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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, Audubon 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, Audubon’s 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—and find ways to take action to protect birds and the places they need—below!
Do One Thing
Each episode featured a 'Do One Thing' segment, where we shared different ways to take action to help birds. You can keep up with the latest conservation news, updates, and actions to take by:
- Subscribing to our email list
- Liking us on Facebook
- Following us on Twitter
- Following us on Instagram
- Following us on TikTok
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 -- Spring Migration
April 7, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
Saturday Night Live’s Melissa Villaseñor joins Kenn Kaufman, Purbita Saha, and Audubon's Jenny Bogo, to talk bird migration and other bird facts.
Episode #2 -- Native Plants
April 15, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
Emmy-nominated actress and bird enthusiast Lili Taylor, and Audubon’s Jenny Bogo, Sabine Meyer, 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, Audubon's Dr. Brooke Bateman, Dr. Jill Deppe, Dominic Arenas, and Roslyn Rivas. The group talked all things migration, climate science, and Earth Day!
Episode #4
April 29, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
Special guests include Tony- and Emmy-award winning actress, wildlife advocate, and Audubon board member Jane Alexander, Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Dr. Adriaan Dokter; multimedia journalist and documentary filmmaker Morgan Heim; and Audubon's Dr. Nat Seavy, Sabine Meyer, and Preeti Desai.
Episode #5
May 6, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
This week, bird expert, Kenn Kaufman shares amazing migration facts and answers bird questions! Additionally, take a virtual tour of the Audubon Mural Project and get an inside look at Krikey’s gaming app, Wingspan.
Episode #6
May 13, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
This week features a special message from legendary conservationist, humanitarian, and crusader for the ethical treatment of animals Dr. Jane Goodall. Additionally, have your bird questions answered by Audubon scientists Mikko Jimenez and Chad Witko; and meet some birds from Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.
Episode #7
May 20, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
Advertising executive and Audubon board member Jeff Goodby joins us this week; along with Audubon's Diego Ochoa and Jeff Wells, with the Indigenous Leadership Initiative's Shaunna Morgan Siegers, for a close up on Audubon’s International Alliances Program; and members of the "Galbatrosses"—Audubon's Dr. Brooke Bateman, Stephanie Beilke, Martha Harbison, and Joanna Wu—to talk about I Saw A Female Bird Day.
Episode #8
May 27, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
This week features an interview with journalist Brentin Mock and a roundtable discussion with Audubon on Campus student leaders. Also, watch an exclusive clip from our interview with Dr. Jane Goodall!
Episode #9
June 24, 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 Audubon celebrates Pride with our inclusive birding events, Let’s Go Birding Together! Oh and check out this sneak peek of Audubon magazine's Summer issue.
Episode #10
July 29, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
This month, David Sibley discusses his new book, What It's Like to Be a Bird, and takes audience questions; we take a deep dive into the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards with the judges; and play Stump the Expert with bird experts Kenn Kaufman and Purbita Saha.
Episode #11
August 26, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
Astronaut and Audubon board member Dr. Kathryn Sullivan joins us this week; Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Dr. Kevin J. McGowan and Audubon’s Chad Witko answer fall bird migration questions; and Audubon's Joseph Manson and Angel Poe talk tips and activities for back-to-school season.
Episode #12
September 30, 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 Panamá Audubon Society's Rosabel Miró and Florida Keys Hawkwatch's Rafael Gálvez; and tune into a special panel discussion in honor of Latinx Heritage Month with Audubon board member Sara Fuentes, and Audubon's Nadia Rodriguez and Refugio Mariscal.
Episode #13
October 28, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET
In this special Owl-oween episode, we are joined by Audubon Pennsylvania’s Carrie Barron, Center Manager at the John James Audubon 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’ll look back on Indigenous Peoples’ Day and take a look forward to the future of Indigenous conservation with Audubon’s Bradford Kasberg.
Episode #14
November 18, 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—all from the comfort of home. In this episode, our experts guide you through the dos and don’ts of bird feeding, share simple tips for making your home bird-friendly, and provide an overview of America's most important bird protection law—the Migratory Bird Treaty Act—and the actions you can take to protect it.
Episode #15
December 16, 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 his new book “Casual Birding in Trinidad & Tobago," Tania Romero from the Audubon Center at Debs Park guided us through some Birding 101 tips, and finally, we took a deep dive into bird photography with Audubon 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 us to talk about how he got into birds during the pandemic. Award-winning journalist Allison Keyes also joined and shared insights into her research about unsung naturalist Harriet Tubman. And finally, we went 'back to the basics' with Birding 101 tips from Program Manager for Urban Conservation at Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Keith Russell.
Episode #18
March 31, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET
Spring is in the air! Founder of Explore.org, Charlie Annenberg, kicked things off with a look at their Sandhill Crane and other live bird cams. We also talked about baby owls with Katie Warner and Laura VonMutius from the Center for Birds of Prey in Audubon Florida. We followed that up with a conversation with Audubon’s 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 joined us to talk about the world’s 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 on a new co-host along with Christine Lin starting this month—senior director of bird-friendly communities, Dr. John Rowden! In this episode, we explored native plants and PROs with Audubon’s Plants for Birds Partnerships Manager Marlene Pantin, DrPH.; Chapter Leader of the Mesilla Valley Audubon Society in Las Cruces, NM, Elaine Stachera Simon; and Campaigns & Policy Manager from Audubon 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 played a round of Stump the Expert with Kenn Kaufman and Purbita Saha.
Episode #20
May 26, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET
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 Audubon 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 Audubon Government Affairs Coordinator Tykee James. And finally, we dove into all things seabirds with the Director of Conservation Science at Audubon’s Seabird Institute Dr. Don Lyons and Eastern Egg Rock Island Supervisor Kay Garlick-Ott.
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Credits
Executive Producers: Preeti Desai, Christine Lin
Producers: Liz Muñoz Huber, Estefania Palacio, John Rowden
Title Sequence: Mike Fernandez
Special Thanks: Daniel Burns, Nicole Bush, Nick Mason, Robert Quinn, David Ringer, Elizabeth Sorrell, David Yarnold
(Previous Executive Producer: Elizabeth Sorrell)