Larkwire: A Review
A new website for learning bird songs called Larkwire has just debuted, and it’s worthy of a look.
Fox Sparrow, Part 2: Alarm & Contact Calls
In my last post I promised a discussion of Fox Sparrow alarm and contact calls, and it’s time to deliver on that promise.
Fox Sparrow, Part 1: Flight Calls
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.
The Beauty of Spectrograms
Some spectrograms match human calligraphy flourish-for-flourish in intricacy, tension, balance, and grace.
Recyclers
Andrew May, an associate professor of music at the University of North Texas, has composed a piece of avant-garde classical music called “Recyclers” that centers on a recording of a Northern Mockingbird that I made in Big Bend National Park in 2007.
The Next Junco
A paper that I wrote with Clint Francis, published this month in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology, shows that one isolated population of Yellow-eyed Juncos sings quite differently from its relatives in mainland Mexico.
Hummingbirds by Ear
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.
More Than Just Snap, Crackle, and Pop
When it comes to sounds, the White-crowned Manakin (Pipra pipra) isn’t the most interesting of the family. Its displays are mundane compared to, say, Long-tailed Manakin. And the mechanical sounds made are limited and mostly simple. But it does appear to have a plethora of distinct vocal types that may well correspond to different species, despite the fact that they all look nearly or completely identical to each other in plumage.
Rufous-collared Origins
On May 8th, 2011, Andrew Davis and Tim Davis found a Rufous-collared Sparrow, a Central and South American species, in Georgetown, Colorado. When I heard reports that the Georgetown sparrow was singing loudly and often, I immediately wondered whether it might be possible to use its song dialects to pinpoint its birthplace.
Sage Sparrow Subspecies
Guest post today by Walter Szeliga, who is starting to turn his audio recorder on some very interesting problems of identification and taxonomy.