birding-aus

How we hear birds

To: "<>" <>
Subject: How we hear birds
From: John Leonard <>
Date: Mon, 21 May 2018 05:45:37 +1000
And of course White-plumed Honeyeaters say 'sh*t a brick'!

John Leonard

> On 20 May 2018, at 9:56 pm, "Steve Read" <> wrote:
> 
> What a lovely description of the Pied Currawong call. I watched a presumed 
> post-roost flight of over 30 Pied Currawong across West Wyalong early this 
> morning, but they were quiet, presumably after Geelong's performance 
> yesterday.
> 
> Steve
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus <> On Behalf Of Brian 
> Fleming
> Sent: Friday, 18 May 2018 1:56 PM
> To: 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] How we hear birds
> 
> The first time we ever saw and heard Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, we thought it 
> made an extraordinary sound - almost a squelching sound. They were sailing 
> around us at Canberra Botanic Garden in its very early days.  I now describe 
> its call as a 'Cheee-urk'. Better spoken than written - it needs a dropping 
> tone on the first syllable.
> 
> Around Melbourne I believe them to be partial migrants - I think one of its 
> old names is Summer Bird. In spring I have seen them in what I believe to be 
> slow circling display flights, with much calling and exaggerated 
> wing-shuffles on landing.   I don't think I have ever seen this described.
> 
> By far the best way to distinguish the calls of Pied and Grey Currawongs is 
> to remember that Pied says "Come on Geelong!'  I agree that human phrases  
> are not ideal - but they are at least memorable.
> 
> Anthea Fleming
> 
> 
> 
>> On 18/05/2018 10:35 AM, Graeme Chapman wrote:
>> Try to describe the call of a Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike.  I did once in my 
>> book "Common City Birds". When I read it now I think it's awful!
>> 
>> The bird call descriptions in the field guides are so subjective. That's why 
>> we have the apps.
>> 
>> According to my stats page, about a third of the visits to my website are 
>> people listening to the sound.
>> 
>> Unfortunately, unaided , iPods and phones don't reproduce the very low or 
>> very high frequencies very well -  you need to use earphones or a good 
>> quality  speaker.
>> 
>> For most people, particularly males, what you hear is age related. I can 
>> only hear now up to about 6 kHz. So much for grasswrens!
>> 
>> With human speech, I have difficulty with people who gabble - speak really 
>> fast - I hear them OK but maybe the processor in my brain is also getting 
>> old.
>> 
>> Anybody know where to have neurons renovated??
>> 
>> Graeme Chapman
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