Hi Kevin, you wrote: > So, one has to ask, what is your mnemonic for Canada Warbler?
The mnemonic that I use won't initially strike many readers as a plausible rendering, especially not if they have been introduced to field guide representations like "chip-chupety-swee-ditchety". Some years ago I walked over to see the West Danby Worm-eating Warblers with a friend from Syracuse. On the way, he told me about an elder of the Syracuse birding community who'd had a unique mnemonic phrase for Canada Warbler. He chuckled as he recited it, and I laughed too. Little did I know! The phrase embedded itself in my auditory processing center like a mind virus, and now that's what I hear when Canada Warblers sing! (I hope my friend won't feel guilty - I'm grateful!) So, fair warning: if anyone prefers to avoid the possibility of being infected, this is the place to stop reading. But if you're not satisfied with the mnemonic you know, you're invited to take this one out to your favorite Canada Warbler breeding haunts and try it out: "Must go see Cardinal Richelieu" Bear in mind that the song is delivered about twice as fast as you can speak the phrase. Yet it has a staccato quality that invites this syllabic rendering. The mnemonic's final word "Richelieu" corresponds with the "ditchety" in the classic field guide version. But to get the "see Cardinal" you have to choose the right songster. To hear this, listen to the four Canada Warbler cuts in the Audubon Guide app. They're all from New York State. In cut #1 the song ends with something like the classic rendering "swee-ditchety"; I just hear "see Richelieu" in this one; there's no possibility of inserting "Cardinal". However, in cut #2 the "swee" comes earlier, like "swee-dicky-ditchety", which my brain turns as "see Card'nal Richelieu". #3 and #4 seem to repeat the same two song variants, perhaps even by the same individuals, with call notes interspersed. It's possible that some brains will just be immune to this funny little meme, but if you do catch it, I think you'll find that it's beneficial, even powerful. I live on the edge of a forest ravine with breeding Canada Warblers. There are lots of Hooded Warblers on the way down there, and they often sing that odd inverted song that is sometimes mistaken for Canada Warbler, but it doesn't fool Cardinal Richelieu! -Geo -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --