Birding by Ear is something I started learning this past winter. I took my first class “Birding by Ear” with Denise Wight through Golden Gate Audubon and Albany Adult School. Although learning bird sounds had always seemed intimidating, I found I learned more than I expected. Do I have a long way to go? Absolutely. But I now have a new tool that helps me ID birds (at least a few) and adds another dimension to enjoying birds.
The Sibley Guides Website has recently published a series of postings on learning to bird by ear. Here is the link to Sibley’s Table of Contents for Birding by Ear: The Basics of Identifying Bird Sounds « Sibley Guides. as well as links to some of his posts on birding by ear.
- Learning to Listen to Bird Songs « Sibley Guides.
- Pitch, and bird song identification « Sibley Guides.
- Tempo, and bird song identification « Sibley Guides.
- Understanding Quality in bird song « Sibley Guides.
- Describing Quality « Sibley Guides.
- Trilled Songs of Eastern Birds « Sibley Guides.
- Understanding Alarm Calls of Birds
Also check out Denise Wight’s Bird Sounds page. It includes:
- Bird sounds online
- C.D.’s of bird sounds
- Readings on-line
- Books on birdsong
- Classes and workshops on bird sounds
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