If you listen to KPLU (88.5 FM) in the morning, you know all about the nature oasis at 8:58 a.m. If you don't, set your alarm. Backed by sounds such as chirping Barn Swallows and the drilling of a Williamson's Sapsucker, the honey-voiced Frank Corrado narrates two-minute digests about wild birds. The BirdNote vignettes are packed with intriguing tidbits served up with surprising poetry.

You can track down other stations at www.birdnote.org or listen to missed notes at the BirdNote archive, but I don't suggest seeking them out. I prefer how they surface in the pause between Morning Edition news and Dick Stein's jazz, like the unexpected and welcome sight of a hummingbird hovering near the kitchen window.

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