EP30: Okay, but is the dawn chorus getting quieter?

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Release Date: Jul 9, 2026

That wall of birdsong outside your window at sunrise has a name, a structure, and a surprising amount of drama. This week Scott talks with Dr. Dan Mennill, a professor at the University of Windsor who wires whole forests with microphones to eavesdrop on the entire neighborhood at once, about what the dawn chorus is actually for, and what it means when it starts to thin out.

  • In this episode:

    • Why dawn, why so loud, and who gets to sing first (hint: it's not about who's the best singer)

    • What 16 microphones and kilometers of cable revealed about birds negotiating in real time

    • What happened when one field site went quiet, and why that quiet is louder than it sounds

  • All audio, video, and images in this episode are either original to Okay, But... Birds (© Okay Media, LLC) or used under license/permission from the respective rights holders. Bird media from the Macaulay Library is used courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as follows:

    • Soundscape contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML516838

    • Black-throated Green Warbler contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML79475

    • American Redstart contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100804

    • Tufted Titmouse contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100712

    • Northern Cardinal contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML191165

    • Northern Flicker contributed by William V. Ward, ML3

    • Black-capped Chickadee contributed by Bob McGuire, ML197114

    • American Robin contributed by Bob McGuire, ML206448

    • Alder Flycatcher contributed by Mike Andersen, ML132247

    • Savannah Sparrow contributed by Gerritt Vyn, ML137843

    • Chipping Sparrow contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML534466

    • White-crowned Sparrow contributed by Bob McGuire, ML207181

    • Red-tailed Hawk contributed by David McCartt, ML229578

Next

EP29: Okay, but what's it like as a bird at the top of the world?