I Saw A Bird

From bird art to bird music, hummingbirds to owls, bird migration to environmental justice, and much, much more, tune into I Saw A Bird!

Throughout 2020 and 2021, while people across the country and globe were staying home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, 探花精选 launched I Saw A Bird to bring a bit of the bird world indoors for everyone, no matter where they are. This Zoom and Facebook Live show highlights funny, engaging, educational, and sometimes weird bird-related topics and discussion, all while fostering a sense of community for everyone who found joy in birds while stuck at home.

Each month, 探花精选鈥檚 senior producer of visual storytelling Christine Lin and senior director of bird-friendly communities John Rowden (previously: chief network officer David Ringer) welcomed celebrities and guests to offer a fresh look at the world of birds and birdwatching. Now that the show has ended, you can still watch all of our full episodes鈥攁nd find ways to take action to protect birds and the places they need鈥攂elow!

Do One Thing

Each episode featured听a 'Do One Thing' segment, where we shared听different ways to take action to help birds. You can keep up with the latest conservation news, updates, and actions to take by:

  • to our email list
  • Liking us on
  • Following us on
  • Following us on
  • Following us on

Episodes

From bird art to bird music, hummingbirds to owls, bird migration to environmental justice, and much, much more, you can rewatch each of our episodes below.

Episode #1听-- Spring Migration
April 7,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

Saturday Night Live鈥檚听Melissa Villase帽or joins听Kenn Kaufman, Purbita Saha, and 探花精选's Jenny Bogo,听to talk bird migration and other bird facts.

Episode #2 -- Native Plants
April 15, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET听

Emmy-nominated actress and bird enthusiast Lili Taylor, and 探花精选鈥檚 Jenny Bogo, Sabine Meyer,听John Rowden and Marcos Trinidad, talk plants for birds.

Episode #3 -- Celebrating Earth Day
April 22 ,2020, at 7:00 pm ET

Special guests include esteemed climate scientist and professor at Texas Tech University, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, 探花精选's Dr. Brooke Bateman, Dr. Jill Deppe, Dominic听Arenas, and Roslyn Rivas. The group听talked all things听migration, climate science, and Earth Day!听

Episode #4
April 29,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

Special guests include听Tony- and Emmy-award winning actress, wildlife advocate, and 探花精选 board member Jane Alexander,听Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Dr. Adriaan Dokter; multimedia journalist and documentary filmmaker Morgan Heim; and 探花精选's Dr. Nat Seavy, Sabine Meyer, and Preeti Desai.

Episode #5
May 6,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

This week, bird expert, Kenn Kaufman shares听amazing migration facts and answers bird questions! Additionally,听take a virtual tour of the 探花精选 Mural Project and get an inside look at Krikey鈥檚 gaming app, Wingspan.

Episode #6
May 13,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

This week features听a special message from legendary conservationist, humanitarian, and crusader for the ethical treatment of animals Dr. Jane Goodall. Additionally,听have your bird questions answered by 探花精选 scientists Mikko Jimenez and Chad Witko; and meet some birds from 探花精选 Center for Birds of Prey.

Episode #7
May 20,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

Advertising executive and 探花精选 board member Jeff Goodby joins us this week; along with 探花精选's Diego Ochoa and Jeff Wells, with the Indigenous Leadership Initiative's Shaunna Morgan Siegers, for a close up on 探花精选鈥檚 International Alliances Program; and members of the "Galbatrosses"鈥斕交ň's Dr. Brooke Bateman, Stephanie Beilke, Martha Harbison, and Joanna Wu鈥攖o talk about I Saw A Female Bird Day.

Episode #8
May 27,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

This week features an interview with听journalist Brentin Mock and a roundtable discussion with 探花精选 on Campus student leaders.听Also, watch an exclusive clip from our interview with Dr. Jane Goodall!

Episode #9
June 24,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

Learn what to do if you find a baby bird away from its nest with Rita McMahon from Wild Bird Fund! Meet some of the organizers behind the first ever Black Birders Week and hear how 探花精选 celebrates Pride with our inclusive birding events, Let鈥檚 Go Birding Together!听Oh and check out this sneak peek of 探花精选 magazine's听Summer issue.

Episode #10
July 29,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

This month,听David Sibley discusses听his new book,听What It's Like to Be a Bird, and takes audience questions; we take a deep dive into the听2020 探花精选 Photography Awards with the judges; and play听Stump the Expert with bird experts Kenn Kaufman and Purbita Saha.

Episode #11
August 26,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

Astronaut and 探花精选 board member Dr. Kathryn Sullivan joins听us this week;听Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Dr. Kevin J. McGowan and 探花精选鈥檚 Chad Witko answer听fall bird migration questions; and听探花精选's Joseph Manson and Angel Poe听talk tips and activities for back-to-school season.

Episode #12
September 30,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

Join science writer and artist Rosemary Mosco to hear about the funny side of the natural world; learn about this year's hawkwatch season from Panam谩 探花精选 Society's Rosabel Mir贸 and Florida Keys Hawkwatch's Rafael G谩lvez; and tune into a special panel discussion in honor of Latinx Heritage Month with 探花精选 board member Sara Fuentes, and 探花精选's Nadia Rodriguez and Refugio Mariscal.

Episode #13
October听28,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

In this special Owl-oween episode, we are joined by 探花精选 Pennsylvania鈥檚 Carrie Barron, Center Manager at the John James 探花精选 Center at Mill Grove, and her special guest Oden the Great Horned Owl. Then, we will get a first-hand look behind the science of owl banding with Sean Graesser and Tyler Christensen, co-founders of Wild Bird Research Group. Finally, we鈥檒l look back on Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day and take a look forward to the future of Indigenous conservation with 探花精选鈥檚 Bradford Kasberg.

Episode #14
November听18,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

Birds have provided us with so much joy throughout 2020 and as winter approaches, we turn our spotlight to some of the ways you can enjoy and protect birds鈥攁ll from the comfort of home. In this episode, our experts guide you through the dos and don鈥檛s of bird feeding, share simple tips for making your home bird-friendly, and provide an overview of America's most important bird protection law鈥攖he Migratory Bird Treaty Act鈥攁nd the actions you can take to protect it.鈥



Episode #15听
December 16,听2020, at 7:00 pm ET

We take a look back at some highlights from the year, including a new clip from our interview with the legendary Dr. Jane Goodall, snippets from our favorite panel discussions, a surprise "Stump the Expert" round, and so much more.


Episode #16
January 27, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET

Our first "I Saw A Bird" episode of 2021 was filled with fun! Faraaz Abdool previewed听his new book 鈥淐asual Birding in Trinidad & Tobago," Tania Romero from the 探花精选 Center at Debs Park guided us through some Birding 101 tips, and finally,听we took听a deep dive into bird photography with 探花精选 Photography Awards grand prize winner Joanna Lentini and remembered some of our favorite award-winning photos.


Episode #17
February 24, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET

This month science educator and co-creator of AsapSCIENCE, Greg Brown, joined听us to talk about how he got into birds during the pandemic. Award-winning journalist Allison Keyes also joined and听shared听insights into her research about unsung naturalist Harriet Tubman. And finally, we went听'back to the basics' with Birding 101 tips from Program Manager for Urban Conservation at 探花精选 Mid-Atlantic, Keith Russell.


Episode #18
March 31, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET

Spring is in the air! Founder of听, Charlie Annenberg, kicked things off with a look at their Sandhill Crane and other live bird cams. We also听talked听about baby owls with Katie Warner and Laura VonMutius from the Center for Birds of Prey in 探花精选 Florida. We followed that up with a conversation with 探花精选鈥檚 Martha Harbison and Joanna Wu, both members of The Galbatross Project, a team that got its start competing in the World Series of Birding by only counting female birds. Finally, actor and writer Elena Passarello听joined us to talk about the world鈥檚 oldest known wild bird, Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross who at 70-years-old hatched a new chick last month.


Episode #19
April 28, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET

We brought听on a new co-host along with Christine Lin starting this month鈥攕enior director of bird-friendly communities, Dr. John Rowden! In this episode, we explored native plants and PROs with 探花精选鈥檚 Plants for Birds Partnerships Manager Marlene Pantin, DrPH.; Chapter Leader of the Mesilla Valley 探花精选 Society in Las Cruces, NM, Elaine Stachera Simon; and Campaigns & Policy Manager from 探花精选 North Carolina Zach Wallace. Then we held a discussion on bird photography ethics with wildlife photographers Faraaz Abdool, Liron Gertsman, and Melissa Groo. Finally we听played a round of Stump the Expert with Kenn Kaufman and Purbita Saha.


Episode #20
May 26, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET
We dove into the bold vision of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act with Vice President and Executive Director of 探花精选 Nebraska Kristal Stoner and Senior Director of Wildlife Partnerships at National Wildlife Federation Naomi Edelson. Heading into beach season, we learned the importance of sharing the shore with birds and other wildlife with 探花精选 Delta Stewardship Manager Melinda Averhart, and shorebird stewards Nader and Niki Jandaghi. Then, we met Sibley and Polly, two non-releasable Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, with Georgia 探花精选's Director of Education Melanie Furr.
Episode #21
June 30, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET

In this final episode, we learned about the importance of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with Arctic Slope Environmental Justice Organizer for Native Movement Nauri Toler and Executive Director of 探花精选 Alaska Dr. Natalie Dawson. Then, for Pride Month, we cranked up the volume on some avian-inspired music with non-binary queer singer-songwriter Stephan Nance. After that we hosted a discussion on equitable access to the outdoors through the Environmental Justice for All Act with 探花精选 Government Affairs Coordinator Tykee James. And finally, we dove into all things seabirds with the Director of Conservation Science at 探花精选鈥檚 Seabird Institute Dr. Don Lyons and Eastern Egg Rock Island Supervisor Kay Garlick-Ott.鈦

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Credits

Executive Producers: Preeti Desai, Christine Lin
Producers: Liz Mu帽oz Huber, Estefania Palacio, John Rowden
Title Sequence: Mike Fernandez
Special Thanks: Daniel Burns, Nicole Bush, Nick Mason,听Robert Quinn, David Ringer, Elizabeth Sorrell, David Yarnold

(Previous Executive Producer: Elizabeth Sorrell)