~ by Jim Eagleman
Field Notes
Bird Sounds
My open bedroom window lets me awaken to the many bird songs in our woods. I am usually up by seven, some days earlier, and the chorus kicks in right at daybreak.
Having fasted all night, birds are ravenous and feed at the first sign of light. This also signals to parents of birds just fledged to feed their young— maybe to last all day long. Begging calls from the young sound different than adult calls, accompanied by a fluttering of wings and short flights. This feeding frenzy— wings moving all the time while perched— can make for some great watching.
Birds vocalize for a variety of reasons: to attract a mate, announce their presence, to group together for feeding and safety, and to call for distress. While songs
Looking for a good place to eat? Curious about the dining scene?
The Restaurant Sampler Collection
Now on sale at:
Fallen Leaf Books Brown County Visitors Center
Also available on Amazon. com
Support local business may be melodic and rather pleasing, they are not sung to entertain. Calls and songs are learned instinctively by the young as parents reinforce this connection. In many species, the young male must hear a song at a certain age in order to learn it. This leads to more individual variety in songs than in calls.
Bird communication has been studied by many scientists and naturalists for a long time. The public televison broadcaster David Attenborough’ s account of birds recorded in different countries and featured in various nature programs, helped me appreciate the variety and complexity.
Bird calls are a challenging and rewarding soundtrack to the“ sport” of birdwatching, now called birding. I call it a sport since those involved can sometimes make it a contest, documenting the birds seen and heard with each outing, and comparing numbers.
Learning bird songs for me is a life-long pursuit. Each spring into early summer, I review the warbler, flycatcher, and vireo songs. Memories of the first time and place I heard the bird, maybe years before, are recalled. A sense of place, historians call it, when a significant event can help recall the location where it occurred. A hooded warbler singing above me in a Chicago forest preserve years ago, is an example. I had never seen one in class or with friends before that. Alone and thrilled at the sight and song— the event stayed with me.
No bird apps for identification, or learning songs were available when I took my first ornithology class in the early 70s. The professor suggested we purchase a long-playing album of bird calls from the university bookstore. A few of us pitched in and bought the album. One day I heard the album at a friend’ s place.“ The black-capped chickadee, song one,” said the narrator, followed by a familiar call we
56 Our Brown County • July / August 2023