Birdsong’s Blog

Watch Twin Gray Whale Calves with their mother!

My Dear Friends and Whale Lovers,

I recently watched this video by Dolphin Safari and want to share it with you while the California Gray Whales are still migrating from the cold seas of Alaska to the warm lagoons of Baja, Mexico. The sight of this mother whale and her twin calves (along with the sounds of their breathing) brought tears to my eyes, reminding me of how much I love these animals. I am a very fortunate coastal Californian who has the opportunity each winter and spring to observe the gray whales in their annual migration of 12,000 miles or more. Just this past weekend, I saw two gray whales while I was taking a morning walk at Main Beach in Laguna Beach, CA. They were heading south, so I know that some of the whales are still on their way to the lagoons. 
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Watch a migrating gray whale play with dolphins | Sing our kids’ song, “Migration”.

Hello cetacean lovers.

It’s true! Whales and dolphins sometimes play together! I was so excited to see this in action in this video by my friends at Dolphin Safari. It features a gray whale and dolphins playing off the coast of Dana Point, California. Watching this video reminded me of how much I enjoy taking some time to play with friends. It also taught me that it can be fun to sometimes play with those who are a little different than me.

You can learn more about the California Gray Whale in my song, “Migration” and in The Kids’ Times by NOAA. I hope you have a whale of good time watching and learning!

With a playful splash,
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

Happy New Year from the animals we met in 2015! Click the arrow below:

Watch “KEEP THE OCEAN CLEAN” – our kids’ music video about protecting the ocean and its animals!

Listen to what the dolphins, whales, sharks, sea turtles, octopus and other ocean creatures have to say about how we can keep the ocean clean!

Love ocean creatures? Watch more of our ocean animal music videos about dolphins, octopus, gray whales, blue whales, pinnipeds, and orcas.

Watch BBC video of Mobula Rays doing belly flops!

Do you love ocean animals? Watch our music videos about sea creatures that include dolphins, whales, octopus, sharks, sea turtles, seals, sea lions and walruses!

Watch my Spider Song-in-Progress

Hello Dear Friends.

I’m really excited  to give you a sneak preview of my kids’ song about spiders. I started writing this song a few years ago because some fans requested it  … and I listen to my fans! 😉 I now see spiders and their webs everywhere; and I am fascinated by them. In fact, the very day I was creating this video, I found a spider in its newly-constructed web just outside my door. When I went to check on the spider a few hours later, it had caught a black soldier fly in its web and had already wrapped it up in silk. A day later, it had finished eating the fly.  I often have close encounters with the animal I am writing about, and I took this as a sign that it was time to share my song-in-progress with you.

    In this video, you will hear a rough version of my spider song. You will also see some spider photos and videos that I took while doing my research. If you listen closely, you may notice that I use quick, steady taps and strums on my guitar strings. I do this to represent how quickly and industriously the spider grips and weaves each strand of silk. I also chose a melody for the chorus that, for me, represents the beauty and awe I feel when I see a spider in the web it has created. It is no wonder that spiders have inspired artists and storytellers throughout the ages. They have certainly inspired me to write this song for them… and for you.

With love,
Birdsong

Watch a Spider construct its Web… and stay tuned for a new Spider Song by Birdsong!)

Dear Friends and Arachnid Scientists,

For the past two years, I have been taking photos and videos of spiders and their webs, every chance I get in any place a can, e.g. in my backyard, on hikes, in parks, in the backyards of friends and in the yards of strangers. I have been learning a lot about spiders along the way and, as I have a habit of doing, writing a new song about them. I’m getting excited as a prepare my spider song video to share with you in time for Halloween; until then, I’m excited to show you this beautiful video I found while doing my research on spiders.

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Read “What the Octopus Knows” by Sy Montgomery and watch our music video “Oxford the Octopus”

Dear Octopus and Mollusk Lovers,

I’m excited to share with you a fascinating article about octopuses and their unique ways of being, written by one of my favorite journalists and naturalists, Sy Montgomery and published in the LA Times online.

Below are excerpts from Sy’s article, “WHAT THE OCTOPUS KNOWS”. When you are finished reading, let your octopus awe continue as you sing along with our all time favorite octopus song video, OXFORD THE OCTOPUS! The more I learn about this amazing creature, the more I am convinced that we are sharing our world with countless intelligent animals from whom we have much to learn!

with love and an eight-armed hug,
Birdsong

From “WHAT THE OCTOPUS KNOWS” by Sy Montgomery:
“IT CAN CHANGE COLOR and shape. It can taste with its skin. It has a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake and ink like an old-fashioned pen,

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Watch our PINNIPED PARADE music video and learn about seals, sea lions and walruses.

 Hello my ocean-loving friends!

 “Come to the Pinniped Parade with me! There’ll be beautiful fin-footed friends to see!”  Learn about pinnipeds (seals, sea lions and walruses), their characteristics, behaviors and sounds in our fun, educational, sing-a-long video for kids, “PINNIPED PARADE”.  This animal song video has real pinniped sounds, photos from NOAA and my song of the same name. I invite you to sing, bark, burp, growl and march along with us!  

“PINNIPED PARADE” is one of the songs on our CD IF I WERE A FISH and Other Ocean Songs for Kids and is one of my favorite animal songs  to dance to. ENJOY!

With lots of noisy ocean animal sounds,

Birdsong