S6E37: Ken in Western Panama

S6E37: Ken in Western Panama

Author: Ken Behrens & Charley Hesse April 12, 2026 Duration: 1:10:37

The final installment of our Panama series. Ken tells Charley about his western Panama adventure. How did Ken manage to miss all the brushfinches yet find all the quail-doves?! How was his climb up Panama's highest mountain?


Please check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Birding: https://www.tropicalbirding.com/


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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


Pheasant Cuckoo recording courtesy of Scott Olmstead, XC1035981. Accessible at https://xeno-canto.org/1035981. License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 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: 100

Naturally Adventurous
Podcast Episodes
S6E31: Charley's local birding patch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:14
Charley does a field broadcast from his local birding patch in Chiang Mai.Here's the ebird checklist from the walk:https://ebird.org/checklist/S298534053Please check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Birding: https…
S6E30: Ken's Six Weeks in Panama (part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:57
Ken gives Charley an overview of his recent long trip to Panama. Please check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Birding: https://www.tropicalbirding.com/If you wish to support this podcast, please visit our Patreon…
S6E29: Bulgaria with Nick Bonomo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:36
Charley chats with Nick Bonomo about independent migration birding in Bulgaria.check out Nick's blog https://www.shorebirder.com/Hazel Grouse recording courtesy of Fredrik Grahn, XC1049385. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.o…
S6E28: Japanese Giant Salamanders with Richard Pearce [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:40
Charley chats with Richard Pearce about Japanese Giant Salamander conservation.Check out a YouTube video of Richard and the Salamandershttps://youtu.be/OEWDx2EAJJs?si=6gzbbY3N7AUauw-eand his NPO websitehttps://www.sustai…
S6E27: Argentina with Andres Vasquez [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:09
Charley chats with regular guest Andres Vasquez about his recent trip to Argentina.Chaco Owl recording courtesy of Hans Matheve, XC965889. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/965889. License Creative Commons Attribution-Non…
S6E26: Ken's weekend in Chiang Mai [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:14
Charley and Ken record another 'live from the field' episode, this time from Ken's short visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand last year.Spot-throated Babbler recording courtesy of Charley. Please check out the website of our sp…
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…