J. Drew Lanham’s Sparrow Envy
It’s National Poetry Month in the U.S., and each year we like to celebrate by sharing our favorite contemporary writers’ work about birds. Ornithologist and poet J. Drew Lanham often writes about racial justice, and his experience as a Black man in the outdoors — both the joy of being in nature and the racism he faces in the field. Sometimes that's led him to birding spots that others might pass by. In this episode, Drew shares a poem inspired by little brown sparrows thriving in overlooked places.
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2026-04-27
3 min
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J. Drew Lanham’s Sparrow Envy | BirdNote Skip to main content Skip to navigation Your Donation Makes BirdNote Possible! Give a Gift Today Today's Show: An App That Helps You Hear High-Pitched Bird Songs Listen In Menu Your Donation Makes BirdNote Possible! Give a Gift Today Today's Show Listen Search All Shows BirdNote Daily Bring Birds Back Threatened BirdNote en Español BirdNote Presents Sound Escapes How to Listen Explore Field Notes BirdNote+ Sights & Sounds Birdwatching Resources for Educators How to Help Birds From Love to Action Take the Survey Resources: Take Action for Birds About Who We Are The Team Board Members DEI/IDEA Commitment Partners Science Advisory Council For Radio Stations Work With Us Contact Us FAQs Support BirdNote Shop Donate Your Donation Makes BirdNote Possible! Give a Gift Today Search Image: Join BirdNote tomorrow, November 30th! Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction! RESERVE YOUR SPOT J. Drew Lanham’s Sparrow Envy April 27, 2026 Finding joy in overlooked places. Listen Now Subscribe to BirdNote Daily Share This: Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Email Expand Image © Becky Matsubara It’s National Poetry Month in the U.S., and each year we like to celebrate by sharing our favorite contemporary writers’ work about birds. Ornithologist and poet J. Drew Lanham often writes about racial justice, and his experience as a Black man in the outdoors — both the joy of being in nature and the racism he faces in the field. Sometimes that's led him to birding spots that others might pass by. In this episode, Drew shares a poem inspired by little brown sparrows thriving in overlooked places. Full Transcript Credits BirdNote ® J. Drew Lanham’s Sparrow Envy Written by Mark Bramhill Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote. I’m Mark Bramhill. It’s National Poetry Month in the US, and each year we like to celebrate by sharing our favorite contemporary writers’ work about birds. Ornithologist and poet J. Drew Lanham often writes about racial justice, and his experience as a Black man in the outdoors. Like, when he was out birding… J. Drew Lanham: [And] this racist man, he had threatened me in this place where I traditionally looked for White-crowned Sparrows. So I was looking for them in this other space that was, you know, a lot of people would pass by and not look at. And, I didn’t find White-crowned Sparrows, but I was looking at Swamp Sparrows, and a Lincoln’s Sparrow. [Lincoln’s Sparrow song] In the face of injustice, Drew has found that joy can be a powerful act of resistance. And so, watching these sparrows in habitat that many people would overlook, inspired a poem celebrating these ‘Little Brown Birds’: J. Drew Lanham: Sparrow Envy Were I the sparrow brown-backed skittish and small— I would find haven in thorniest thickets— search far and wide for fields lain fallow treasure the unkempt worship the unmown covet the weed-strewn row I would slink between sedges chip unseen from brambles skulk deep within hedges and desire the ditches grown wild I would find great joy in the mist-sodden morning sing humble pleas from the highest weeds and plead for the gray days to stay [Lincoln’s Sparrow song] Mark Bramhill: I asked Drew, were he a sparrow, what species would he be? J. Drew Lanham: Oh, wow… I’d be the skulky-est Sparrow. I’m thinking a Henslow’s or a LeConte’s… or a Fox Sparrow. [Fox Sparrow song] Fox Sparrows are pretty introverted. They don’t mind speaking up, but you hardly ever see ‘em. And then they make a decision. They’re like, ‘oh, I’ve been in this patch for a couple of weeks, ‘Okay, I’m finally gonna show myself.’ And there it is, right? [Fox Sparrow song] And the Fox Sparrow is just, I mean… it’s almost a thrush, but it’s still a sparrow. And so it’s code switching a little bit, I think. [Fox Sparrow song] If I had to give Fox Sparrows a name, I’d call ‘em ‘Code-switching Sparrows’. And so I feel like that’s kind of true to who I kind of have to be in the world. Mark Bramhill: Want to hear more poetry about birds? Check out our new, hour-long special Words in Flight. You can find it on our website, BirdNote.org. I’m Mark Bramhill. ### Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill Producer: Sam Johnson Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel Content Director: Jonese Franklin Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Lincoln's Sparrow ML100868 and Fox Sparrow ML539750 recorded by Wil Hershberger. BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler. © 2026 BirdNote April 2026 Narrator: Mark Bramhill ID# LanhamJD-02-2026-04-27 LanhamJD-02 Mark Bramhill Writer Narrator Tags: Arts & Culture , Habitats , poetry , Sparrow Related Resources Words in Flight: An hour-long celebration of poetry about birds | BirdNote Hear more BirdNote stories with Drew More About These Birds Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) Passerella iliaca White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) Zonotrichia leucophrys Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) Melospiza lincolnii Sights & Sounds Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about the natural world – and take steps to protect it. Support BirdNote About Annual Report Contact Science Advisory Council Pitch Page Work With Us Sign up for our newsletter! 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