Speaking of Nature: Learning bird songs: Ninety percent of bird-finding is done with one’s ears
The great spring migration is in full swing and millions upon millions of birds are flying northward across our entire continent every night. The weather will always play a big role in the exact timing of the movements of the birds, but every morning offers up the opportunity to detect the presence of yet another new arrival. Birds often “surf” on waves of air associated with storms, so the first clear morning after a couple days of rain can be particularly exciting.
I recently visited Newport, Rhode Island, to celebrate my wedding anniversary and an essential component of any such visit is a trip out to Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge. This is an amazing spot for birding and since I tend to visit at the same time every year I have gotten to know the sights and sounds that I can expect in early May. I know just where to go to watch yellow warblers fighting over possession of a woodsy area dominated by low thickets and I know just were to go to find gray catbirds singing their hearts out at sunrise.
The important thing to understand about birding is the fact that 90% of bird-finding is done with one’s ears. This makes sense because, if you think about it, you can only look in one direction at a time and even then you can only focus on a relatively small area in front of you. Your ears, on the other hand, can detect sound in a 360-degree circle that extends around you and above you; a hemisphere of detection, if you will. As a result, it is imperative that any would-be birdwatcher learn the songs of as many birds as possible. That way, you can hear a bird and then know right where to look in order to actually watch it.
Fortunately, this only requires a little time and a little effort. Anyone can do it and it doesn’t even matter how old you are. As long as you can hear, you can learn to identify the songs of all of the bird species around you and we live in an age in which there are some wonderful technical tools to help you do this. The first tool is an app that you can load onto your phone and, because a non-profit organization is running it, I have no problems mentioning it by name.
The wonderful scientists at Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology have put together an app called “Merlin.” Perhaps an homage to Merlin the magician and a reference to a wonderful species of falcon, this app listens to the environment you are in and identifies all of the birds that it can hear. I have been extremely impressed with the accuracy of this technology and I use it all the time. You simply press a button and the app begins to make a list of all the birds that it hears.
Even more amazing is the fact that each species that is detected by the app has a dossier complete with photos, natural history information and a collection of audio files that you can listen to. So, if you let Merlin listen to your surroundings for 30 seconds you will get a list of birds that have been detected and you can then listen to them individually so you can compare the official file with what your ears have heard, but your brain has been unable to identify. It really is amazing.
My mother, who is 82 years old, is in the process of learning the songs of the birds in her backyard. The only thing that gets in her way is the idea of walking around outside for extended periods of time in an effort to give the Merlin app a chance to pick up on the presence of her favorite species. Sitting on the back deck is no problem, but this only works when the weather cooperates. What happens when it is cold, or raining? Well, I have recently discovered a solution to that problem as well.
Imagine another technology that will allow you to remain inside, where it is warm and dry, but will also bring the sounds of the birds inside. Basically, it is a carefully crafted microphone in a weather resistant housing that sends a wireless signal inside where a small, portable speaker allows you to hear everything that is happening. This solves the problem of the weather, but it also helps people who might not hear as well as they used to. All you have to do is turn up the volume.
Then there is the added bonus of pairing these two technologies. The Merlin app has no idea of the circumstances surrounding the sounds that it is detecting, so you can let Merlin listen to the sounds that have been detected by the microphone and, bibbidy-bobbidy-boo, you can learn bird songs while also resting comfortably in your favorite chair.
I use this same system on weekends when I am home. I hang the microphone near my feeders and fill my house with the sounds of American goldfinches squabbling over sunflower seeds, the songs of black-capped chickadees and white-throated sparrows, and even the annoyed chirps and squeaks of red squirrels taking issue with virtually anything that they see. I’ve even detected the calls of pileated woodpeckers with this system; birds I know to be present, but have to outside in order to hear.
Anyone can go to the app store and download the Merlin app for free. If you would like more information on the speaker system, then all you have to do is visit my website where I have links that will take you right to it. The birds are singing and more species arrive every day. Learning their songs will make your back yard a lot more interesting and all it takes is a little time. Give it a try.
Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 27 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more in formation visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.
Daily Hampshire Gazette
