Learning Bird Songs

I love the sounds of early summer. Each bird song I hear on a walk around my neighborhood transports me back in my memories. My mind wanders to the people and places where I first learned each song. 

 

White-throated Sparrow - the first bird song I learned to identify.

 

When I hear "Poor Sam Peabody-Peabody-Peabody," it brings me back to my college field station where our professor played a recording of the White-Throated Sparrow's song. To our delight, a sparrow outside the classroom window started singing back! We were excited to point out the song every time we heard it that afternoon. By the evening, we realized that they sing non-stop and it became wearisome. "There's the White-throated Sparrow...again...and again..."

A repetitive, up-and-down whistle calls down from a tree and makes me imagine looking down The Stairs of Health and Happiness, so-named to keep kids (and adults) excited about the trek up 245 steps to reach the top of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. That day, I didn't need to climb. I stood at the platform with an internship mentor where he pointed out the squeaky wheel sound. Soon enough, we spotted the Black-and-White Warbler scooting along a tree trunk. 

And my favorite song, an ethereal flute harmony, sends my eyes scanning the forest for a magical beast. Classmates on a Boundary Waters trip decided the Hermit Thrush's song was so mystical that it seemed to be announcing the arrival of a unicorn. 

On a recent evening walk, I wondered how I would go about learning all of these beautiful songs if I didn't have the same experiences and mentors in my past. This is what I would recommend for anyone wanting to become a bird song connoisseur:

1. Download the free Merlin Bird ID app on your phone. 
2. Go outside - preferably your backyard. Open the app and start a sound recording. As the app hears a bird song, it will show its best guess to the species!
3. Choose one bird song to focus on for the day. Listen to the app's library of recorded songs for that species to get familiar with it. 
4. Create a mnemonic device to help you remember that song. You might put words to the song notes (maybe "zee-zee-zee-zoo-zee") or think of what it reminds you of (like a marble rolling down a drain).
5. Spend the rest of the day listening for that song and naming the species when you hear it. 
6. Choose a different song to focus on the next day!