yours.
