How an Ornithologist with a Microphone Made History episode artwork

EPISODE · May 18, 2026 · 1 MIN

How an Ornithologist with a Microphone Made History

from BirdNote Daily · host BirdNote

With today’s mobile apps and sound libraries, it’s never been easier to listen to birds on demand. But that wasn’t always the case – not until the 1920s when ornithologist Arthur Allen teamed up with an ambitious film production crew to record the dawn performance of a Song Sparrow. That first recording, featured in this episode, is now one of millions in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 18, 2026

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