Many of us associate birds singing with spring and early summer. But quite a few birds that don’t migrate will keep singing – even just a little bit – right through the coldest time of the year. Learn more about why that is from our friends at BirdNote.
Join BirdNote and The World According to Sound in a 70 minute, total sound immersion about birds. Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 6:00 PM 7:30 PM Pacific Time. Birds. Quiet birds. Loud birds. Birds that never existed. Birds heard by Tiresias, Greek bird-interpreter par excellence. Birds that mimic people. People that mimic birds. From the […]
This holiday season a special and unusual album topped the charts in Australia. Surprisingly, it had no musical tracks – just bird calls. But not just any bird calls. BirdLife Australia put together recordings of 53 of the rarest birds in Australia offering a unique immersion into the highly unusual and often surprising sounds […]
When you started learning to identify birds, which plumage and songs did you learn? Most likely it was males. In some respects, it makes sense as males defend territories with their vibrant songs and their breeding plumage is usually more unique and flashier than female plumage for a reason – females need to be inconspicuous […]
For me, it’s officially spring when Song Sparrows start singing! Song Sparrows are found throughout the United States and into Southern Canada. To bring them into your garden, plant thick, low vegetation, or create a brush pile. This sparrow is celebrated – and named – for its singing. Without its melodious song, this furtive bird could be […]
Birds are fun! Get psyched for birding with Birdlife International’s super fun video featuring birders from all over the world as the voices of their favorite birds. Take a break and watch – it’ll totally make your day… Image courtesy of Birdlife International
Some deep forest birds sing duets together that sound like just a single bird singing. This duetting where the bird songs are so closely related is called antiphonal song, and it’s possible to hear the different songs when the sound is slowed down. Check out this beautiful duetting and hear how its done from BirdNote. […]
For months now, early every morning the songs and calls would Molting Northern Cardinal Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel start – sometimes before dawn – and the raucous, beautiful and energetic bird sounds from birds like Carolina Wrens and this Northern Cardinal continued filling the soundscape until sundown. Then one day….suddenly the yard was oddly quiet. While some juvenile birds were still […]
White-throated Sparrow Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel White-throated Sparrows are familiar to many of us. Seen at some point during the year in most parts of North America, they are well-known for their easily identifiable calls. The sound of “Oh, sweet Canada, Canada, Canada” wafting in the breeze is a sure sign that you are in the […]
Male Bobolinks are first to arrive on their breeding grounds in the grasslands. Why are there fewer Bobolinks than in decades past? Probably because the landscape of North America has changed so much. Bobolinks originally nested on native prairies of the Midwest and southern Canada. Much of the land where they nested has come under intense cultivation. Grassland conservation […]
Common Yellow-throat Illustration by David Sibley When cities are quiet, we can easily hear the birds around us. This illuminating article from the New York Times helps us learn about 13 birds we live in close proximity with but may never have seen. With stunning images by David Sibley and informational sonograms of bird calls from Donald Kroodsma, this article […]
Released just as spring migration is starting, this timely book bringsunderstanding and learning birdsong to a new level. Don Kroodsma is a world-renown authority on birdsong. And apart from understanding it he knows the positive effect of an immersive nature experience. Birdsong For the Curious Naturalist opens with the line “birdsong fills our lives with beauty and […]
Gray Catbird/Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Up your birding ID game this spring by starting now to learn to ID birds by their songs. Often birds are only heard, and by recognizing their calls you can easily add more birds to your list. Not all birds have calls that are instantly recognizable – like the unmistakable call […]
Those big black birds with glossy feathers seem to be everywhere. But are they American Crows or Common Ravens? If Common Raven Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila you have ever wondered which bird you are looking at, you aren’t alone! These two birds are easily confused and sometimes it takes a little sleuthing to tell the […]
Owl ID Tips Owls are such mysterious birds. They are most active at night and are difficult to find unless you are listening. Here are tips for ID’ing three owls that are fairly common in their territories in North America – Great Horned, Barred and Saw-whet Owl. When most of us think of the sound […]
Late autumn and winter are great times to look for owls. Owls are nocturnal so the best time of day to start looking for them is right around sunset when they start getting active. Unless you already know where an owl roosts during the day, they are seriously difficult to find in daylight when they […]
The best way to identify owls is by their sound. To make your owling outing more productive, try memorizing some local owl calls. Here are some owls which are common across much of North America and a good place to start if you want to learn owl calls. Also check with local experts and bird […]
Grasslands and the Very Cool Birds In Them Grasslands are much more than just open space. They are vital habitats for many species — including some Bobolink amazing birds. Unfortunately, grasslands are one of the most endangered habitats on earth. They provide rich fodder for grazing cattle, but also host 29 species of birds that […]
Most owls are nocturnal, actively hunting under the cover of darkness. For a cool (in all sense of the word!) thing to do, take a trip outside at night to find owls. Finding a silently moving bird in the dark can be a challenge, but it can be a lot of fun! The best way […]
Would it surprise you to know there are over 30 species of sparrows in North America? Sparrows may be brownish for the most part, but they have some beautiful and unique songs, and many have distinctive markings that make them easy to identify. The moniker LBB (little brown bird) doesn’t really do them justice. Learning […]
Owls are really cool but they are also really hard to see. There are two main reasons why that is – most owls are nocturnal (meaning they sleep during the day and are active at night), and because they need to be safe while they are sleeping in the daylight, they blend in well with […]