CA

I Almost Kissed a Painted Lady Butterfly!

Dear Friends,
    Thousands of PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLIES flew through my Southern California neighborhood on the morning of March 15th! I tried to kiss one, but they were much too fast! Some stopped in my backyard to feed.
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Watch our music video with Common Dolphins, Mothers and Calves

Ahoy Mates!

Watch more footage of common dolphins off the coast of Dana Point, CA, US. This short music video features “Clickety-Clack” from our CD “IF I WERE A FISH and Other Animal Songs for Kids.”  Look closely and you might see a mother dolphin with a calf by her side.
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Watch this video of a common dolphin superpod!

Hello friends.

It’s been a wonderful summer of observing and learning about the animals that inspire my songs. This video captures a super pod of common dolphin, 5 miles off the coast of Dana Point, CA, USA. There are hundreds of baby dolphins in this pod, and summer is the peak season for common dolphin births in this part of the world.
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Birdsong meets Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales!

Dear Friends,

I saw orcas off the coast of Newport Beach, CA (USA) on January 7th! They were a rarely seen pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, including 1 large male and 1 calf. Thanks to the Gray Whale Census Team and Alisa Schulman-Janiger for first spotting them from land at Palos Verdes while counting gray whales. Thank you also to my employer, Capt. Dave’s Dolphin Safari, for bringing us to the whales. I’ve included my photos of these beautiful creatures, taken at sunset. The tall, distinctive dorsal fin in the top photo is that of the male orca.

These types of killer whales, identified by their darker saddle area behind the dorsal fin, are usually seen from south of San Diego to Central Amercia. Because they are rarely seen, we don’t know much about them yet. It was a very fortunate sighting, indeed.

Check out the drone footage of these orcas taken by Newport Coastal Adventure at: Newport Coastal Adventure/YouTube and read more about this killer whale visit at: OC Register On-line. You can also hear my song about another type of orca, called Southern Resident Killer Whales, in my previous blog post. Sightings such as these  and the opportunity to teach about cetaceans are two of the many reasons why I love my job as First Mate and Naturalist.

Glad to be singing on the sea,

Birdsong

Common Dolphins and Birdsong wish you a happy new year!

Dear Friends,

I have the good fortune of seeing common dolphins several times a month off the coast of Southern California.  I encountered hundreds of them off the coast of Dana Point, CA over this holiday season; and I couldn’t think of a better way to wish you a happy new year than to share this photo that captures their playful spirit.

Common dolphins earned their name because they are “common” to all oceans in the world. They are beautiful animals that often travel, hunt and socialize in large pods of a hundred or more. We have a population of about 450,000 common dolphin off the coast of California, so they are very dear to me. Their cooperative and playful nature always brings joy to my heart and inspires me to squeal, whistle and sing. And sing I often do, sharing my dolphin song “Clickety-Clack” with the children on the boat!
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Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders in Concert – July 24 -Huntington Beach, CA

JOIN US IN CONCERT!
“Under the Sea Celebration”
SUNDAY, JULY 24
12:00 PM Crafts
12:30 – 1:30 PM Concert
Location:
Bella Terra
(EVENT PLAZA near fountain and Old Navy)
7777 Edinger Avenue
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Let’s sing our hearts out about whales, dolphins, sea turtles and more!

Dear Ocean-Loving Friends,
    I’m very happy to invite you to our 2016 summer concert, sponsored by Bella Terra in Huntington Beach, California, USA. Please join us for an “Under the Sea Celebration” as we sing and dance to some of our all-time favorite animal songs for kids.
    My love for the ocean and the creatures who call it home has grown ten-fold since first recording “IF I WERE A FISH and Other Ocean Songs for Kids” in 2008. Recent experiences as a “Singing Naturalist” on whale watching trips have brought me even closer to these animals and have deepened my understanding of the interdependent relationship  between the ocean and all life on our planet. Whenever possible, I share my new experiences, learning and videos on “Birdsong’s Blog”.  I invite you to to subscribe.

Sending an ocean of love to all our fans on all seven continents,
Birdsong

Birdsong meets another blue whale! Watch it spout and dive in our new video!

Birdsong meets a Blue Whale – Watch this amazing video.

Dear Whale-Loving Friends,

I had another blue whale sighting while I was a Naturalist on the Nautilus with Newport Landing Whale Watching on June 3. I was in the company of more than fifty 9th graders from  Magnolia Science Academy. The students kept me on my toes with some great questions about whales and marine life. There were also families with young children on the boat. Many had never been on the ocean before. Most had never seen a whale. You can hear their squeals in this video. It was an exciting ride with many opportunities for education, discussion and awe! 
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Watch a dolphin stampede and sing our dolphin song!

Hello Dolphin-Loving Friends.

Whale watchers aboard a catamaran with Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari in Dana Point experienced a thrilling event when hundreds of common dolphins began “porpoising” at high speed out of the water. Dolphin Safari writes: “Often referred to as a dolphin stampede, this breathtaking behavior can happen at any time and without any apparent cause. Porpoising is the fastest mode of travel for dolphins because there is less resistance in air than water.” (Porpoising can be defined as moving forward with a rising and falling motion in the
manner of a porpoise.)

I have been on Captain Dave’s catamaran during a similar dolphin stampede. It was a truly thrilling and fortunate experience to be surrounding be hundred of dolphins swimming at a high speed. If my heart could smile, it was certainly smiling that day. As you all know, I love to express my care and passion for the animal world with a song. After you’ve watched the dolphin stampede, please sing along with me to my dolphin song video, “Clickety-Clack”.

Porpoising like a dolphin in my imagination,

Birdsong

Birdsong becomes a certified Whale Naturalist and sings “Migration” at her graduation!

Dear Friends,

I am proud to announce that I am now a certified Naturalist with the American Cetacean Society-Orange County, CA. Watch this video of Dr. Marcie and I singing “Migration” with my classmates at our Naturalist graduation in Costa Mesa, California, USA. Special thanks to Belinda Echoers for posting this video, to our wonderful instructor, Desi Green and to the ACS-OC for making this training possible!

“Migration” can be found on our CD “IF I WERE A FISH and Other Ocean Songs for Kids” and on our kids music video “MIGRATION-The Journey of the California Gray Whales”. I can be found on a whale watch boat from Dana Point or Newport Beach, California, USA. Perhaps I’ll meet you there and we’ll sing a whale song or two. 🙂

With lots of cetacean love,

Birdsong

Learn more about the animal that inspired “Migration”, my kids song about the California Gray Whale

Hello whale-loving friends!

It’s that time of year again, when the California Gray Whales are migrating to their calving and breeding lagoons in Baja, Mexico. They began their more than 6,000 mile journey from Alaska last October, and many of the whales have already arrived in Mexico. Here in Laguna Beach, California, we are fortunate to often see the gray whales off our coast, spouting and sometimes breaching as they make their long migration south. It is perhaps the longest migration of any mammal alive; and it’s this migration that inspired my kids’ song by what other name but… “Migration”!       “Migration” (from our CD IF I WERE A FISH) also includes interesting facts about the behavior of the mother gray whales and their calves. It’s a catchy song and a favorite of our fans to sing 🙂

Since I’m not able to include everything there is to know about the gray whales in a song, I’d like to share with you a great article about the grays in “The Kids’ Times”, by my friends at NOAA. Check it out below to learn more about this amazing animal.

Sending a whale of a hug to you,
Birdsong

Click on image to read the entire article