Salish Sea Birds
CHI in collaboration with Denman Island Conservancy Association’s annual BIRDATHON, we are sharing these birdsongs with you along with the charming stories from master birder, Ken Madsen, to help you listen, look, and learn more about the birds of the Salish Sea. Please enjoy and share with friends and family!
You can help us support our bird habitat by donating $5 to Trees4Tomorrow, our tree-planting initiative.
All sounds courtesy Dendroica. Register here to learn more about birds from all over the world!
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Hi all - I hope you are ready for your bird language studies. There is a wide range of experience in the group, so some of you will be familiar with many of these songs. First thing you need to do is go to the Dendroica website (you have to register), which doesn't take too long. The good thing about Dendroica is that it gives many song and call options so we can usually find one that was recorded somewhere nearby. This can be important since there are big regional differences in many songs.
I thought we'd start with Yellow-rumped Warblers which are singing lustily right now. The species are organized in the list in the same order you'd find in a bird book - if you can't easily find it, type in the name in the "filter species" box. Curiously, none of the songs for this warbler are from near here. I thought the first song sounded similar to the ones we hear on Denman.
You'll notice that the bird in the #1 photo has a white throat - it is the Myrtle phase of Yellow-rumped Warbler, which was what we saw when we in the Yukon. Most of the ones around here have a yellow throat (Audubon's Warblers), although we do see the odd Myrtle. Audubon's and Myrtle Warblers used to be considered separate species, but they have since been "lumped" into a single species.
Have fun!
cheers, Ken
photo: Mike Yip / sound: Monty Brigham / Dendroica
Dark-eyed Junco
Good morning - today's bird is the Dark-eyed Junco (I'm not promising a new bird every day!) Sound #6 in Dendroica is from Salt Spring, although the first couple of songs also sounded similar to what I'm hearing in my yard. Juncos can be hard to distinguish from Chipping Sparrows. Haven't seen or heard any Chipping Sparrows yet this spring, but they could be here already. Yesterday there was a Junco singing a two part song, sort of the usual trill but with a pause in the middle. Confusing. #5 in Dendroica is the call (as opposed to the song) from Salt Spring for those who are enthusiastic. There were a lot of those calls around here yesterday.
I'm enjoying this and I hope you are too!
cheers, Ken
photo: courtesy Macauly Library / sound: John Neville / Dendoica
Varied Thrush
Good morning. Yesterday Wendy chastised me for not giving more info on telling Yellow-rumped Warblers from Juncos, so here goes. I think it is the difference between a warble and a trill, and it's not because you get a thrill from a trill. A trill, I believe is a series of notes that come so quickly they sort of run together and it is hard to count the individual notes. When a butterbutt is warbling, each note is distinct. I'm not saying this is easy, but trust me, once you sort out a few songs, it gets easier. A challenge is when different birds are singing at the same time and you have to pick out the one you are listening for. Butterbutts like open woods and brushy areas and there is usually one singing near our garden, but I hear the all over the island when I'm out for a ride.
Bird #3 - last evening when all was quiet I heard two Varied Thrushes singing. A simple song, but somehow it sends shivers up my spine. Song #3 on Dendroica is from near here, but the first few all sound like the ones on Denman. Enjoy them . . . most of them will have moved elsewhere by the time the birdathon rolls around.
cheers, Ken
photo: Ralph Hocken / sound: John Neville / Dendroica
Spotted Towhee
Happy Saturday. Today's bird: Spotted Towhee (aka uprooter of broadbean seedlings). I have been known to say that if you are not sure of the bird sound you are puzzling over it is likely a towhee. They have a short buzzing trill, a cat-like meow as well as a short burst that is sort-of trillish. The other day I temporarily confused its trill with a junco's, even though it is different - shorter in duration and more emphatic.
Sounds #1 & 2 are from Salt Spring. #2 has the trillish thing as well as some meowing, although #6 has a clearer recording of the meow.
Hope you aren't confused. I just got confused re-reading what I just wrote . . . tomorrow we all get a day off, although of course I'm sure we'll all be reviewing.
meow, Ken
photo: Laure Wilson Neish / sound: John Neville / Dendroica
Sandhill Crane
Okay, I know that it is unlikely that any of us will hear Sandhill Cranes in the next few days, but we might. They are such cool birds that I think it is worth listening to them online just in case. They occasionally migrate over Denman this time of year on their way to the far north. I usually hear them at least once each spring. They have one of the loudest voices of any bird and can be heard from up to 2-3 km away. In my experience their voice also has a curious ventriloquist quality when you hear them from close by. Once I was wandering around on Herschel Island when I heard one that sounded as if it was just a meter or two away. After stumbling around in the tussocks for about 20 minutes I finally saw it, about 100 meters away on a hillock. Sandhill Cranes are also an ancient species with fossil records up to 2.5 million years old. When I hear them I can well imagine them sharing a grassland in Beringia with giant ground sloths, woolly rhinos and mastadons.
Now that I've finished rhapsodizing, we can turn to Dendroica. The first song seems good to me, a loud, rattling, bugling exuberance. If you hear that weird sound in the next few weeks, look up!
cheers, Ken
photo: unknown / sound: Macauly Library
White-crowned Sparrow
One of the challenges of learning a bird song is picking it out from a chorus of other songs. Another is remembering what you've listened to long enough to match it to the one you are hearing outside. Although I guess if you happen to own a smart phone, I guess you can listen while you are outside. Spoken like a luddite who does not have one. Anyway, I'm trying to choose songs that are unlike the other's we've listened to. My theory is that once you get a song or two wired, it becomes easier to sort out the others from the chorus. I know it ain't easy and I'm a slow-learner when it comes to a song I don't know.
Today's bird is normally found near open fields. Occasionally I see one in our garden, but I seldom hear one singing at our place. If you stop by any of the fields or pastures on Denman or Hornby there will likely be one or two belting out their song. There is a huge difference between the song we hear on Denman and what we used to hear in the Yukon. I think that song #7 in Dendroica is closest to what we hear here. especially that trill at the end. If you'd like to listen to what we used to hear up north, check out #7. One of the good things about White-crowned Sparrows is that they often sit right out in the open when they are singing, so you should be able find it easily.
good luck! Ken
photo: Philip Brody / sound: Kevin Colver
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
There are many things I like about listening to bird songs. They make more sense than listening to politicians. They are (with only a few exceptions) melodious and spiritually uplifting. And, it is good to know who is in the neighborhood. When you can identify the bird who is singing, you are way more likely to see it, especially if you have binoculars. We stayed with a well-known birder in Alabama during our Birdyear. We had just arrived at his place when he heard a Prothonotary Warbler, immediately realized he wasn't wearing his binoculars and said, "Damn! I'm unarmed . . . and it's spring migration!" Later that night he lamented that he had to go to a wedding and groused, "Who in their right mind would plan a wedding during spring migration?"
Today's bird is my current favorite songster, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. It has a complicated song that begins with three clear, high notes: "see, see, see." I'm not going to attempt to put the rest of the song into words although the wordsmith at Dendroica says it sounds like: "look-at-me, look-at-me, look-at-me" notes followed by variants of "too-fritchyoo-fritchyoo-fritchyoo" or "plicky-plicky-plicky." You have to hear it to believe it. None of the songs I listened to on Dendroica satisfied me, but I thought #12 was not bad.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are only around for a few more weeks before departing for points north. They like mixed woods, similar habitat to Yellow-rumped Warblers.
I'm going to attach a photo that our son Malkolm took a few years ago. It's a taste of what you might see if you hear the song and are fully armed. You have to be lucky to see the ruby crown, which the males usually only flash during breeding season.
I wish you luck! Ken
photo: Isaac Sanchez / sound: Macauly Library
Hutton’s Vireo
I hope some of you had success with Ruby-crowned Kinglets. I was surprised how many I heard during my bike ride today, although I must confess I only heard one song from beginning to end. I think a kinglet needs to come pretty close for the entire incredible song to be audible. I'm choosing today's bird because it looks a lot like a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but its song is completely different. For the kinglet, think Pavarotti. For the vireo, think me in the shower. Actually, you probably don't want to think about that. There are some birds in North America that can only be distinguished by voice, unless you happen to have your DNA kit with you.
Today's bird is the Hutton's Vireo. I find the easiest way to tell the two species apart visually is that the kinglet has black on its feathers behind the white wingbars. It also has a narrower bill. Of course, if the kinglet flashes its ruby crown all instantly becomes clear. This time of year though, the song is where its at. The #1 song on Dendroica is from Salt Spring, a good choice for us.
My sense is that I'm probably overloading many of you with songs to try to remember. I thought I should start sending out posts every other day so you have a bit more time to be outside listening.
cheers, Ken
photo: Tony Battiste / sound: Kevin J. Colver
Pacific Wren/”Winter Wren”
You may not be aware that there are birders who are also "listers." We met van-loads of them during our Birdyear. Our Birdyear was a "Big Year" which is when demented birders spend an entire year scouring North America listing birds. We did ours without using fossil fuels for our transport. One man we met was doing a Big Year in every county in California in the same year. There are 58 counties in California. I'm not sure whether he had time to get out of his SUV or whether he just leaned out the window. We met another man who had a list of the birds he ID'd while he was urinating. Listers love it when the the International Ornithologists Union (IOU) splits a species into two because they get to add another name to their list. They hate it when two species get "lumped" into one.
Why am I going on about this? Well, a few years ago the IOU split the Winter Wren into two species: Winter Wren and Pacific Wren. And guess what? We got stuck with the Pacific Wren. Of course, most locals revolted and stoutly continued to call our small forest wren a Winter Wren. And I'm one of those revolting people. And don't forget DCA's protected area: Winter Wren Wood. Nice alliteration. So, let's celebrate today"s bird, the Winter Wren. Even if it is spring.
There are Winter Wrens singing out their little hearts in forests all over Denman and Hornby right now. A fantastic burst of joyous music that can't fail to lift your spirits. If you want to hear what "our" Winter Wrens sound like in Dendroica, you have to look up Pacific Wren. Try songs 3 or 4. If you look up Winter Wren, it sounds pretty much the same.
Happy listening! Ken
photo: Ralph Hocken / sound: John Neville
Red-breasted Nuthatch
There are many strange bird names, and I always thought nuthatch was one of them. Turns out it makes a weird kind of sense. They apparently jam seeds and nuts into the bark on trees and then whack them open with their sharp little beaks. As long as they don't try to hatch their eggs the same way things should be fine. Aside from woodpeckers, they are one of the few birds who chisel out nest cavities in solid wood.
You'll find them in the forest, but they also frequent bird feeders. For those of us who get confused with the twittering, trilling, warbling sounds breaking out all over, Red-breasted Nuthatches song's are relatively straight-forward. Sound #1 sounds good to me - I usually hear the slower cadence. The Red-breasted is the only one around here . . . if you lived in the interior you'd have to tell its song from its larger cousin the White-breasted (pygmies also live up there.)
cheers, Ken
photo: courtesy Great Backyard Birdcounts / sound: Macauly Library
Orange-crowned Warbler
Speaking of bird's names, how many of you have seen the Orange-crowned Warbler's orange crown? I have, but only once. Wendy, Malkolm and I were on a bike trip in Mexico and taking a break to play poohsticks (see Chapter 6 in The House at Pooh Corner). The warbler must have been bathing in the little creek on a blazing hot day. I don't think it was pretending to be a poohstick. Anyway, we could see a faint orange patch on the top of the bird's head.
There are suddenly Orange-crowned Warblers everywhere. Their song can be a challenge. Most around here have a fairly rapid trill that often goes down in pitch at the end. If you listen to #1 you'll hear one (with the bonus of a White-throated Sparrow in the background - seldom found here). Just to confuse things, #10 sounds a little like one we have near our place. The trill is slow enough that I had to go find it with binoculars to make sure it wasn't a Yellow-rump. They can also be confused with juncos and Chipping Sparrows.
good luck! Ken
photo: Haley Crews / sound: Lang Elliot
Cassin’s Vireo
The other day Wendy and I were cycling home from Central Park. Before we got home, Wendy said something she's never said to me before, "Wow, it's a very vireo-y day isn't it?" Not particularly romantic, but essentially correct. We'd heard a Hutton's Vireo, a Red-eyed Vireo and then about five Cassin's Vireos, one after the other. My mother used to call Cassin's Vireos "teacher birds," because their song alternates between a higher-pitched phrase (like a teacher's question), then a pause, then a lower-pitched phrase (like a student's answer).
Song #1 in Dendroica is clear and since my mother was raised in California, appropriate.
Have a vireo-y day! Ken
photo: Lance and Erin / sound: Kevin J. Colver
American Robin
This is the second post in a row that features my mother, who frequently told me, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." That's why I haven't said anything about the song of the American Robin. All I'm going to say is that one day when I was sixteen I drank way too much rum and my head was splitting the next morning. I staggered down to the beach near Okanagan Lake to sleep it off. A robin noticed my state and chose a branch just over my head to sing its song. Over, and over, and over. I'll never forget it.
I just read the Dendroica description which describes it as a melodic "cheer-up, cheer-a-lee, cheer-ee-o". Try song #1. If your head is clear, it is good to get the robin's song stuck in your head since there are other birds which sing similar melodies. I should have said this before, but in order to search for a bird in Dendroica, you need to put in the whole name. Just Robin won't do it. American Robin.
cheer-ee-o! Ken
photo: George Ostertag / sound: Macauly Library
Townsend’s Warbler and Black-throated Gray Warbler
“Tricky Warblers”
A decade or so ago we were driving up the Dempster Highway north of Dawson City on our way to some northern river or other. We stopped at the Tombstone Interpretive Centre to say "hi" to our friend who was working there. When I asked how her summer had been, she said, "It has been a really weird summer. Usually we get about half sunny days and half rainy days. This year though, it has been exactly the opposite!" No, she wasn't pulling my leg. What does this have to do with birdsongs you ask? Well, usually I can tell a Townsend's Warbler from a Black-throated Gray about half the time. But this year, strangely enough, it has been totally the opposite.
According to my trusty checklist of Comox Valley Birds, Townsend's Warblers arrive a week or two before Black-throated Grays, so my average is likely better right now. Actually it is hard to calculate one's average since both warblers spend much of their time at the tops of tall conifers (although they also can be found in decidious forests) and it is hard to find them without developing a serious case of warbler-neck. It's worth it though, they are both spectacular birds - see if you can spot the tiny yellow dot near the eye of the Black-throated Gray.
Their songs vary regionally and even a little distance can make a big difference. Experts say they can tell them apart on Denman, but not everywhere on Vancouver Island. My theory is that the song of local Black-throated Grays are "buzzier" than Townsend's. I think song # 3 of the Black-throated Gray on Dendroica) is similar to many around here. Try the #1 song of the Townsend's - the recording is a little faint but it sounds like our local ones to me.
Weezy weezy weezy dzeee, Ken
Townsend’s photo: Tony Battiste / sound: Monty Bringham
Black-throated photo: Andrew Spencer / sound: Kevin J. Colver
MacGillivray’s Warbler
There are 8 species of Warbler regularly found on Denman and Hornby. So far I've talked about three of them. If you find that daunting, be thankful you don't live in eastern North America. During our Birdyear we went to a famous birding spot in Texas called High Island. To keep things straight, High Island is not an island, nor were any of the birders high. Bird habitat along the US gulf coast has been razed, bulldozed, tarmacked and turned into condos and drive-through daiquiri stands. The little that remains is a magnet for songbirds who have just undertaken an incredible, non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. High Island is a forested hillock in an ocean of industrial agriculture, not far from Houston.
Our friend Rachel Shephard had joined us for our stay at High Island and Malkolm proposed a warbler competition. I mentioned warbler-neck not long ago. It is when you look through your binoculars and crank your head back to look for a flitting warbler. Try it if you want to experience it. Anyway, after about 10 hours of wandering through hot, humid woods with serious warbler-neck, Rachel had won with 20 species. Malkolm won the silver medal with 19 and Wendy and I tied for bronze with 18.
Today's warbler is MacGillivray's Warbler (who was MacGillivray, and why should a bird be named after her?). Anyway, song #2 on Dendroica was recorded on Cortez Island. Malkolm found one on our property a couple of years ago and it keeps coming back. Its song seems to begin with 3 notes followed by its warbled ending. The Cortez song on Dendroica is so fast it is hard to tell if it starts with 3 or 4 notes.
Don't worry! The Salish Sea Department of Continuing Education recently decreed that since we had to move our studies online, that everyone would pass and qualify for post-secondary studies. Congratulations!
good, good, good, l-u-u-ck.
Ken
photo: Glen Bartlery / sound: John Neville
Song Sparrows
I hear Song Sparrows
early in the spring and late
this poem don't scan so good
News Flash: Poets out there - if you are bored, cheer us up with a bird poem. There will be several prizes in the Birdathon for our bird-brained poets (that's a compliment, I think). First prize will be a pair of hand-knitted Bald Eagle mitts; one adult, one juvenile. Haven't figured out other prizes yet.
My brain keeps wanting to anthropomorphize the stalwart Song Sparrow. See what I mean? One thing I like about them is that they start singing way earlier than other birds. Picture a bright February morning, the trees still dripping after a week-long rain. Then you hear the clear beginning notes of a Song Sparrow's breeding song. Not the whole thing, just a few bars, as if they are music students getting ready for a concert. Darn, I did it again.
The Dendroica wordsmith says the song is variable, a mixed series of musical, raspy or buzzy notes, sometimes rendered as "maids, maids, maids put on your tea kettle-ettle-ettle". I'd rather it be coffee, but that's just me. I went through the songs and like #9 best for the ones on our islands. Which one do you like? Don't tell me, send me a poem instead.
cheers, eers, eers . . . Ken
photo: Brian E. Kushner / sound: Kevin J. Colver
Golden-crowned Sparrow
You may have heard David Sibley on The Current (9 am last Friday if you want to listen online). Sibley is the author of popular bird field guides and other books. One thing I noticed is that he talked about bird watching rather than birding. It wasn't until the late 60's and the formation of the American Birding Association, that the term "birding" became popular. It turned watching birds into a sport, and popularized the idea of quickly identifying a bird and adding it to a list. Birdwatching, on the other hand, requires patience and the approach of someone who is a naturalist at heart.
Don't get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with enjoying bird identification. That's what happens in the Birdathon (with the added goal of helping to protect habitat so that we can all be birdwatchers).
Sibley talked about other cool things, such as the fact that birds can process visual information twice as fast as humans. His analogy: if a bird watched a movie, they would be seeing a slide show. That's how they can fly through a forest without whacking into branches.
I also liked listening to the bird chorus in the background as Sibley talked, mainly White-throated Sparrows. I've only heard them once, when we were cycling through northern BC (although they are mainly eastern birds). However, they sounded a lot like what I've been hearing around our place the past few days: Golden-crowned Sparrows. These beautiful birds are getting ready to head north to breed. Try song #1 in Dendroica - it is from the high-country on the BC/Yukon border. Maybe the sparrows in our garden are heading up there?
cheers, Ken
photo:George Pagos / sound: William W.H. Gunn
Chipping Sparrow
“Stephen King’s favourite birds”
As I was sitting down to write this note, our son Malkolm called, so I posed the above question to him. His guesses were: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Belted Kingfisher and Western Kingbird. He was perplexed when I told him the real answers: juncos, towhees, Chipping Sparrows and Orange-crowned Warblers. Why? Because they are all trillers.
He was then even more confused since he thought I'd said Stephen Quinn (the host of the CBC Vancouver morning show), not Stephen King the novelist. However, I then asked why he hadn't guessed a Ruby-crowned Quinnlet, a Belted Quinnfisher and a Western Quinnbird. He didn't have a good answer for that. If you are confused, please give Malkolm a call.
Not long ago, I thought I could confidently tell the local trillers apart (although I have to admit that the darned towhees tricked me once or twice). Then the Chipping Sparrows showed up and made everything that much tougher. Here is my take on the trilling situation:
1) Orange-crowned Warblers (previously posted) - musical trill which usually changes in pitch at the end.
2) Spotted Towhee (previously posted) - harsh, short, loud, forceful trill.
3) Dark-eyed Junco (previously posted) - trill at the same pitch, not particularly musical although Sibley says they "average" slower and more musical than Chipping Sparrows.
4) Chipping Sparrow - trill that can sound a lot like a junco. Sibley describes it as "rather" long and mechanical. Not sure what the difference is between long and rather long.
After that I'm sure you'll be itching to listen to Dendroica and then get out there to sort everything out. If so, take Stephen King with you. Maybe he can help.
cheers, Ken
photo: Carol Edwards / sound: Kevin J. Colver
Common Yellowthroat
Today's bird doesn't have warbler in its name. Don't let it fool you however, it is one. Its song is a little easier than some of the other warblers, especially since they hang out near wetlands, which helps to narrow it down.
Their song is supposed to be "awitchety-awitchety-awitchety" (although I never notice the "a"). There is some variation in the tempo - try listening to song 1, 2, 3, and 10 in Dendroica. If you are lucky you might be able to find the bird in a swamp somewhere near you. I heard one singing yesterday in the wetland on the right just before cycling up "Heartbreak Hill." I heard another in the marshy area near Corland Vinyard. There are also yellowthroats in the marshes in Central Park and Winter Wren Woods. Basically, as long as you are up to your ankles in water, you should be hearing one.
cheers, Ken
photo: Bill Bouton / sound: Macauly Library
Marsh Wren
Since our feet are still wet from searching for yellowthroats, we might as well stay in the swamp. This is a fun one, although you may need to do some searching to find one singing. The first time someone told me that Marsh Wrens sound like a sewing machine I was doubtful. But I have lots of experience listening to sewing machines now, and after finally hearing a March Wren a few years ago I was convinced. Although I haven't heard one this year, I've heard them in Winter Wren Woods, at the bridge on Pickles Road and by a marsh in Central Park. Anyone have any more recent sightings/listenings?
Recording #7 in Dendroica is from Nanaimo.
When you hear one you'll be in stitches.
cheers, Ken
photo: goingslo / sound: John Neville