Tuning in to the Sounds of Spring

How to bird “watch” by using your ears

By Patricia Leonard

Being a better birder means using common senses. That’s not a misprint. We first think of using sight to identify birds. After all, it is called bird watching. But fine-tuning your birding ear can increase your awareness of the birds around you, helping you detect and identify many birds you might otherwise miss.

Recognizing birds based on their voices can be challenging, but like anything else, practice makes it easier. Some people listen to audio guides at home or during their commute to work. Others build up their knowledge sound by sound. If you feel overwhelmed, pick a couple of species and listen to the sounds from an audio guide, perhaps looking at a picture of the bird at the same time to link the image and sound in your mind. You can do the same thing using the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s free Online Bird Guide at www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide. You’ll be able to listen to recordings, see photos and maps, and read about the birds’ behaviors—all in one swoop.

Many bird watchers use phonetic devices to remember the songs they hear. Although this may help, descriptions are subjective. The call of Bicknell’s Thrush, for example, has been described variously as beer, veer, peert, queep, quee-a, or pweeur (listen to a sample from the Online Bird Guide). As you listen to an audio guide, work out how each song sounds phonetically to your ears and write it down. Some birders even draw a mental picture of the bird that triggers their recall of the sound. In his book Good Birding, author Jack Connor says he pictures the kingfisher with a baby’s rattle in its mouth to jog his memory of the bird’s rattling call.

When you’re listening to birds outdoors, try some of these tips from Jeff Wells, a former member of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s World Series of Birding Team, known for his phenomenal birding ear.

• Practice “deep listening.” Stand outdoors, close your eyes, and try to pick out distinct bird songs and calls, even if you don’t know which bird is making them. Cup your hands around your ears to funnel the sounds. By becoming more aware of your acoustic environment, you’ll get better and better at picking up nuances of sound.
• It’s a bit of work, but if you hear a song you don’t recognize, track down that bird and visually identify it. It will cement the link between bird and song that much better.
• Drop your inhibitions and try to imitate the sounds! Even if you’re not very good at it, it’s a great way to imprint the sound on your brain and help you remember.
• To really absorb the sounds, it sometimes pays to record them yourself. In the process of tracking down the bird and getting close enough to record it, then replaying those recordings, you will further enhance your ability to make positive identification by sound.

Listening to birds can open up a whole new world. Instead of hearing just a cacophony of birds this spring, you’ll be able to nod with recognition at each of the varied voices in the spring chorus.

Patricia Leonard is a writer in the Communications and Marketing department.

 

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Miyoko Chu, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-2451. email: mcc37@cornell.edu