Animal Videos

Spider Web catches Birdsong’s attention. New spider song coming soon!

One of the things I love about foggy, dew-thick mornings is watching all the spider webs reveal themselves. What has caught your attention in nature today?

Dear Friends,

I have been mesmerized and mystified by spiders and their webs for years now. So much so that I’ve written a song about them, and it will be recorded and released in early 2017. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you can listen to a sneak preview of it in my spider song music video.

Your song-weaving friend,
Birdsong

Learn about this magnificent marine mammal – Humpback Whale Video and Song for Kids

Hello my cetacean-loving friends.

As a “singing crew member” on Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari, I have had the privilege of spotting numerous humpback whales and observing their feeding and acrobatic behaviors. Watch this fun adventure video by  “All Things Animal TV” to learn about this magnificent creature and listen to my “Humpback Whale Song” for kids to hear some male humpback whales singing. I could listen to their songs everyday 🙂 I’ve also included some links to more humpback whale videos at the end of this post. Enjoy!

Your singing cetacean naturalist and friend,

Birdsong

https://youtu.be/joBvuEJyUd0

MORE HUMPBACK WHALE VIDEOS:

–Humpback Whale Breaching over and over again!

-Humpback Whale Thanks Its Rescuers

Learn about WHY blue Whales are so big and SING our song “So Big! Blue Whale!”

Watch this informative video by TED-Ed to learn about why blue whales are so big; and then sing-along with us to our kids song about the world’s largest animal, “So Big! Blue Whale!”.

Watch Humpback Whale Breaching and listen to our kids song about humpback whales

Dear Cetacean Lovers,

Humpback whales have been active and acrobatic this summer off the shores of Southern California where I live. I have had the good fortune to witness many humpback breaches such as the one in this fun video by Dana Wharf Whale Watching. Notice how long the humpback’s pectoral fins are. They are about one third the size of the whale’s body. The humpback whales are known for their long pectoral fins, the hump on their back, their acrobatics and breaching, and the unique markings on each individual whale’s tail. I feel so very blessed to be able to watch these animals up close. Listen to our “Humpback Whale Song” to learn more about these beautiful baleen whales and to hear their songs.

With a splash and a thank you to the Humpback Whale,

Birdsong

Dr. Marcie meets a blue whale and sings our kids song “So Big! Blue Whale!”

Dear Cetacean-Loving Friends,

It’s happened again! Another member of Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders encountered a blue whale off the coasts of Dana Point and Laguna Beach in southern California. This time it was Dr. Marcie and she took a great video of this whale’s dive, fluke and all. If you look closely, you will see some white scarring on the whale’s tail. This is possibly a scar from a cut by a fishing line that got wrapped around this whale’s tail. Fortunately, this huge, beautiful whale survived that injury and now whale researchers and captains use that scar to identify this whale. Some have even nicknamed the whale “Scar”. Check out this video, my friends! 
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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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Take the Pledge! Birdsong celebrates “World Oceans Day” with a new kids music video “Keep the Ocean Clean”

Dear Friends,

June 8 is World Oceans Day!  This year, individuals and organizations all over the world are celebrating with the theme “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet” and are promoting prevention of plastic ocean pollution.  I am participating in my musical way with our new kids song video, “KEEP THE OCEAN CLEAN -TAKE THE PLEDGE”. Please show it to your children, friends and family; and let me know what they think. Together, we can help protect our ocean  for generations to come.

FREE RESOURCES:

Learn more about World Oceans Day and download their website’s free resources at: WorldOceansDay.org. The website has a a free Octonauts Resource Kit for kids. You can also hear more of our Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders ocean animal songs on our CD “IF I WERE A FISH and Other Ocean Songs for Kids” as well as on our video page. 

With oceanic love,

Birdsong

Birdsong meets a Blue Whale and sings her kids song “So Big! Blue Whale!”

Dear Friends,

Just a few days ago, I met a blue whale in Dana Point, CA, US! What a thrill it was to hear its breath and be close enough to take these photos. The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet. This one was about 70 feet long and some can grow as large as 85-90 feet. I’ll never forget the sound of its breathing. While we waited for the blue to re-submerge for a breath, my crew mates and I sang my kids song “So Big! Blue Whale!”. Thank you Capt. Steve, Desi and crew for this opportunity. It was a magical day on the ocean. Thank you, also, to the hundreds of Common Dolphins and seabirds that also made our day. More photos: 
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Gray Whale Mom and Calf Play in Laguna Beach and we can’t stop singing our kids song about gray whale migration!

Dear Whale-Loving Friends,

It has been a wonderful season of sightings of migrating gray whales, right here in Orange County, CA, US.  Many of us have had the privilege of seeing these whales and their calves swimming and playing close to the shore, as you can see in this video posted by my friends at Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari. Because of my work as a American Cetacean Society naturalist, I have also had many opportunities this spring to sing “Migration”, my kids song about tthe gray whale. All in all, it’s been an awesome gray whale season. 
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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