Show overview
Songbirding has been publishing since 2019, and across the 7 years since has built a catalogue of 253 episodes, alongside 47 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 110 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence, with the show now in its 7th season.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 22 min and 29 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-CA-language Science show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 4 weeks ago, with 20 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2020, with 58 episodes published. Published by Rob Porter.
From the publisher
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; 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
Latest Episodes
View all 253 episodesSpecies in Focus: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Stormbirding
Lusk Ridge Forest Trail, Part 3
Lusk Ridge Forest Trail, Part 2
Lusk Ridge Forest Trail, Part 1
Opal Day Use Area, Part 2
Opal Day Use Area, Part 1
Kananaskis Lake
The Rae Glacier Trail (Tennessee Warbler)
Elk Pass, Part 2
Elk Pass, Part 1 (Pacific Wren)
Sibbald Meadows Pond, Part 4
Sibbald Meadows Pond, Part 3 (Common Yellowthroat)
Sibbald Meadows Pond, Part 2
S7 Ep 3Species in Focus: Lincoln's Sparrow
The Lincoln’s Sparrow is a very secretive songbird that looks almost like it’s got a tailored plumage: complete with the stripes, spots, and the streaks of typical brownish North American sparrow. Most notably its chest is buffy coloured and has visible fine streaks. The song of the Lincoln’s Sparrow is a song of jumbled notes, and to me is reminiscent of an abbreivated House Wren song. This species is found almost everywhere in Canada except for southern Ontario, the south central prairies and the arctic. It can also be found in limited parts of the western United States. For this species in focus episode I’ll be sharing my recordings of the Lincoln’s Sparrow from Sibbald Meadows Pond, Jumpingpound Demonstration Forest, and the Fullerton Loop Hiking Trail. 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
S7 Ep 2Sibbald Meadows Pond, Part 1
In Alberta, many road and highways are actually called trails. One such trail I’ll be exploring at lot is the Sibbald Creek Trail, a very wide, winding gravel road that passes through a diversity of mountain habitats. One of those habitats is the Sibbald Meadows Pond, a popular fishing spot surrounded on all sides by mountains, which also happens to be a fantastic birding location. For the next few episodes I’ll be sharing my experiences at this location during my first trip here in mid-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
S7 Ep 1Kananaskis Dawn
About an hour’s drive west of Calgary, Alberta in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains is an area known as Kananaskis Country. Within this nearly 1 million acres of land are towering mountains, alpine meadows, glaciers, forests, lakes, wetlands, grasslands, and thickets. Over 130 species of birds nest in Kananaskis Country, including many songbirds. I’ve felt a draw to return to this place ever since I first camped here when I was 13. The imagery of the mountains, sky, and forests have never left me. But I didn’t remember much about how it sounded. Now, 30 years after I first visited Kananaskis Country, I’m back once again, this time with some field recorders and the skills and knowledge to help me identify the birdsongs I hear. 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
Species in Focus: Eastern Warbling-Vireo
Songbirding: Kananaskis Country (trailer)
trailerHere in the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies, the birds are our hosts. We are their guests. Premieres March 2, 2026. 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/ Creative Commons music is PlainGrey by Blue Dot Sessions: https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/362688 Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support
Species in Focus: Common Grackle
bonusThe Common Grackle is a blackbird with bright yellow eyes and a glossy-irridescent plumage. Their vocalizations are a mix of croaks, creaks, squeaks, and whistles. Common Grackles are typically found in most of Canada and the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, and are present year-round in the south-eastern half of that range. For this Species in Focus episode I’ll be sharing a spring walk at Fifty Point Conservation Area in Grimsby, Ontario in March 2022 and at Valens Conservation Area in March 2023. Credits Songbirding: Species in Focus is a Songbirding Studios production. Recorded, engineered, narrated and created by Rob Porter. The Songbirding cover art (Blackburnian Warbler) is by Lauren Helton: https://tinylongwing.carbonmade.com/projects/5344062 Creative Commons music is from Universfield. Learn how to support the show at https://songbirding.com/support