Birding Across the Pond

When is a robin a thrush? How did Shakespeare change the ecology of the Americas? What unites people around nature on both sides of the Atlantic, and beyond?

These are the unexpected kinds of questions that have come up over the three years that Shriek of the Week has been putting birdsong in email inboxes.

BirdNote puts out a daily show about birds that is syndicated to public radio in the United States and is heard by some 3 million people every day. Being audio, it's often the birdsong that's at the very heart of this content.

So who better to speak to about what unites us birdlovers in Europe and the US, and maybe where we confuse each other too?

I'm delighted to have some time with Conor Gearin and Bibi Baksh-Pabion, two of the team at BirdNote, for us to find out more about what they do and why, and to compare notes on birdsong in each of our respective 'patches'.

Join us for an hour of inspiring presentation, conversation and a transatlantic 'name that tune' quiz where we can all learn some birdsong from the other side of the pond (whichever side we're on).

Bibi Baksh-Pabion is Communications Director for BirdNote, where she develops and oversees communication strategies for the nonprofit. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Central Florida and a Master's Degree in Communication & Media Studies from Lynn University. Bibi resides in South Florida, USA, where she was raised and developed a lifelong love of birds, and spends her free time photographing birds as well as hiking and biking through the South Florida landscape.

Conor Gearin is the Managing Producer of BirdNote Daily. He writes, edits and produces shows for the daily radio program and podcast, and supports the production of BirdNote's longform podcasts. His work has appeared in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019, The Atlantic, UnDark, The Millions, The New Territory, New Scientist and elsewhere. He received an S.M. in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Biology at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he completed thesis research on grassland bird conservation. Raised in St. Louis, he developed an interest in the native songbirds of the Midwest, which led to a career focused on studying birds and exploring ways that people and wildlife can live together sustainably. He now lives in Omaha.