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Why Birding by Ear is so important · Birding by Ear with the Master Birders Academy

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hello everyone and welcome to the first episode of Birding by Ear with the Master Birders Academy.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Kayla Fisk, and I love teaching people about birds and how to become a better birder, which led me to creating the Master Birders Academy.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: And what better way to learn about birding by ear than in podcast form?
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: I am a firm believer in encouraging others to get familiar with how to ID birds by their vocalizations.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: It can be such a huge part of the birding process, but I've noticed that many find the learning process difficult or intimidating.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: We as a species are very visually attuned, and most don't have too much difficulty describing colors or patterns without being taught a special vocabulary that we wouldn't use in our everyday life.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: For instance, try describing an American robin to someone.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: You would say it's a medium-sized songbird with a thin yellow bill, gray back, with a red breast.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: You are already familiar with the names of these body parts and the colors that go along with them.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you are an artist, you may have the skills to describe a color better than a non-artist would.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to sounds, unless you're a musician or musically inclined, do you know how to describe what you're hearing?
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to this bird.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: How would you describe it to someone else?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: What words are you familiar with that would accurately describe it to another to help with an ID?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Or if I play two similar bird sounds.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: This is exactly why birding by ear is seen as so intimidating to many.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: We are not accustomed to noticing these finer details that we may only have a split second to notice in the first place.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: So now let's go over why it's so important to develop the skill in the first place.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Think about the last time you went birding.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Think about how many birds you heard versus actually saw.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: And from what ones you did see, how many gave you actual good looks?
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Some groups of birds are more outgoing and easy to spot than others.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Waterfowl and birds of prey are typically out in the open many times.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: But many marsh birds are extremely secretive.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: There are so many species you will rarely get to actually see.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're in the right habitat, during the right time of day or night, you most likely will have no problem hearing them.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Let's take a trip to our nearby marsh to get an example.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: How many times do you see this common yellow throat versus hearing it?
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: What about the Virginia rail?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Or American Bittern.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Even a bird as common as a red-eyed vireo may be hard to spot when it's hidden in all the leaves up in the canopy.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: But it's definitely not a species that is shy about broadcasting its presence.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Non-stop.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: All day long.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Birding by ear opens up a whole new world when it comes to birding.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: With this skill, you don't even need to lay eyes on the bird.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Or have any equipment such as scopes or binoculars.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: It is also a great way to impress others.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: There are also many species that can look nearly identical to one another.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Think of the yellow legs, for example.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: They look very similar, with mainly displaying differences in their overall size and the size and shape of their bill.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: But when you hear them vocalize, it is much easier to differentiate the two, with the greater yellow legs typically giving three to four notes and the lesser with two notes.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Or one of the best examples of sound being used to help tell apart nearly identical birds can be when you are trying to decide if a particular Epitonax flycatcher you are looking at is an alder flycatcher or a willow.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: While in appearance these two are practically twins, when they are cooperative enough to give you a nice vocalization, these two can easily be told apart, with the willow's Witzbiw, and the Alder's three beers.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Many secretive species are crepuscular, meaning they're active during the dawn or dusk.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: These low light conditions make it hard for us to see, but these species are often very vocal during these times.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Marsh birds are often giving various vocalizations during this time, as well as the night jars and the crowd favorites, the owls.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe songbirds are singing their Dawn Chorus songs before it's light enough to be able to use binoculars to find them.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Birding by ear can be a game changer when you start actively listening to the birds around you.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: You will start noticing more, develop greater observational skills, and develop a better understanding of bird life and behavior.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that this podcast can help you connect with the world of birds better and help you on your way to becoming a better birder.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoyed this first episode and are looking forward to the next.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure to give this podcast a follow, reading, and share it with a fellow bird nerd.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: All audio is from those who have submitted their recordings to Xeno Canto.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: A list is available of this on the show notes.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, happy birding.