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As far as I know, three species of Empids give these calls. In one species, the two-part call is familiar enough to be mentioned in field guides, at least. The two-part call of the second species is described only in the scientific literature. And that of the third is, as far as I know, being described in this blog post for the first time. [Read more] Most of the time, the presence of one of these rails is announced solely by their loud, unmusical calls, leaving us to identify them solely by voice. It isn’t always possible, but today we’ll talk about when and how it can be done. [Read more] I can still remember the first time I heard a vireo “complex song”. I was taken completely by surprise, not even knowing Plumbeous Vireos had it in them to sing so awesomely. [Read more] Eastern (gilvus group) and western (swainsonii group) Warbling Vireos may represent two species, and if they are ever split, song would be the best way to identify them. [Read more] It’s difficult to take your camera to a local park and capture a bird plumage or behavior that has never before been photographed. But it’s about twenty times easier to make an audio recording of a call or behavior that has never before been audio recorded. And finding out what kind of sound you’ve recorded takes real detective work. [Read more] Separating Black-capped Gnatcatchers from the more numerous Blue-gray Gnatcatchers can be a real challenge. Voice is a key field mark, but good descriptions and recordings of Black-capped Gnatcatcher vocalizations have until recently been in short supply. We’ll try to alleviate some of the confusion today. [Read more] The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher sounds different in the West than it does in the East. However, the differences in song are not well understood by most birders, nor particularly well described in most field guides. [Read more] In my last post I promised a discussion of Fox Sparrow alarm and contact calls, and it’s time to deliver on that promise. [Read more] Several recent genetic studies have provided evidence that four groups of Fox Sparrows have separate evolutionary histories and may deserve species rank. Some differences in call notes between the groups may have bearing on their identification and taxonomy. [Read more] Last week I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Western Field Ornithologists’ Conference in Sierra Vista, Arizona, where the highlight of my trip was the opportunity to view and record huge numbers of hummingbirds. It only took me a short time to learn their vocalizations and arm myself with an identification tool of enormous power. [Read more] |
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