Spring Ear Birding Prep

This year the first day of Spring in New York City will be Saturday, March 20th. As an ear birder I always like to take a few days and refresh my brain by listening to the Peterson "Birding by Ear" bird-song identification guides. Whether new to bird vocalizations or a longtime aficionado, spending even a little time with the recordings to prepare for the waves of northbound songbirds is really helpful. If identifying birds by their calls and songs frustrates you, then now is the best time to start studying. With the right tools it much easier than you think.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, but the best I've found is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs. These discs are not just reference recordings, but well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central", as well as, "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, too. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate digital downloads.

Below is a list of the tracks on which I recommend you concentrate. Obviously, there are many more common species in our area which you could add as you feel needed.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers & a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

One family of bird vocalizations that I tend to neglect are the shorebirds. More often than not, during spring migration a group of calling shorebirds passing overhead are noted only as "flock of unidentified peeps". While their calls and songs may not be nearly as melodic as the wood-warblers, they are each unique and easily identifiable if you take a few minutes each day to study the recommended "Birding by Ear" tracks.

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5

In case you were wondering, I don't make any money promoting the Peterson Field Guide series. I have just found that their systematic approach to learning bird-song to be the best available. Our local populations of birds, as well as, overwintering species have already begun to sing, so don't procrastinate. If you spend even just 20 minutes a day listening during your commute, by the time all the warblers begin streaming through NYC I guarantee you'll be able to find some birds with your eyes closed.

Ear Birding for Spring

With the current pandemic keeping most of us at home I thought it would be a good time to review the importance of ear birding and recommended tools. In preparation for the wave of songbirds about to descend upon the NYC area, below are some teaching tools to help one appreciate the assortment of buzzes, chips, trills, tweets, whistles and warbles coming our way.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, some online, some app and some discs.

• Audubon has a good website of earbirding information here.

• The Cornell Lab has a really good online game called "Bird Song Hero" at this link.

• Birdwatchers Digest has a free download called "How to Identify Birds Without Using Your Eyes" at this link.

• Larkwire is an iOS-based app. Learn about it at this link.

Here are a few more resources:

• BirdGenie (not one of my favorites)
• Chirp!
• Merlin (not so much a teaching tool, but more of a reference)

While the above are pretty good, the best teaching tool for my money is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs (as far as I am aware, they are not available as digital downloads). These discs are not reference recordings, but rather well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, as well.

Below is a list of recommended tracks to study. Obviously, there are many more common species in our area which you could add as you feel needed.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks so you don't have to constantly shuffle through the 6 discs:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers and a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but each have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

One family of bird vocalizations that I tend to neglect are the shorebirds. More often than not, during spring migration a group of calling shorebirds passing overhead are noted only as "flock of unidentified peeps". While their calls and songs may not be nearly as melodic as the wood-warblers, they are each unique and easily identifiable if you take a few minutes each day to study the recommended "Birding by Ear" tracks.

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5

Please note that I don't make any money promoting the Peterson Field Guide series. I only do this because I have found that their systematic approach to learning bird-song to be the most effective available. If you have recommendations for other learning tools, feel free to email me or put something in the comments section. Spend 15 - 20 minutes a day listening during your commute, so that by the time all the songbirds begin streaming through NYC I guarantee you'll be able to find a lot more birds and add a whole other dimension to the experience of birding.

No matter how you approach birding (and ear birding), be sure to always put the welfare of the birds ahead of your desire to "list". If you have any doubt about birding ethics, please refer to the American Birding Association Code of Birding Ethics. ...Read more

Are your ears ready for Spring?

Every year around this time since I began my blog over 14 years ago I write about the importance of ear birding. The northbound migration, you see, is not just a spectacular visual phenomenon, but also an audio event. The millions of songbirds that descend upon the NYC area create a short-lived landscape of warbles, whistles, chips and trills. Once these songsters continue to their breeding grounds we won't hear this dynamic dawn chorus again until the following year's Spring migration. To help appreciate these serenades, and make locating the songster a bit easier all you need to do is spend about a half an hour a day for 7 to 10 days with the right teaching tools.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, but the best one for my money is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs (as far as I am aware, they are not available as digital downloads). These discs are not reference recordings, but rather well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, as well.

Below is a list of recommended tracks to study. Obviously, there are many more common species in our area which you could add as you feel needed.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks so you don't have to constantly shuffle through the 6 discs:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers and a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but each have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

One family of bird vocalizations that I tend to neglect are the shorebirds. More often than not, during spring migration a group of calling shorebirds passing overhead are noted only as "flock of unidentified peeps". While their calls and songs may not be nearly as melodic as the wood-warblers, they are each unique and easily identifiable if you take a few minutes each day to study the recommended "Birding by Ear" tracks.

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5

Please note that I don't make any money promoting the Peterson Field Guide series. I only do this because I have found that their systematic approach to learning bird-song to be the most effective available. If you have recommendations for other learning tools, feel free to email me or put something in the comments section. Spend 15 - 20 minutes a day listening during your commute, so that by the time all the songbirds begin streaming through NYC I guarantee you'll be able to find a lot more birds and add a whole other dimension to the experience of birding.

Here are a few more resources:

BirdGenie
Chirp!
Larkwire
Merlin

Time to Tune Up Your Ears

The annual Spring migration is not just an explosion of colors, but also a huge surge of sounds. The millions of songbirds that pass through (or stay to nest) in the NYC area create a short-lived landscape of warbles, whistles, chips and trills. We won't hear this dawn chorus again until next year's northbound migration. To help appreciate these serenades, and make locating the songster a bit easier all you need to do is spend about a half an hour a day for 7 to 10 days with the right teaching tools.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, but the best one for my money is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs (as far as I am aware, they are not available as digital downloads). These discs are not reference recordings, but rather well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, as well.

Below is a list of recommended tracks to study. Obviously, there are many more common species in our area which you could add as you feel needed.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers and a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but each have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

One family of bird vocalizations that I tend to neglect are the shorebirds. More often than not, during spring migration a group of calling shorebirds passing overhead are noted only as "flock of unidentified peeps". While their calls and songs may not be nearly as melodic as the wood-warblers, they are each unique and easily identifiable if you take a few minutes each day to study the recommended "Birding by Ear" tracks.

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5

Please note that I don't make any money promoting the Peterson Field Guide series. I only do this because I have found that their systematic approach to learning bird-song to be the most effective available. If you have recommendations for other learning tools, feel free to email me or put something in the comments section. Spend 15 - 20 minutes a day listening during your commute, so that by the time all the songbirds begin streaming through NYC I guarantee you'll be able to find a lot more birds and add a whole other dimension to the experience of birding.

It's Ear Birding Time!

If you've participated on any of my walks or followed this blog for a few years, you know the importance I put on using one's sense of hearing to finding and experiencing wildlife. So it is time for my annual pitch to get folks ready for our Spring songsters.

If you have the right tools it is much easier than you think to learn how to identify birds by their vocalizations.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, but the best one for my money is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs (as far as I am aware, they are not available as digital downloads). These discs are not reference recordings, but rather well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, as well.

Below is a list of recommended tracks to study. Obviously, there are many more common species in our area which you could add as you feel needed.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers & a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but each have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

One family of bird vocalizations that I tend to neglect are the shorebirds. More often than not, during spring migration a group of calling shorebirds passing overhead are noted only as "flock of unidentified peeps". While their calls and songs may not be nearly as melodic as the wood-warblers, they are each unique and easily identifiable if you take a few minutes each day to study the recommended "Birding by Ear" tracks.

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5

Please note that I don't make any money promoting the Peterson Field Guide series. I only do this because I have found that their systematic approach to learning bird-song to be the most effective available. If you have recommendations for other learning tools, feel free to email me or put something in the comments section. Spend 15 - 20 minutes a day listening during your commute, so that by the time all the songbirds begin streaming through NYC I guarantee you'll be able to find a lot more birds and add a whole other dimension to the experience of birding.

Turn Up Your Ears

On a walk through Brooklyn's Prospect Park the other day I was struck by the profound uptick in bird sounds. Most of our overwintering sparrows, such as White-throated, Fox and Dark-eyed Juncos are suddenly vocalizing. The clear, clean, melodic "pure sweet canada canada canada" of the white-throateds; the rich, whistling slurred song of the Fox Sparrows and the high trills of the juncos are beginning to fill a soundscape which had been mostly dominated by occasional chip notes, jay cries or nuthatch nasal "yanks" all winter. In addition, early arrivals like Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds are creating a cacophony of songs as they jockey for mates at the park's most desirable nesting locations. This all brings me to the point of this posting - it's time to tune up your ears!

The majority of songbirds only sing during the spring, so an entire year will pass before most of us will hear our favorite neotropic species again. As an earbirder, thankfully I still have my hearing, but I still need to refresh my audio memory. What better time to do it than the weekend of the Vernal Equinox?

If you have the right tools it is much easier than you think to learn how to identify birds by their vocalizations.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, but the best one for my money is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs (as far as I am aware, they are not available as digital downloads). These discs are not reference recordings, but rather well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, as well.

Below is a list of recommended tracks to study. Obviously, there are many more common species in our area which you could add as you feel needed.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers & a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but each have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

One family of bird vocalizations that I tend to neglect are the shorebirds. More often than not, during spring migration a group of calling shorebirds passing overhead are noted only as "flock of unidentified peeps". While their calls and songs may not be nearly as melodic as the wood-warblers, they are each unique and easily identifiable if you take a few minutes each day to study the recommended "Birding by Ear" tracks.

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5

Please note that I don't make any money promoting the Peterson Field Guide series. I have found that their systematic approach to learning bird-song to be the best available. If you have recommendations for other learning tools, feel free to email me or put something in the comments section. So, if you spend a mere 15 - 20 minutes a day listening during your commute, by the time all the warblers begin streaming through NYC I guarantee you'll be able to find a lot more birds ... even with your eyes closed.

Summer Ear Birding

Every year in early spring I tune up my ears, preparing for the north-bound rush of migrating songbirds. You may have read some of my postings on the subject. Unfortunately, my focus on songbirds has kept me from paying much attention to a whole other group of important bird vocalizations. I realize that it isn't fall migration yet, but I thought I'd take a few minutes on these frequently overlooked summer bird sounds.

We may only just be closing in on summer, but many long distance migrant shorebirds are already finishing up there brief breeding season. During the month of July we see the beginning of the south-bound "Fall" migration. One shorebird group known as "peeps" are notoriously difficult to identify. With a little bit of practice with the vocalizations, though, it might make the process a little bit easier. Often an unknown shorebird flies overhead, but we can't be certain of the ID. If it is calling it could make it much less of a challenge.

My go to resource for learning bird vocalizations has been the Peterson "Birding by Ear" series. That said, here are the tracks you should concentrate on (note that on the west coast there is a Western series):

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5
Shorebirds: Terns	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	6

If you have a favorite resource for learning shorebird vocalizations, let me know and I'll post it here.

Spring and Ear Birding

This Friday at 6:45PM marks the arrival of the Spring equinox in New York City. It is also time for my annual reminder to clear your ears and dust off your "Birding by Ear" bird-song identification guides. Longtime followers of this blog understand the importance of listening to the recordings to prepare for the inevitable waves of northbound birds. If identifying birds by their calls and songs frustrates you, then now is the best time to start studying. With the right tools it much easier than you think.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, but the best I've found is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs. These discs are not just reference recordings, but well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, as well.

Below is a list of the tracks on which I recommend you concentrate. Obviously, there are many more common species in our area which you could add as you feel needed.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers & a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

One family of bird vocalizations that I tend to neglect are the shorebirds. More often than not, during spring migration a group of calling shorebirds passing overhead are noted only as "flock of unidentified peeps". While their calls and songs may not be nearly as melodic as the wood-warblers, they are each unique and easily identifiable if you take a few minutes each day to study the recommended "Birding by Ear" tracks.

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5

In case you were wondering, I don't make any money promoting the Peterson Field Guide series. I have just found that their systematic approach to learning bird-song to be the best available. Our local populations of birds, as well as, overwintering species have already begun to sing, so don't procrastinate. If you spend even just 20 minutes a day listening during your commute, by the time all the warblers begin streaming through NYC I guarantee you'll be able to find many birds ... even with your eyes closed.

Spring and Bird Songs

Spring officially arrives in New York today at 12:57. If you listen really closely at around 1pm that noise you'll hear is the collective sigh of relief from the millions of people who have experienced "polar vortex" fatigue from this past winter's seemingly ceaseless blasts of arctic air. If you go out into the city's parks (or even your backyard) this weekend you will notice that our overwintering songbirds have suddenly been motivated to sing. If you are a longtime follower of this blog, you'll know that it's also time for me to remind you to start listening to your songbird recordings to prepare for the coming waves of migrating birds. If identifying birds by their calls and songs frustrates you, then now is the best time to start studying. It's much easier than you might think.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, but the best I've found is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs. These discs are not just reference recordings, but well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, as well.

Below is a list of the tracks from the disc that I recommend you concentrate on, although there are other, more common species, you could add to the playlists.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers & a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

Don't be that perpetually late arriver to the "Procrastinators Anonymous" meetings! Buy the discs today and start listening this weekend. Mark my word, even if you just spend your subway commute time listening to these lessons, by the time all the warblers begin streaming through NYC you'll surprise yourself by how many birds you'll be able to find using just your ears.

Ear Birding

It's time to refresh ones auditory memory for the coming onslaught of migrating songbirds. If you've never learned any bird songs, now is the best time to start.

If you've ever come on any of my bird walks, you know that I rely on my ears a lot to easily locate birds. There's nothing magical about developing that skill. All it takes is a few minutes a day for a couple of weeks (and decent hearing) to learn a large number of the "important" birds. If you follow my directions, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

First, purchase the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America".

The warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, using iTunes (or similar software) import the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers & a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but have distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

By the time all the warblers begin streaming through NYC you'll surprise yourself by how many birds you'll be able to find using just your ears.

Ear Birding Season

I usually wait until the first week of April before posting about ear-birding, but Spring migration appears to be running ahead of schedule.

Cherry blossoms aren't the only things arriving early this year. Here is Cornell's eBird BirdCast Migration Forecast for this week:

"Expect another week of record early arrivals and large numbers of migrants across much of the continent. Mild conditions will dominate away from the far west where unsettled weather will continue. A large high pressure system will once again become the dominant weather system through almost the entire forecast period with a prolonged period of southerly winds stretching from the Rockies to the East Coast. The Pacific Northwest will continue to see one low pressure system after another marching in off the ocean, with stormy conditions the general rule. Even the normally dry Southwest could see a low pressure system and precipitation early next week before returning to more tranquil weather. This low pressure system will move into the central U.S by the middle of the week with unsettled weather likely."

Read the entire report here.

I thought it would be a good idea to remind everyone of the importance of exercising one's ears in preparation for the Spring songbird chorus. For those of you who have participated in one of my walks, you know how important sound is for me in locating and identifying songbirds. That ability is available to anyone with decent hearing and the help of a great learning tool - Peterson's Birding By Ear series. This isn't a commercial for Peterson's (I don't make any money off of CD sales), I just believe it is the best tool available for learning and appreciating bird vocalizations. There are two sets of discs for eastern birds - "Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central." You'll need both to have all the relevant species. Below is a chart of the tracks that I think you will benefit most from by learning. It's not difficult. The tracks are divided into similar sounding songs with simple mnemonics given, as well as, repetition and comparisons. If you don't have iTunes on your computer, you can download it for free (you can certainly use other music software, but iTunes is easy). After it is installed, just import the suggested tracks below and create a playlist of the eight tracks. I find that it also helps to look at the birds in your field guide as you are listening, to associate the sound with the image. I promise that if you listen to these tracks every other day for the next two weeks, you will surprise yourself at how easily you'll identify some of these birds.

Track Name	CD Title	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers and a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Birding by Ear

It's time to clear the cobwebs off our eardrums and prepare for the songbird migration. By that I mean, if you don't already own them, purchase the Peterson's "Birding by Ear" series of recordings and bone up on your ear birding. If you have reasonably good hearing, I guarantee that even a little bit of effort with these discs will pay off in a big way, giving you a greater appreciation of the dozens of species of songbirds that migrate through our area.

The discs aren't just recordings of bird songs and calls, they are very well designed lessons that group birds by sound types. Mnemonics for many songs make remembering them a cinch. For New York City (and state) birders, you need to purchase both the "Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central Region" and "More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central" sets to have all the warblers. If you don't have iTunes on your computer, download it for free from from the Apple website. iTunes will allow you to create sets of tracks from the "Birding by Ear" discs, making it much easier to navigate the 6 discs of lessons. (If you use a different MP3 application, that should suffice.) Below are 7 tracks that I listen to every year before the warblers arrive. The eighth track is the empidonax flycatchers. These birds are notoriously difficult to tell apart visually, but their very distinct calls solves that problem...at least in the Spring. I also recommend that you create a track for these thrushes:

Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Bicknell's Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush

A really good source for recordings of Bicknell's Thrush (which is not so good on the BBE discs) are Vermont Center for Ecostudies "Mountain Birdwatch".

Now get to it! The warblers should all be here any day now...

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers and a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

...Read more

Birding by Ear

It's not too late to start listening to your bird song CDs. The climax of the Spring songbird migration is about a month away and I have some recommendations for preparing your ears.

When I hear a Blackburnian Warbler's high-pitched song resonating through the forest canopy, I can actually see its fiery orange throat and facial pattern in my mind. By knowing the songs and calls within a woodland filled with hundreds of singing birds, a structured, organized image of the surrounding creatures emerges out what, to the uninitiated, may be perceived as random, chaotic noise. The morning chorus on a May morning can be appreciated by just sitting with one's eyes closed and listening. Barring any severe hearing disorder, anyone can learn to recognize the songs and calls of their neighborhood birds. The best tool available, in my opinion, is the Peterson Field Guide Series "Birding By Ear".

For the northeastern United States, you need to have both "Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". The series each come with three CDs worth of lessons. Bird songs are grouped into similar sounding categories with each category having a very simple, well explained set of mnemonics and other teaching tools. Rather than skipping around from disc to disc, I recommend using iTunes or similar music library program to upload the selective tracks and create the following playlist:

Sing-songers (Birding by Ear - disc 1, track 4)
Warbling Songsters (Birding by Ear - disc 2, track 6)
Wood Warblers & a Warbling Wren (Birding by Ear - disc 3, track 1)
Warblers: Buzzy (More Birding by Ear - disc 2, track 1)
Warblers: Simple (More Birding by Ear - disc 2, track 2)
Warblers: Two-Parted (More Birding by Ear - disc 2, track 3)
Warblers: Complex (More Birding by Ear - disc 2, track 4)
Empidonax Flycatchers (More Birding by Ear - disc 1, track 4)

I find listening during my subway commutes to be the most productive. Where and when you choose to listen is your call, but just do it regularly. I guarantee that within a couple of weeks you'll be surprised at the number of birds you'll be able to recognize by sound alone. ...Read more

Tune up Your Ears

It's that time of year. Dust off your CDs or update your iPod, the birds are coming, the birds are coming.

I love to lead trips during the Spring migration, not just for the sudden burst of varied and colorful songbirds, but also their amazing diversity of sounds. Some of my trip participants think that I have some kind of special gift for identifying birds by their vocalizations. Admittedly, I'm even surprised to have survived uncountable rock concerts with my hearing intact, but there's really no secret to ear-birding. It's like the punchline to the old joke "How do I get to Carnegie Hall" ... practice, practice, practice.

Nearly all songbirds only sing during the Spring and on their breeding grounds. As ear-birders, that means we only get to observe and listen to their songs (not to be confused with calls) in the field for approximately 3 months out of 12. I need a refresher course every year. There are several good sources of bird songs available, but I use and highly recommend the Peterson's series, "Birding By Ear". There is also a follow-up, "More Birding by Ear". Both are available for birds of the Eastern/Central Region, as well as, Western Region.

It would be nearly impossible (and maybe even unnecessary) to try and listen to all six of the CDs contained in the two sets in the span of one month. You could skip around between the disks to combine all the warbler lessons, but it's a bit inconvenient. Then there are the birds, such as the empidonax flycatchers, that confuse even the pros. You'd want to put those at the top of your to-do list. Thanks to music programs like Apple's free iTunes, I've been able to create custom playlists tailored for the songbirds of the Northeast that I always forget during the long, relatively quiet winter months. So, whether you are a seasoned ear-birder or beginner, here's my suggested lesson plan:


The "Birding by Ear" series of CDs are not just recordings of bird vocalizations. They are a well planned system of lessons that group similar sounding species and describe the quality of the songs and, finally, provide very useful mnemonics. Here are a couple of samples from the discs for the Eastern/Central Region:

Sample Track from "Birding by Ear"



Sample Track from "More Birding by Ear"



Both sets of CDs are needed in order to include the large number of species found within the various regions.

The ability to recognize birds by their songs and calls adds another dimension to your nature explorations. With only a couple of weeks of practice, you'll be surprised how much you might have overlooked. Sometimes I even recognize bird songs in the soundtracks of television and films. ...Read more

Preparing for spring


(Photo credit - Steve Nanz)

I’m not exactly sure when I began listening closely to bird songs. It was probably after my first exposure to spring's "dawn chorus". After that experience, I wanted to be able to pick out and identify the birds without seeing them. First, I tried using reference CDs to learn the songs, but that was comparable to reading the dictionary to learn spelling and grammar. Some of the more experienced birders told me about the Peterson "Birding by Ear" series of CDs so I purchased the eastern/central series, then the "More Birding by Ear" disks. It’s a great learning tool. Now when I'm in the woods, I can close my eyes and visualize the birds by their songs. Some people think that I have a special talent for recognizing birds by their songs. I really don't and it's no secret to acquiring the skill. In fact, because the songbirds only sing during a short period of time during the year, each spring I need to re-learn them or, at least, refresh my memory. I listen to a select grouping of lessons on the "Birding by Ear" CDs for a couple of weeks before the spring migration gets rolling.

Another really good source of information on bird songs that I just discovered is a recent publication, ”The Singing Life of Birds“, by Donald Kroodsma. He shows us how we can actually read the songs. I’ve only just begun reading it and in time for the spring migration. It's fascinating stuff. He uses sonograms to create visual representations of the bird's vocalizations. Reading it while travelling on the NYC subway system has made the trips a little more enjoyable. My immersion into Kroodsma’s world of bird music drowns out the noise of the trains. It's also made me realize that their songs and calls are a lot more complex than I had imagined.

Birding by Ear

The Singing Life of Birds: The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong by Donald Kroodsma

FYI - The photo of the Black-and-white Warbler was taken in Prospect Park during last spring's migration. His thin, shrill song sounds like a squeaky wheel.

Nature Sounds

Every twelve months the spring season unfolds in predictable, measured degrees. Piecemeal, at first, the vivid, visual cues accelerate in speed and intensity like a tsunami approaching a coastline. The yellows appear while it’s still cold, followed closely by the reds. By mid-April pale-greens, blues, purples, whites and flecks of gold become a static backdrop for a brief, frenzied crescendo of animated pigments.

I’m as fascinated with the aural aspects of spring migration as I am with the visual spectacle. The chorus of songbird sounds only occur once a year. During fall migration, males no longer need to attract a mate or claim territory. Their extraordinary burst of energy during the spring is supplanted by short, concise chip notes and calls. It’s not just the bird songs that change the landscape, but also, the buzzes, chirps and tics of a multitude of insects. Trees, devoid of leaves in the winter, creak and pop in arctic winds. Come spring the sibilance of wind pushing through leaf laden branches breathe, rustle and hiss. Sometimes I’ll hear an unrecognizable sound and hunt for the source as I would track a bird. Metal parks department identification tags on trees jangling in the wind frequently catch my attention.

The spring chorus of birds is so brief that each April I dust off my “Birding by Ear” CDs and spend a week or two studying. Some days there is such a profusion of birds that I allow myself to become enveloped by their songs. With my eyes closed my mind transposes the a cappela notes into images of minute, vibrant birds. Perhaps the first instrument makers where inspired naturalists trying to imitate birds. We're still trying.

Here are some interesting links regarding bird song and nature sounds:

Birds and Circular breathing (Real Player needed)

Anatomy of the Syrinx

Rescue for Silence By Gordon Hempton

Naturerecordists Worldwide Dawn Chorus Recordings