Part one: There was actually a real bird called B95. He was a beautiful Red Knot, part of the sandpiper family.

He was called B95 because that was the tag number scientists banded him with so they could identify and track him.

B95 was not only one of the oldest known members of his species, but he earned the nickname Moonbird because the migration of Red Knots is one of the longest on Earth. Each year they fly nearly 20,000 miles round trip. Over B95’s exceptionally long life, scientists estimate that he traveled the distance from the Earth to the Moon… and back!

If you'd like to have a REALLY fun hour and fifteen minutes, AND hear the incredible story of how he was tracked by scientists, take a listen to Episode 50 of the show, where I spoke with Dr. Patricia González, known around the world as the “Mother of Moonbird,” the scientist who originally banded him! It’s a fascinating and wonderful episode.

Part two: Many years ago, my friend Jolene and I were talking about my own travel experiences and all the places I’d been. I’ve also moved quite a bit over the years, and when I was telling her some of the details of all those miles, she smiled and said, “You’re a Moonbird!”

I had no idea what that meant, so she explained the story of B95 to me. I loved it, and the nickname stuck.

Later, when I was trying to come up with a name for this show, I found myself thinking about my dad who at the time, had recently passed away. He loved to travel, and he and I shared a passion for music, food, conversation, and exploring the world. I started thinking about all the memories I had of him, and all the experiences in my own life that I wanted to share with people. And then...

Sitting in a Panera café in Ohio, I wrote down on a piece of paper:

“The Memories of a Moonbird.”

I looked at it for a moment… smiled… and five minutes later, the domain was registered. 🙂