[TN-Bird] Re: Bird ID by song
- From: Dev Joslin <devjoslin@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <carabethalexander@xxxxxxxxx>, <ed.schneider@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 19:06:19 -0600
Once again, I think we have effectively demonstrated how totally inadequate
language is for describing bird song. Every person writing, I am sure, could
identify the species if they actually could hear the song (or a recording), but
the use of language to describe it makes a humorous demonstration of how lousy
it is for conveying the songs. So far we have wood thrush, robin, titmouse,
white-throated sparrow, wood-pewee, anything else? I feel sure most of us feel
the same about bird song descriptions in bird guides--they never really do the
job.
Sorry for the confusion, Beverly. You must think we don't know a thing!
Dev Joslin
Monteverde, Costa Rica
Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 19:55:36 -0500
Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: Bird ID by song
From: carabethalexander@xxxxxxxxx
To: ed.schneider@xxxxxxxxxxx
CC: sparverius@xxxxxxxxxxx; tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Just to throw out another possibility that occurred to me...
The White-throated sparrow's "old sam..." hits the correct notes if we're
talking musical notes on a scale relative to the "doe, a deer" hint... At my
house in Germantown (North Nashville) there's a white-throated sparrow that
frequently only sings those two notes, completely leaving off the "peabody
peabody peabody..." The sound is definitely deeper as well.
Cara Alexander
Nashville, TN
On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 7:30 PM, Ed Schneider <ed.schneider@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I think Ms. Threadgill's description matches that of the American Robin's
"dawn" song,
especially when the bird gets that loping, repetitious gate going... the
habitat in the
Neely's Bend area is not likely to have Woodthrush, and I also agree that,
though
flute-like, it's song is much more complex than the description. It wasn't only
the
two note "doe-a-deer" (I believe the "deer" is a relative third above the
"doe") part
of the description that made me think Robin, but the fact that a "bass flute"
was mentioned...
In actuality of course, when heard closely the dawn song has much more to it
than two
notes, and actually is rhythmically more of slow "horse trot", but heard
superficially from
a distance sounds more like two notes of equal length. That's my two cents! I
wish I could
link to a recording to better explain what I'm babbling about.
Good birding!
Ed Schneider
Nashville
> Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: Bird ID by song
> From: sparverius@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 18:51:30 -0400
> To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
> A Wood Thrush song certainly matches the flute-like part of the description
> and will stop you in your tracks, but does not match the description of two,
> equal-length notes.
>
> I focused on that part of the description which would greatly narrow down
> options. My first thought was the two-note 'fe be' version of a Carolina
> Chickadee song, but that goes down in pitch, not up. The 'tow-hee' call of a
> towhee or the 'feed me' of a phoebe certainly aren't flute-like. I'm assuming
> the two notes aren't repeated as in the 'Peter, Peter, Peter' of a titmouse.
> That left me with the 'peee-a-weee' of an Eastern Wood-Pewee which often
> sounds like two notes with the 'a' blending in with the 'peee'. Though I
> don't think I would ever describe it as flute-like.
>
> Dean Edwards
> Knoxville, TN
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
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