In addition to the great field trips we get to participate in, the refuge also brings in well-known birders in the area to teach classes for the volunteers and staff. Mark was sick today so he stayed home but I went to an all day Birding by Ear class taught by Mary Gustafson.
The class focused on common, winter birds of the Rio Grande Valley. We learned the difference between songs and calls (Songs: longer, musical, male advertising, territorial; Calls: short, communicate with others - predator warning, flocking, mobbing, etc.).
The birds were grouped together (Doves; Kingfishers; Meadowlark, Dowitcher, etc.) which was very helpful.
We also studied some of the target birds (Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet), and the foolers (Starling-imitate almost anything; Great Kiskadee-lots of loud noises).
An interesting bit of information Mary told us was that the names of all Robins who don’t have red breast were changed to Thrushs.
After lunch we split up into three groups and went out to listen to birds. My group had two really great leaders, Martin Hagne and John Yochum. We walked all over the refuge for about 3 hours.
I learned a lot. I really had to remember to listen and not just look. It will be fun to go out and use all the new information I learned!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Is it "Thursh"? Or Thrush?
ReplyDeleteYou are right. It should have been Thrush. Unless we've discovered a rare new group of South Texas birds...
ReplyDeleteIf so, you could name it the "Marri"! Or the "Tark"! Or maybe the "Tarki"! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say, I can't imagine NOT birding by ear! It seems to me like birders would get very used to identifying certain birds by sound, especially those with as much experience as you two have. But maybe that's because I'm not good at tuning out sound, in fact, if I hear something I'm likely to tune IN. I suspect I might unconsciously recognize a lot of bird calls and songs w/out even realizing I knew them if I were a birder. Seems like a really interesting class, and one that calls attention to an aspect of birding that fewer people are sensitive to. I am guessing most people rely primarily on sight? My eyesight is so bad, even with glasses, that I'll bet I would employ sounds naturally because even with binoculars it would probably take me forever to spot the damn things unless I could locate them by sound, too!
ReplyDelete