This is #3 of 31 Days to Better Birding and Conservation
There are many ways to learn bird songs and one of the best is to go outside, find a bird that’s singing and watch it. Once you connect the identification to the sound, you have a great chance of remembering the bird’s sound in the future. But there are other ways to learn bird sounds too!
Our personal favorite way to learn bird songs is through our iPod or what we call the birdPod. By using birdJam’s software, we have the ability to listen to bird songs and quiz one another without the bird’s name being given away. By familiarizing yourself with bird sounds, they become infinitively easier to pick out when in the field.
You don’t have to have an iPod to learn bird sounds: there are many bird song CDs and websites where you can learn specific bird sounds. Cornell’s Macaulay Library is an excellent place to find specific bird sounds for free.
So if you want to learn more about birds, especially if you plan on doing big days, big sits, Christmas Bird Counts, Breeding Bird Surveys, or any other bird count, study bird sounds.
Eastern Phoebe
I must confess that I suck at bird sounds, wrens confuse me not to mention them warblers with all their chipping and warbling.
Now….in order to have some fun around the office and people in general I put only bird songs on my cell phone ringtones so I can be in the middle of a meeting and whatyaknow a red tailed hawk starts… hawking? or thrush or a robin or the favorite amongst coworkers the slate colored solitaire……I have my fun with birds and technology.
Im gonna ask Santa for an Ipod and the Birdjam thing 😉
Eddie: I have the CD’s and an ipod but am having some difficulty in getting it set up. I need some help. Could you help with this? Also, have you started on the web-site for the Upper Rock River Ecosystem Partnership yet. We have been gone on vacation for about three weeks and am trying to catch up.
Jack