Birdsong’s Blog

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Vaquita in the northern Gulf of California, Baja, Mexico

Dear Friends,

In my training as a cetacean Naturalist, I began learning about the endangered Vaquita, the smallest of the porpoises and the smallest of all the cetaceans (Cetaceans are the whales, dolphins and porpoises). The vaquita porpoise is considered by many to be the rarest and most-endangered species of marine mammal in the world. It is estimated that there are only 70 or so vaquitas remaining. They all live in the Gulf of California, which is in Baja, Mexico.

The more I learn about the vaquita porpoise, the more I want to write a song that honors them and brings awareness to their critical situation. In fact, later today I will be speaking with two experts on the vaquita in order to learn more about this beautiful porpoise. I find that talking to an expert who is passionate about a given animal  helps me to create a song that is accurate, believable and heart-felt.

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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

Watch “Why We Need Bees” and sing along to “The Flowers Have Gone Wild!”

Dear Friends,

There’s a bee in my strawberry!  There’s a bee in my strawberry! How exciting!

Ok, a bee is not really IN my strawberry; but a bee worked very hard pollinating the flowers of a strawberry plant in order to help make this delicious fruit. So as I eat this strawberry, I think about bees and I feel very connected to them.

For the love of bees, I’d like to share this video by Earth Rangers.  It teaches  about the importance of bees and explains how and why they pollinate. This video also suggests ways in which we can help protect this buzzing insect. Take a few minutes to watch it and you, too, might think about bees the next time you eat a  fruit or vegetable you love 🙂

Buzzzzz,

Birdsong

P.S.  If all this talk about bees makes you want to sing :), please check our our music video “The Flowers have Gone Wild!”.  It features my song about all kinds of pollinators and their special relationship with wildflowers.

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 and sing about caterpillars and butterflies in these fun videos!

Hello my friends.

I’m happy to share with you these two fun and educational videos about the story of the life cycle of caterpillars and butterflies. I find this story to be one of nature’s most beautiful wonders. The video above is by Kids Education Online and in it you can watch caterpillars from the moment they hatch until their amazing metamorphosis into a butterfly. Be prepared for awe and wonder! The next video can be found on a previous post and it features my very own song, “I Almost Kissed a Butterfly” with lyrics. This song is based on a true butterfly story and is filled with lots of fun facts about these insects. I hope you will sing along with me and that my story inspires you to look closely for butterflies, caterpillars and other insects the next time you are outside. Have fun!

With a joyful flutter,

Birdsong

Sing “Migration” as we meet the baby gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon!

Dear Friends,

      Great news!  My whale watch captain friends tell me that there have been sightings of more than 800 calves of Eastern Gray Whales (aka the California Gray Whales) this season. This means the population of this once-critically endangered animal continues to grow strong!  Celebrate Gray Whale migration season with me by immersing yourself in this fun and moving music video about our gray whale encounters in Baja, Mexico as well as by watching the  videos listed below. 
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Northern Elephant Seals gather at their land rookery as Birdsong sings “Pinniped Parade”!

Dear Friends,

    Today’s featured animal is the Northern Elephant Seal. Friends of the Elephant Seal, a non-profit organization in San Simeon, CA (USA), writes on their website: “The northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris, is an extraordinary marine mammal. It spends eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1000 to 5800 feet deep for periods of fifteen minutes to two hours, and migrating thousands of miles, twice a year, to its land-based rookery for birthing, breeding, molting, and rest.”

I had the pleasure of meeting these elephant seals last month at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery during 
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Learn about Dolphin Echolocation and sing our dolphin song, “Clickety-Clack”

Learn (above) and sing (below) about Dolphin Echolocation.
It’s amazing!

Gorilla Twins are born in Central Africa! Celebrate the news with our kids’ song, “Bella the Gorilla”.

Hello Fellow Primates!

Read the good news about baby gorilla twins born in the Dzanga-Sangha conservation area of the Central African Republic, courtesy of World Wildlife Foundation and The Dodo. Celebrate this wonderful event with us by singing our animal song, “Bella the Gorilla”.

With a heartfelt congratulations to their mother (Malui) and father (Makumba),

-Birdsong

Watch a Baby Gray Whale Play with Kids/Sing-Along to our whale song “Migration”

Hello my friends.

Check out this video by Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic and you’ll see a baby gray whale interacting with children in Baja, Mexico. Look closely and you’ll see physical characteristics that include baleen in their mouths and the two blowholes on the top of their heads. As alway, when you are finished watching, I invite you to sing along to our gray whale song “MIGRATION“.

I continue to feel tremendous wonder and awe when I learn about these whales. I am especially moved by their friendly nature and the way they seek out contact with humans
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