In the normal course of a non-pandemic year, I enjoy watching PGA Tour golf on the weekends during spring and summer. Watching superbly talented players make their way around beautifully manicured greens punctuated by towering trees is a relaxing way to while away the hours while enjoying a cold beverage or two. Covid-19 shut down all sports, but golf has resumed on a revised schedule without spectators. My favorite thing about April is that it marks the beginning of Tour play with the Master's in Augusta, GA. This year, the Master’s has moved to November. Heresy!
I mention golf because one of the most challenging aspects of viewing the action is listening to the birds that seem to be everywhere on the courses during tournament play, singing loudly. And I’m always frustrated at being unable to ID them by ear alone. One year I actually called the pro shop at Augusta National to ask if anyone there knew what birds were singing so prominently in the TV coverage. No one knew.
A little internet research uncovered the fact that I was far from alone in pondering this question. And I learned that the bird I was hearing was the Carolina Wren, a bird I’d never seen or heard here in the west where I live. Here it is:
I also found an article on Slate where the author contacted the Cornell Lab of Ornithology who put him in touch with John Fitzpatrick, the lab’s director, who it so happens is a golf fan and said he hadn’t missed a Master’s in 30 years. “I will confess that when I watch golf on TV, I keep a list of the birds that I see and hear,” Fitzpatrick said. With his car parked, Fitzpatrick pulled out his computer, opened the spreadsheet, and read to me from the list of birds he’s tracked in previous Masters.
The roster from 2016: “tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadee, Carolina wren, Eastern bluebird, Northern mockingbird, Northern cardinal, Eastern towhee.” He added, “That was kind of a thin year,” then went searching for a better sample. “In 2015, I had great blue heron, red-bellied woodpecker, American crow, American robin, brown thrasher, Northern parula, pine warbler, yellow-throated warbler, chipping sparrow, white-throated sparrow.” He paused. “This was a good year.”
I now feel better equipped to watch the Master’s this year when it finally makes its way to our TV screens come November. In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about bird songs and calls and thought I would share some of my favorites and encourage you to do the same. One of my all-time favorites is displayed at the top of this page: the Marsh Wren. They are usually heard more than seen, but if you can catch them out in the open as I did in the photo above, it’s a delight to watch them chitter-chatter their exuberant song:
Marsh Wren
Another of my big-time favorite is the Western Meadowlark. Their calls are so melodic and unique, I just love listening to them:
I’m going to get a little technical here so we can understand more about how birds make their calls and sounds. The “voice box” of birds is called a syrinx. Humans have only a larynx, but birds have both a larynx and a syrinx. Moreover, the syrinx is double-barrelled, meaning that birds can produce two different sounds simultaneously. Thus, the miraculous sound of my next favorite bird call, the Red-winged Blackbird. I have always wondered how they can produce different sounds simultaneously and now I know. I’m thrilled!
Another bird I love listening to is the Black Phoebe. I have a resident one here at my own home that I see practically daily. I’ll step outside and within minutes, I hear her distinctive call. I say “her” because I’ve decided she’s a female that I have named, naturally, Phoebe:
Both the Wood Thrush and the Hermit Thrush have beautiful songs. I’m sharing the Hermit Thrush here; it’s a little more melodic than the Wood Thrush and you get to hear the syrinx in its double-barreled glory making this unique song:
Another bird I love to hear and we’re fortunate enough here in California to have this bird show up during migration is the Yellow Warbler. A very busy chatterer, its happy little song is a treat to hear.
One of my very favorite birds is the Cedar Waxwing. Their coloration and markings are so incredible, and their black bandit masks outlined in white give them a wonderful, mysterious look. Their tufted head feathers are very dashing, and their tails look like the tips have been dipped in yellow paint.
When it comes to song, Cedar Waxwings don’t have one. They have only their very high-pitched wailing sound that they make particularly while traveling in large flocks. I always hear them before I see them and I’ve learned over the years to grab my camera before running out to look in the treetops to see where they’ve landed. It’s not unusual to see a flock of 20 to 25 birds descend into the branches of a tree looking for ripe berries they can pluck and eat whole.
The Song Sparrow should be on everyone’s favorite song list. This enthusiastic singer can hardly wait to show off its incredible vocal range. Song Sparrows are very common birds so hopefully, you’ve had an opportunity to appreciate this little singer in person:
I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing a few of the birds that I always find delightful when I hear them sing. Do you have some favorites that you’d like to add? Please do, the more, the merrier.
And last but not least, I’ve saved the very best for last. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Bird Song Opera, Mozart’s Magic Flute performed by a large variety of experts you don’t want to miss. And be sure to watch to the end where thee cast members are named and the conductor takes a bow! And even though it says sorry, you can watch it by clicking on the Vimeo link.
The floor is open for your birding observations, stories, and questions. Have a great day!