On listening and field recordings
Whitney with a shotgun microphone, binoculars, and a Sony a6000 with Lomo LC-A Minitar-1 art lens. ππ°π―π’π΅π©π’π― π π°π¦π³π¨π¦π³
My preferred style of birding is when I'm alone and completely immersed in the sounds of a location. The sensation of noticing every sign of the birds that surround me pervades my entire body. The chips, duets, alarm calls, rustling leaves, and flapping wings awaken a meditation that is unattainable in any other way. Slowing down, my brain is only listening and observing at that moment, and all other distractions fade away. It makes my heart sing.
It takes time and practice to be able to identify birds using only your hearing. Some claim that if you've previously played a musical instrument, you'll find it easier to learn. I don't think it helped Jonathan much, but he's a drummer, and cadence and rhythm are more important to him than tone, melodies, and harmonies. I used to play the violin when I was younger and was told I had a "good ear," but I'm not sure if it helped my development as an ear-birder. Most likely, I learned something from a few key people while birding with them.
Also, my dad is legally blind. He wasn't always blind, but glaucoma caused his vision to deteriorate gradually. He can only see hazy shapes and colors these days, and he hears every conversation and sound that passes through the walls. On winter nights, he hears the hoots of a pair of Great Horned Owls, and in the spring and summer, he hears the Red-shouldered Hawk. Despite not being a birder, he compensates for his lack of vision with his hearing.
I bring this up because listening is a skill that can be useful in the field, among other things. I'll also emphasize that hearing isn't required to be a skilled birder, and birders who are deaf or have hearing loss aren't limited in their birding activities. Everyone has unique skills and needs, and I'm always looking for new ideas, strategies, and resources to help share birding experiences with others. (This is why I enjoy spectrograms, which are visual representations of sound. Scroll down to see some.) So, as you read on, keep in mind that birding by ear is only one way to enjoy birds.
The joy of listening to birdsong
Connecticut Warblers are among my favorite warblers to come across. They are notorious for their secrecy, and the odds of even finding, let alone seeing one, are slim. During migration, ear-birders discover them in the underbrush, and their sightings attract others to the area in the hope of getting a good look at this gray-hooded, yellow-bellied warbler with a white ring around its eyes. Their song is so distinct that it is the most effective way to locate them, aside from habitat.
During the Biggest Week in American Birding in 2017, a line of birders waited for a glimpse of a Connecticut Warbler. ππ©πͺπ΅π―π¦πΊ π π°π¦π³π¨π¦π³
It takes a lot of patience, and the frustration was palpable. ππ©πͺπ΅π―π¦πΊ π π°π¦π³π¨π¦π³
My most memorable encounter with a Connecticut Warbler occurred two years ago, on a Friday evening walk in a park near our house. I heard a Connecticut Warbler singing in the woods about halfway around the park's paved loop. It was my first time finding one on my own, and seeing other birders visit one of my patches that weekend was thrilling.
You can train your brain to recognize individual bird sounds and identify the species in minutes or seconds. Observing birds vocalize is one method for learning this skill; seeing the sound coming from the bird helps you remember and recall it later on. Another option is to learn the songs and calls at home with the help of an app, CD, or online resources. Listening to John Feithβs βBird Song Ear Training Guideβ on repeat while driving to and from work that spring is how I was able to identify that self-found Connecticut Warbler.
On the other hand, after a year of not hearing warblers, I need to listen to this CD every spring as a refresher. At times, my ears can become "rusty," causing me to make incorrect identifications. Even the best of the best birders make mistakes, by the way. Making mistakes is a necessary part of the learning process.
Among the common and predictable sounds, I'm always listening for that one unusual bird. During the pandemic, I worked from home and kept our bay windows open to take note of what moved through our yard during the hours when we were normally at the office. As a result, twelve new species have been added to our yard life list, with the majority of them discovered after hearing a song or call notes through the window screens.
I also like to take 5- to 10-minute breaks to see what birds I can spot or hear while standing still. When I'm out and about in town, I'll stop at the same spot where I've seen Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows and listen to the similarities and differences in their insect-like songs. Walking the dog provides an additional opportunity to take mental identification notes. And every now and then, I bring my RΓDE VideoMic GO with me to capture the moment.
Six fields recordings
My interest in field recording is a new addition to my bird obsession. I've only uploaded 111 audio files to my eBird checklists in all of the times I've pressed the record button. It has, however, become a highly addictive practice in which I am likely to become completely immersed. In a decade, I can imagine myself carrying not only my crossbody field bag and binoculars, but also headphones and a bulky, expensive recorder. I'll be the town's eccentric, frequently turning heads in local parks while holding a large parabola microphone up to the air. I can only aspire to be that legendary.
Meanwhile, I'm still figuring out how to make better field recordings with the basic equipment I have. There are also some environmental challenges: noise that is not intended to be captured in a recording can be picked up by microphones of all sizes and shapes. You have to think about where there will be the least amount of human interference. No lawn mowers or leaf blowers, airplanes flying overhead, barking dogs, sporting events, people running by, heavy traffic, and loud cicada broods. I guess recording birdsong in a vacuum is the ideal situation.
Six field recordings are below for your listening pleasure. I'm still a novice recordist, but it's exciting to document these moments and preserve them in both my memory and the Macaulay Library. If it takes 10,000 hours of practice to progress from amateur to expert, I only have 9,950 hours left. Even if not every recording contains high-quality data, contributing to community science for bird conservation is rewarding.
1. HOODED WARBLER
Jonathan and I went to Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway recently, and we heard a Hooded Warbler. It was a bright yellow male with a ski mask-like black hood singing from the tippy-top of an evergreen off to the side of a more hidden trail. For several minutes, he belted out his βtuwee-tuwee-tu-wee-TEE-ohβ song, claiming his territory.
2. EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL
Our friends graciously invited us to stay at their cabin in Brown County, Indiana, in June, where these birds can usually be heard singing nonstop. We sat outside, drinking beers and chatting as the sun set, until we heard "whip-poor-WILL," which is how this species got its name. It's a fantastic sound, and I did an adequate job of capturing it, but the recording does not do the experience justice.
3. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
This recording is special to me because it is the alternate song of a Grasshopper Sparrow on its breeding ground. They like to perch on patches of red clover, and I occasionally catch a glimpse of them. Unfortunately, a new subdivision is being built there. The only advantage is that the plots are taking a long time to sell, so I have plenty of time before I need to find another nearby location where they might nest.
4. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
It is widely believed that singing warblers can only be heard in the early morning. It was an after-work birding adventure when I noticed this very active male Yellow-throated Warbler singing an interesting version of its descending βteedle teedleβ song as it foraged from tree to tree. I stood there for what seemed like ten minutes, watching its every move.
5. WOOD THRUSH
Who doesn't enjoy the song of a Wood Thrush? Hearing them sing in the same areas of my regular wooded patch, Starkey Park, year after year has reinforced in my mind that this species prefers the lower to mid-canopy, especially where there are decaying leaves. As I approach those sections of the trail, my ears perk up, listening for their song and "whip-whip-whip" calls.
6. CAPE MAY WARBLER
Last spring, Jonathan and I completed an Indiana Wood Warbler Sweep, in which we saw or heard all 35 species that pass through the state on a regular basis. We didn't think weβd be able to find the last warbler we needed, Cape May, by the middle of May when warbler sightings began to dwindle. After doing some research, we discovered that they eat spruce budworms, so my search for evergreens intensified. But I wasn't expecting to hear a brightly plumaged, streaked yellow Cape May Warbler with chestnut cheeks singing in our very own Norway spruce. Success!
Some resources
If youβre interested in birding by ear and/or getting started with field recording, I recommend the following resources:
Calling All Birds. Learn to bird by ear one podcast episode at a time.
Larkwire. Learn birdsong at your own pace with cognitive games. You can create playlists and study birds for upcoming trips, or you can simply listen to audio based on song types.
Advanced Listening Skills. Check out Larkwire's tips to assist your learning process.
Merlin Bird ID. To figure out who is singing in real-time, use the new birdsong identification tool in an app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
A Beginnerβs Guide to Recording Bird Vocalizations. If you're not sure why or where to start with field recordings, the National Audubon Society can help.
How to Record Bird Sounds with your Smartphone. To get good field recordings, you don't need expensive equipment; simply configure your smartphone.
Macaulay Library Audio Gear Review. Get the lowdown on a variety of recommended recorders and microphones at various price points.
My most important piece of advice is that no matter how hectic human life is, there is always time to pause for a moment's listen. Even if we don't understand what the birds are saying, they have a voice, and listening to them is a form of solidarity.