Press Releases

Greetings Grab Attention with Surprising Sounds

Fun new cards contain real bird songs and calls

October 14, 2009

Ithaca, NY—A woodpecker may hammer, a loon wail, or a cardinal sing. Open a card from a new series of collectible greetings and out pop cheeps, peeps, whistles, and croaks from a variety of beautiful birds. The cards are produced by the U.K.'s Really Wild Cards and their authentic bird recordings come from the Macaulay Library archive at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Each card features an elegant painting selected from the Cornell Lab's art collection and contains information about the bird.

"The quality of the sound is fabulous not only because of what we've done at our end, but because of the editing and engineering work done in the Macaulay Library," says John Wignall of Really Wild Cards. "You get 13 to 15 seconds of the best sounds of that particular bird. I love the loon—it has a great, haunting call. I love the woodpeckers too. You get the whole range of sounds the birds make."

These environmentally–friendly cards are made from recycled or sustainable forest products. The sound chips run on lead–free lithium batteries and even the clear wrapper is biodegradable. A percentage of profits from sales of the cards will fund research and conservation projects at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Wignall launched the cards at bird shows in the United States and Britain. ?There is so much interest in birding," Wignall says. "Everybody knows somebody who is a bird watcher. It's amazing how enthusiastic people are."

Really Wild Cards expects to release a new set of bird sound card approximately every six months and is planning a series that features endangered bird and animal species from around the world. Really Wild Cards is handling wholesale distribution. Individual customers can obtain the cards through Wild Birds Unlimited at Sapsucker Woods. (Contact information below.)

"Musical cards have been a really big hit," says Wignall, "but there's nothing like these cards out there, they are quite unique."

Links:

Really Wild Cards: www.reallywildcards.com

Cornell Lab of Ornithology: www.birds.cornell.edu

Macaulay Library: www.macaulaylibrary.org

Wild Birds Unlimited at Sapsucker Woods: www.sapsuckerwoods.com/category/RWSC.html

(877) 266-4928 (toll free)