> Investing in an iPhone full of apps is not the answer, if the will is not=
there to organize, study and take the time to "build" an understanding of =
bird song. As time goes on it becomes easier (not easy) to add to that base=
of understanding.
Ernie,
This is sound sense (pun intended). We learn the visual patterns and shapes=
of birds which defines their species, and these patterns can change through=
the year. Similarly, the call patterns change, but the sound variations can=
be much more complex. A CD sound sample can give one particular, even
typical, call from a bird species, but we also need to learn the "music" of=
the call and the seasonal variations.
This is ear training which is learnt with music and language, and extended=
to wildlife variations. With practice, you can recognise a composer or a
band from a sample of music. We do the same with birds and class these with=
species, season and activity. You don't often find this detail on apps or
CD's.
I got fooled last year with a common blackbird (Turdus merula). In winter,=
the males make guttural and alarm sounds, but when the spring song starts,=
it can sound like a different bird. One of my blackbirds sounded like a
corvid until it found its rich Spring song, and that was a male defending
the house area from the Woodland and the Oak Tree blackbirds. That sweet
sound is telling the others to XYZ off. I can often tell each individual
from its phrase patterns.
I've got no clear advice with birds which mimic other species. You don't
usually find these on CD's either. :-)
I've got jays (Garrulus glandarius) which I confused with the introduced
American Grey Squirrel in the echoey woodland, until I got the hang of the=
more "mammal" sound of the squirrel. Please don't ask me to describe the
difference. :-)
David Brinicombe
|