S6E35: Ken in Eastern Panama

S6E35: Ken in Eastern Panama

Author: Ken Behrens & Charley Hesse March 29, 2026 Duration: 1:20:30

Is the Darien actually the dangerous borderland that most people make it out to be? Is it crazy to bring young kids on a Darien trek to visit the nest of a Harpy Eagle?! Ken tells Charley about his eastern Panama adventure.


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Intro by Jenna Pinchbeck https://www.jennapinchbeck.com/ Jennapinchbeck@gmail.com. Theme music by John Behrens https://nashvilleaudioproductions.com/Feel free to contact us at: ken.behrens@gmail.com &/or cfchesse@gmail.com


Black-crowned Antpitta recording courtesy of Scott Olmstead, XC694955. Accessible at https://xeno-canto.org/694955. License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0


Naturally Adventurous Podcast

Nature - Travel - Adventure - Birding


There’s a particular kind of curiosity that pulls you off the beaten path, toward the rustle in the undergrowth or the call from a distant canopy. Naturally Adventurous is built on that impulse, hosted by two guides who have followed it across continents. Ken Behrens and Charley Hesse aren’t just passing through; they’ve built lives in the remote corners where they’ve settled, from Madagascar to Thailand, Ecuador to South Africa. Their conversations are less like formal interviews and more like the stories swapped at the end of a long day in the field, rich with the details of a lifelong obsession with birds and natural history. Each episode pulls you into the texture of a place-the sounds, the surprises, the occasional misadventures-that comes from seeking out wild creatures in wild landscapes. You’ll hear about the logistics of navigating a swamp, the thrill of an unexpected sighting, and the quieter reflections on how these journeys shape a perspective. This podcast is for anyone who feels that pull toward the untracked, offering a deeply personal and authentic audio postcard from the world’s most fascinating ecosystems, all through the experienced ears of two people who have made a life out of looking.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 287

Naturally Adventurous
Podcast Episodes
S6E25: Seeing the World's Bird Families [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:45
Charley chat with Keith Barnes about seeing the world's bird families.Ken's photo gallery of 140/150 of the world's bird families: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kbehrens/albums/72177720330473375Gray-winged Trumpeter reco…
S6E24: Douglas McMeekin, a life of adventure in the Amazon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:56
Ken talks with Douglas McMeekin, the founder of Yachana Foundation. Douglas has had a remarkable life, much of it spent in the Amazon, where he founded the Yachana Foundation, which uses for-profit ventures to fund its n…
S6E23: Rail-Babbler & Hypocolius bite the dust. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:42
Charley tells Ken about his latest 2 new bird families.Malaysian Rail-Babbler recording courtesy of Ding Li Yong, XC987719. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/987719. License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDe…
S6E22: State of the Pod and 2025 Wrap-Up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:54
Charley and Ken talk about the state of the podcast, after delivering weekly episodes for over five years (!). They chat about the results of the survey from earlier in the year, and wrap up 2025. Ken's photo gallery of…
S6E21: Oman Top 6 Highlights with Charley & Ken [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:59
Ken tells Charley about the top 6 experiences of his recent trip to the Arabian Peninsula country of Oman. CORRECTION / CLARIFICATION: Regarding Silverbills, the country of Saudi Arabia also has both Indian and African S…
S6E20: Rediscovering Lost Indian Birds with Harish Thangaraj [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:24
Charley talks with one of India's top birders, Harish Thangaraj, about some amazing rediscoveries he has made this yearJerdon's Courser recordings courtesy of P Jeganathan, XC294415. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/2944…
S6E19: New Britain with Charley & Ken [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:00
Charley tells Ken about his recent trip to the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea.Golden Masked-Owl recording courtesy of Charley Hesse.Please check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Birding: https://www.tro…
S6E18: Myanmar with Charlie Harcourt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:04
Ken chats with Charlie Harcourt about the country of Myanmar; it's biological and cultural riches, as well as its troubled history (and present). Charlie's organization for higher education access: https://www.myanmar-fo…
S6E17: Ken in Ecuador - Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:48
Ken tells Charley about the second half of his recent trip around northern Ecuador. It started with a wisdom tooth removal, but was all uphill from there! Please check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Birding: htt…
S6E16: Lebanon with Colin Conroy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:03
Charley chats with Colin Conroy about birding in Lebanon.Syrian Serin recording courtesy of Barry Edmonston, XC721507. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/721507. License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlik…