The whistle call of the bobwhite quail, once ubiquitous in rural Virginia, has all but disappeared.  But thanks to assistance offered through state and federal agencies, landowners can bring bobwhite and other songbirds back to their fields and woods by restoring the habitats that support them. This conservation effort will be the subject of a presentation by biologist Justin Folks at the next meeting of the Rockbridge Bird Club on Wednesday, November 12 at 7:30 in the Old Courthouse meeting room. The talk is free and open to the public.

Justin Folks is currently one of five Private Lands Wildlife Biologists in Virginia who provide free technical assistance to landowners interested in managing bobwhite quail habitat as part of Virginia’s Bobwhite Quail Recovery Initiative.  His position is jointly-funded by Virginia Tech, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Folks will talk about bobwhite quail life history and habitat requirements, examples of ways to provide habitat, and how landowners can get technical assistance (and perhaps financial assistance) for wildlife habitat projects. Rockbridge landowners and residents who want to get involved in helping bring quail back to Virginia are encouraged to attend.

The bobwhite quail population has declined more than 80% in the past 40 years due to loss of the early successional habitat – including a mix of native grasses, brushy weeds, and wildflowers – that quail need for food, shelter, and raising their young.  The same habitat supports other early-succession forest species, including pollinating insects.

Bonnie Bernstein

The Rockbridge Bird Club will host a potluck dinner at Boxerwood on Wednesday, May 14, from 5:00 to 7:30. You may arrive earlier, at 4:30, for a short tour of some bird-friendly shrubs led by Faith Vosburgh, Boxerwood’s horticulturist. We hope you’ll join us—children and guests welcome, too—to share your birding stories and enjoy the spring beauty of the garden. The potluck will be held at the timber -frame pavilion located near the driveway to the Lodge.

The Club will be providing hamburgers, brats, buns and drinks. We would like to get an accurate count of how many people to expect, and so are asking that you RSVP. We are trying an online program, Sign-Up Genius, where you can RSVP and sign up to bring a dish or assist with the event.

The Bird Club’s Sign-Up Genius page is here. When you click on the link, you will be taken to our potluck page. Here you have 2 options:

1.     Create an account with Sign-Up Genius. This requires providing your name, email address, and a password. Your email address and password will remain private. Once you do this, you can RSVP and decide what item you would like to provide for the event. If you change your mind later, your account lets you edit your RSVP or your item. Sign-up Genius will send you an email reminder 2 days before the event.

2.     Or, use the Sign-Up Genius page without setting up an account. This option requires entering your name and an email address. Your email address will remain private. Then you may RSVP and enter the item you would like to provide. The downside to this option is that you will not be able to change your RSVP/item as easily if you do not have an account. Instead you can just let Betty Besal know what has changed. Sign-up Genius will send you an email reminder 2 days before the event.

The Sign-Up Genius program is used by thousands of groups to organize their events. The program’s creators are very focused on users’ security. While it may take a little of the spontaneity away from having a potluck, we hope that it will help us better organize and enjoy this event, so we do ask that you give it try. If you have had ENOUGH of doing things online, we understand. In that case, just email Betty Besal ([email protected]) and she will “pencil” you in.

Questions about the May Potluck or the sign up process? Please contact Betty  Besal.

See you there!

Betty Besal

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