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
S6E15: Indonesia with Charley & Ken [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:37
Charley and Ken chat about Indonesia, sitting in the Garuda lounge of Jakarta international airport, surrounded by clinking dishes and screaming kids (sorry about the abient noise).Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo recording courte…
S6E14: Ryan and Derek Sallmann - North American Top 5 Destinations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:01
Ken chats with Ryan and Derek Sallmann about their top 5 North American birding destinations, how to start international travel, and more. These guys run the Badgerland Birding YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/ch…
S6E13: Ken in Ecuador - Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:48
Ken tells Charley about the first half of his recent trip around northern Ecuador. It was a sort of avian bioblitz around this incredibly diverse Tropical country! Please check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Bir…
NEWSFLASH: What's Happening in Madagascar?! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:01
Ken and Charley chat about what has happened in Madagascar in recent months: protests, the flight of the president, and the installation of a transitional regime. Is this a classic African coup? Is it dangerous to visit…
S6E12: Cuba with Mollee Brown [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:15
Ken chats with Mollee Brown about birding in Cuba. Covering this country is long overdue on the podcast! Check out Mollee's website, with information about her consulting services and tours that she guides: https://night…
S6E11: Georgia (the country, not the state) with Jackson Hagley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:52
Charley chats with Jackson Hagley about birding in Georgia (the country, not the state) Caucasian Snowcock recording courtesy of Ding Li Yong, XC678207. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/678207. License Creative Commons A…
S6E10: Photo Management [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:38
Charley & Ken chat about why they take photos, how they sort, manage, and backup these photos, and what they do with them. It's a big part of the life most travelling naturalists these days! Black Eagle recording courtes…
S6E9: Charley in Micronesia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:18
Charley tells Ken about his recent trip to Micronesia.Palau Nightjar recording courtesy of Todd Mark, XC113913. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/113913. License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0Pl…
S6E8: Birding: Past, present and future, with Marshall Iliff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:18
Charley chats with Marshall Iliff about Ebird, Merlin and Avilist. Check out Marshall's bio:https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/staff/marshall-iliff/....and his ebird profile:https://ebird.org/profile/MzQ2MDM/worldLearn m…
S6E7: Ken in the Dominican Republic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:22
Ken tells Charley about his (somewhat) recent trip around the Dominican Republic. Run-in with the police, long drives, little sleep, rental car company extortion, and yet a great time! Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo recording…