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Rockbridge Bird Club

birding by ear 101

4/10/2014

1 Comment

 
We had a great presentation on April 9 by Donna Finnegan, helping us get a sense of "Birding by Ear."  There was a great crowd and everyone enjoyed her presentation helping us recognize more of what surrounds us every day.

One of the big themes of her presentation was the use of mnemonics and phonetics to help get a handle on recognizing birds by their songs.  She had a list with her that we'll post on the site as soon as we can.  In the meantime, there are several places on the Internet where you can find this kind of list.  A nice one I found today comes from the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta.

There are also several guides and apps that help with song ID (though they all have the problem of starting with knowing the bird and then hearing the song. . . we need something that lets us record a song and have the app tell us what we're hearing. . .) We'll be adding more posts about these programs and how they work for us.

Wendy also reminded us that some folks will be meeting at Boxerwood on Saturday the 12th at 8 am to practice - everyone is welcome. We'll 'see' what we 'hear.' 

Update - 4/14/2014 - Here is Donna's list of mnemonics and phonetics;



MNEMONICS FOR COMMON BIRDS


Carolina Chickadee--"feebee feebay, chick'adee-dee-dee"

Black-Capped Chickadee--"feebee"

Tufted Titmouse--"peter, peter, peter" or “Here, Here, Here”

White-Breasted Nuthatch--"yank yank"

Carolina Wren--"virGINya, virGINya, virGINya"


Mockingbird--phrases repeated 3 or more times

Brown Thrasher--phrases repeated 2 times

Blue Jay – Jay Jay Jay! (and squeeky clothesline)

American Crow--"caw"     Fish Crow—“Eh eh

-

American Robin--"cheerup, cheerily, cheerily"

Scarlet Tanager – Like Robin with sore throat. Call “CHIP-bird”

Eastern Bluebird--"cheer, cheerful, charmer"

Northern Cardinal--"Right cheer', Right cheer', birdy birdy birdy'"

Rufous-Sided Towhee--"drink-your-teeee'"

White-Throated Sparrow--"poor Sam Pea'body, Pea'body, Pea'body"

American Goldfinch--"per-chik'-o-ree", "baybeee?'"

 

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher--"spee spee"

Red-eyed Vireo--"look-up, over-here, see-me, up-here"

Yellow-Throated Vireo--same as red-eyed but buzzier

Solitary Vireo--same as red-eyed but slower, sour

White-eyed Vireo -- Chick- a-per-weeo-CHICK

 

FLYCATCHERS:

Great Crested--"wheep! wheep!"

Eastern Phoebe--"feee'-bee"

Acadian--"peet'-suh"

Alder--"fee-bee'o"

Willow--"fitz'-bew"

Least--"che-bek'"

Eastern Wood Pewee--"pee-oo-wee"

 

WARBLERS:

Black-and-White--"wheezy, wheezy, wheezy"

Swainson's--"deeta deeta-whip'-poor-will"

Worm-Eating--insect-like, dry trill

Golden-Winged--"bzz- bzz, bzz, bzz"

Blue-Winged--"bzz-bzz"

Parula--"zeeeee-up!”

Yellow--"sweet sweet sweet, I'm so sweet"

Magnolia--"wheet-wheet'eo"

Black-Throated-Green--"zay zay zay zoo zee?"

Black-Throated Blue--"I am lazeee"

Chestnut-Sided--"please, please, please to meet'cha!"

Ovenbird--"teacher teacher teacher"

Kentucky--"toree' toree' toree'"

Hooded--"wheeta wheeta WHEET'eo"

Prothonotary Warbler -- Zweet-zweet-zweet

American Redstart -- Tzee, tzee, tzee, tzeeo

 

 

PHONETIC CALLS AND SONGS

 

Bee-buzz--Blue-winged Warbler

Bee-buzz-buzz or Bee-buzz-buzz-buzz--Golden-winged Warbler

I am lazeee or beer beer beer beeee--Black-throated Blue Warbler

Che-bek--Least Flycatcher

Chink--Blue Grosbeak

Chup-chup TZEeeee---Seaside Sparrow

Cu-cu-cu--Black-billed Cuckoo

Fee-bee-o--Alder Flycatcher

Fitz-bew--Willow Flycatcher

Hip-hip-hurrah--King Rail

Jeeee---Wood Duck

Ka ka ka...kowp kowp kowp--Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Keeeeer--Common Tern and Forster's Tern

Kerwee...kerwee--Sora

Kid-ik, kid-ik, kid-ik--Virginia Rail

Killdeer killdeer! - Killdeer

Kip...kip--Common Moorhen

Peent--Common Nighthawk

Peet-suh--Acadian Flycatcher

Peet-weet--Spotted Sandpiper

Please please pleased to meet'cha--Chestnut-sided Warbler

Quick, three beers--Olive-sided Flycatcher

Scaipe--Common Snipe

See-bit see-bit see-bit, see-see-see-see--Nashville Warbler

See-see-see-sisi-see--Brown Creeper

Speee  speee--Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Tee-shaay--Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Tee-si, tee-si, tee-si--Bay-breasted Warbler

Tic-tic, tic-tic-tic--Yellow Rail

Tika, tika, tika-swee, swee, swee-chay, chay, chay--Tennessee Warbler

Vee-a--Gray-cheeked Thrush

Weeta-weeta-weeteo--Magnolia Warbler

Weet-weet-weet-weet--Spotted Sandpiper

Whit, whit--Swainson's Thrush

Zweet-zweet-zweet--Prothonotary Warbler

Yank, yank, yank--White-breasted Nuthatch

A-weet, a-weet, a-weet-teo--Hooded Warbler

Bob white, bob white--Northern Bobwhite

Bubble, bubble, zee--Brown-headed Cowbird

Caw, caw, caw--American Crow

What-cheer, what-cheer, what-cheer, or cheer, cheer, cheer--Northern Cardinal

Cheerily, cheer-up, cheerily--American Robin

Chick-a-dee-dee-dee--Carolina Chickadee

CHIP-burr--Scarlet Tanager

Chick- a-per-weeo-CHICK --White-eyed Vireo

Chink--Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Chuck-will's-widow--Chuck-will's-widowChurr, churr, churr--Red-bellied Woodpecker

Chur-ry, chur-ry, chur-ry--Kentucky Warbler

Chur-wee or Cheer, cheerful charmer--Eastern Bluebird

Conquereee--Red-winged Blackbird

Drink-your-teeeee--Rufous-sided Towhee

Dtzee, dtzee, dtzeet--Eastern Kingbird

Ee-o-lay! --Wood Thrush

Fee-bee, or Fee-blee--Eastern Phoebe

Fee-bee fee-bay--Carolina Chickadee

Here, here, here--Tufted Titmouse

Here I am, over here, see me, where are you?--Red-eyed Vireo

Jay, jay, jay--Blue Jay

Keeeeeer--Red-tailed Hawk

Kee-yer, kee-yer, kee-yer--Red-shouldered Hawk

Kik, kik, kik--Pileated Woodpecker

Kill-dee, kill-dee, kill-dee--Killdeer

Kleeyer--Northern Flicker

Who cooks for you, who cooks for you'all--Barred Owl

Maids, maids, maids, put on your tea, kettle, kettle, kettle--Song Sparrow

Meeoow--Gray Catbird

Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody--White-throated Sparrow

Pee-O-wee or pee-wee--Eastern Wood-Pewee

Peeeeeeeeee--Broad-winged Hawk

Peent, peent, peent--American Woodcock

Peet-suh--Acadian Flycatcher

Perchickaree or Babeee?--American Goldfinch

Peter, peter, peter--Tufted Titmouse

Chicki-tuki-tuck--Summer Tanager

Plink, plink--Bobolink

Wheep, wheep--Great Crested Flycatcher

Purty, purty, purty--Northern Cardinal

Queedle, queedle, queedle---Blue Jay

Queer, queer--Red-headed Woodpecker

Skeeow--Green Heron

Spring of the year--Eastern Meadowlark

Sweet, sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet--Yellow Warbler

Teacher, teacher, teacher--Ovenbird

Tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle--Carolina Wren

Three-a, three-a--Yellow-throated Vireo

Tow-weeee--Rufous-sided Towhee

Tseer, tseer--Red-winged Blackbird

Tzee, tzee, tzee, tzeeo--American Redstart

Veer--Veery

Weesa, weesa, weesa--Black-and-white Warbler

Wheer--Orchard Oriole

Whip-poor-will--Whip-poor-will

Are you awake? me too (6 hoots) --Great Horned Owl

Wicka, wicka, wicka--Northern Flicker

Witchety, witchety, witchety--Common Yellowthroat

Zay, zay, zay, zoo, zee? --Black-throated

Green Warbler

Zeee, zeee--Cedar Waxwing

Zree--House Finch

Zeeeee-up--Northern Parula





List compiled by:

Georgann Schmalz

Atlanta, Ga.



Bob Biersack


1 Comment
Wendy Richards link
4/11/2014 07:26:38 am

Great follow-up Bob! 2 CD collections that I have found helpful in learning bird songs are Birding By Ear and More Birding By Ear both published as Peterson guides.
Wendy

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