This month’s story is about the wonder of fall migration. The southward movement of billions of birds across the North American continent is so vast that it’s hard to imagine, impossible to comprehend. But there are glimpses: the fall flocks, the birds of summer gone without a goodbye, the sips and cheeps of hundreds of migratory sparrows from the weeds.

This story is really special to me—and extra special because it’s my last one before I go on hiatus for a while. I’ve shared some more details about that towards the end of the episode.

As usual, this story is an immersive soundscape with lots of bird sounds that I recorded in the field: from Montana, sounds of common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys), yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga petechia), white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), mourning warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia), various sparrows in a flock, eastern screech-owl (Megascops asio), swamp sparrow (Melospiza georgiana), and purple finch (Haemorhous purpureus). And from Oaxaca, the sharp calls of a ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris).

Independent podcasting isn’t easy, which is one of the reasons I’m taking a break for a while. In the meanwhile, all of the ways that you support this show remain greatly appreciated! Spreading the word about the podcast is huge, and leaving a rating helps too. And of course, my Patreon supporters are what’s kept me going this long. If you’re a current supporter, don’t worry—I’m pausing your monthly charges until I start podcast production again. And if you’re not a supporter but would like to look into it, please check out https://www.patreon.com/wildwithnature. Podcasting can be lonely at times, but knowing you’re there with me makes it much less so.

You can find the written, illustrated version of this story here: https://wildwithnature.com/2025/10/01/fall-migration/

Esta historia se trata del asombro de la migración otoñal de las aves. El movimiento de miles de millones de aves hacia el sur a lo largo del continente norteamericano es tan enorme que es difícil de imaginar, imposible de comprender. Sin embargo, hay algunos atisbos: las bandadas del otoño, las aves del verano ya ausentes sin decir adiós, las llamadas sip y chip de cientos de gorriones migratorios en la maleza.

Esta historia es muy especial para mí—y aún más porque es mi última antes de tomar una pausa por un rato. He compartido unos detalles más sobre eso al final del episodio.

Como siempre, esta historia te sumerge en los sonidos de las aves que grabé en el campo: desde Montana, los sonidos del zanate norteño (Quiscalus quiscula), chinito (Bombycilla cedrorum), gorrión corona blanca (Zonotrichia leucophrys), chipe rabadilla amarilla (Setophaga petechia), gorrión garganta blanca (Zonotrichia albicollis), chipe de pechera (Geothlypis philadelphia), una bandada de varios gorriones, tecolote del este (Megascops asio), gorrión pantanero (Melospiza georgiana) y pinzón colorado (Haemorhous purpureus). Y desde Oaxaca, México, las llamadas agudas de un colibrí garganta rubí (Archilochus colubris).

Producir un podcast independiente no es fácil, y eso es una de las razones por las que quiero tomar una pausa. Mientras tanto, te sigo agradeciendo mucho por todas las maneras en las que apoyas este proyecto! Compartir mis podcasts es una gran ayuda, y dejarme un rating también me ayuda. Y desde luego, mis patrocinadores en Patreon son los que han sostenido mi trabajo hasta este momento. (Si eres uno de mis patrocinadores, no te preocupes—no se te va a cobrar tu apoyo mensual hasta que yo comience de nuevo con la producción del podcast.) Si aún no eres un patrocinador pero te interesa considerarlo, por favor chécalo en https://www.patreon.com/wildwithnature. Hacer un podcast a veces puede sentirse muy solo, pero saber que estás ahí conmigo ayuda mucho.

Puedes encontrar la versión escrita con la historia aquí, con mis fotos del campo: https://wildwithnature.com/2025/10/01/aves-migracion-de-otono/

I hear it as soon as I step out of the car, that resonant, knocking cucucu that I’ve been listening for all across Montana this summer. Black-billed cuckoo! My hands are shaking and my heart is thumping. I slip one headphone on, aim the parabola, and press record. The cuckoo keeps singing.

The black-billed cuckoo is a bird of many mysteries. In this podcast I delve into the biology and wonder of this bird, from the western edge of its breeding range in Montana, USA to the even more mysterious wintering distribution in Colombia and Ecuador. Many thanks to Anna Kurtin (University of Montana) and Dr. Camila Gómez (SELVA, selva.org.co) for their participation in this story, and to their research teams for all of their contributions to our understanding of cuckoos. Thanks to Harriet Marble for telling me about a possible black-billed cuckoo report near the Highwood Mountains, which finally allowed me to observe one! Finally, thanks to Tim Spahr for his permission to include his black-billed cuckoo song and flight call recordings in the podcast, and to Ian van Coller, Bo Crees, and Peter Dudley for letting me include their photos in the written version.

Besides Tim Spahr’s black-billed cuckoo song and calls, this podcast also includes many of my own sound recordings from Montana: black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus), black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus), great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens), orchard oriole (Icterus spurius), northern house wren (Troglodytes aedon), eastern warbling-vireo (Vireo gilvus), Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula), western wood-pewee (Contopus sordidulus), common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), American kestrel (Falco sparverius), and brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). Also an eastern screech-owl (Megascops asio) from Nebraska and a Middle American screech-owl (M. guatemalae) from Oaxaca, Mexico.

As always, I depend on the support of my listeners to continue doing this work. Please share these podcasts, leave a rating, and, if you’re able, support me through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wildwithnature. Thank you!!!

You can find the written, illustrated version of this story here: https://wildwithnature.com/2025/09/01/the-silence-before-the-cuckoos-song/