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This week on the Earth Eclectic Radio Hour, host Bart Everson presents “Maybe the Birds Taught Us,” an exploration of how birds have inspired music and poetry across human history. Fresh from his travels to GreenAccord (more about that in an upcoming episode), Bart considers what we’ve learned from our winged companions about both flight and song. The journey begins with Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir’s “The Now Bird,” a tribute to environmental activist Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán, before weaving through Sarina Partridge’s celebration of coastal birds and Miss Calliope’s educational children’s song. Casey Ní Bhreathnach shares a dream visitation from a hummingbird, while Pollenate’s “Nectar” invites us to hear “the wings that know themselves as open.” Bob Ambrose Jr. poetically chronicles “The Fifth Dawn Filled the Sky” with the evolutionary emergence of birds, Laura McCarthy laments the endangered curlew, and Third Eye of the Crone meditates on “Feathers” as messengers of hidden truths.

After a brief pause, we journey through global traditions with Japan’s Yuino singing of a transformational “White Bird,” Ruth Tafébé celebrating Ivory Coast’s endangered Nimba flycatcher, and Germany’s Ariege invoking the power of eagles and falcons in “Im Gleitflug.” Venezuela’s Caribano connects human spirit-journeys to bird migration in “Caminante,” while France’s Bernard Fort offers an experimental study based on the precise rhythms of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker’s drumming. The collection concludes with Orlando Gibbons’ 1612 madrigal “Dainty Fine Bird,” performed by the Cambridge Singers—reminding us that our fascination with birds spans centuries. Throughout this sonic migration, we encounter Salman Rushdie’s provocative suggestion that perhaps “the birds taught us” the very foundations of music itself—the “magical intervals” from which we build our “cathedrals of sound.”

Coverage: Thanks to journalist Elizabeth Oliveira for writing a great account of the GreenAccord meeting, including Earth Eclectic: “Jornalismo ambiental em tempos de crise planetária.”

Award: We’re looking for new releases that lift up ecological consciousness. With support from the Gaian Way, we’re giving an award to recognize outstanding ecospiritual music released in 2024, 2025, or 2026. Re-releases, remasters, and remixes are welcome, and self-nominations are encouraged. Nominations must be submitted by Earth Day, and we plan to announce the award on World Environment Day. The prize includes a cash award of $1,000. Visit the nomination form to make your submission.

Broadening: We are excited to report that Earth Eclectic can now be heard on the East Coast, the West Coast, the Gulf Coast, and the Midwest. Can you help us connect with your community radio station?

Photo: Bart Everson