Al:
The one I had here last week was not singing its "normal" song that is on the tapes, CD's, and apps. But it was so close as to not be anything else. Seeing it just closed the deal. Maybe 'my' bird ended up at Sherburne. He was only here for one a.m. so I'm very glad I happened to be outside, moving a plant in the light rain! I'm sure you've found that birds have dialects. For instance, the Song Sparrow that sings here sounds like a SOSP should (!) because it's what I'm used to hearing, but when I go to my mom's house in Michigan, sometimes I have to do a double-think for a few songs! They even sound a little bit different in northern MN than they do here. Once on a Big Day I had a little trouble with that... (Once when I listened to a message of my voice on my mom's answering machine, I really sounded like a Minnesotan! But when I listen to me speak in relation to MN's who have lived here all their lives (I've only been here 33 years this summer), I definitely still sound like a Michigoose. 8-10 or so years ago, I helped a grad student at the U do a spring/summer of early a.m. point counts. We began around 4:00-4:30 a.m. and ended about 9:30 a.m. We stood at pre-determined locations and listened for 5 minutes to hear/see (mostly hear) everything we could within about 50 yds, then for 5 minutes for everything within 100 yds. Then, we moved 250 yds by compass or GPS and did it again, 8-10 times every morning, depending on how hard it was topographically, to get from site to site. We found, over weeks of counts at all different times of the morning, that birds have 3, 4, sometimes as many as 5 different versions of their song, depending on how light it is. They start out with the chips and squeaks that they use on migration. As it gets lighter they add a few burbles, until at about 6:00 they are singing the song you recognize, the lovely Dawn Chorus song, then about 7:00 they change to their early a.m. song, and by 9:00 they are winding down to their day song and maybe settling on a branch or near a nest for a short siesta. Of course, they kept up the "type" song if there was competition from another male in the area (or if they were a Red-eyed Vireo or an Indigo Bunting...) :o) Also, sometimes they sing other species' songs or what could really pass for it: Chestnut-sided W's will sing the Redstart's song, or the Clay-colored Sparrow will sing 7 buzzes instead of his normal 3-5, just to throw you off a little. I once, as a newer birder, looked all over the woods for the bird that was making a loudish ch-ch-ch-ch. It could not be the female Brown-headed Cowbird in plain sight, because I knew what the male sounded like, and wouldn't she sound somewhat the same? Nope. Major chagrin... Likewise with the chattery call of the meadowlark, you are sure it's something else until you see them make it! Isn't it fascinating?!! One of my very favorite books ever is Donald Kroodsma's "The Singing Life of Birds." Holly Peirson Columbus, SE Anoka Co. -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Al Schirmacher Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:02 AM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Cerulean There is variety in warbler song, then there is Sherburne's Cerulean. Not sure who he learned to sing from, but it was not a close relative. Some days I'm certain that it is the Cerulean singing, other days I scratch my head as he throws in portions of other warblers. Today is the latter. And then there's always the "h" word, although he appears Cerulean enough. Sigh. Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
