naturerecordists
[Top] [All Lists]

RE: Help with the unknown

Subject: RE: Help with the unknown
From: Marty Michener <>
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2003 13:36:55 -0400
Greg:

At 09:40 AM 7/1/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>Thanks Martyn and Doug
>
>Checking again with Borror's sonagrams I can see you
>are right about the Blackburnian.

Well EnjoyBirds Blackburnian is MUCH higher pitched - 6 - 9 kHz, not 3 - 5=

as in your sample.  I am not sure about how diagnostic pitch is.  The
"Warbler Guide" by Dunn and Garrett, (without a single reference to actual=

pitch, actual time or to any spectrogram, and hence almost useless in song=

diagnosis), but says the species is often "too high pitched for many
birders to hear" - a statement usually reserved for well above 6 kHz, where=

this mystery species has NO energy.

I do agree that 1, 2 and 4 are likely the same species, but I have
recordings of a Yellow-rump doing a similar high-slurred ending (which I
recorded on three successive days in Massachusetts, failing to see it and
believing it to be a Blackburnian, but finally seeing it on the last day
and visually it was a completely typical eastern Yellow-rump). They are
usually in about this right range, and of extremely variable timing.   So,=

I would give the probability for Dendroica fuscus less than 80% because of=

this atypical voice range.

Now if you were to consider a Cerulean I might agree with you.  Much lower=

and in the right pitch range, the usual Cerulean song simply rises at the
end in a "zhreee?", and so this pattern in these three examples is
certainly atypical, but the pitch range is more nearly correct.  Certainly=

the Cerulean is declining in numbers but still likely abundant in the
Catskills.  So that's my vote, I guess.  I do overall agree with Greg the
song, like such a high percentage of warbler recordings, is problematic.

>The AMRO threw me because of the flute-like phrases that I had not heard
>before.

that may be from all the mountain air  ;^)

>        Greg Kunkel

my best regards,

Marty Michener
MIST Software Associates PO Box 269, Hollis, NH 03049

EnjoyBirds.com  - Software that migrates with you.    http://www.EnjoyBirds=
.com

  ----------


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.483 / Virus Database: 279 - Release Date: 5/19/2003


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the naturerecordists mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU