Words of Birds
Words of Birds
Exploring the world of birding by ear
What are birds saying when they sing? What are they saying when they hoot, screech or squawk? And how do we know who's talking? As I've started birding, I've both enjoyed learning to bird by ear and been frustrated by the seeming impossibility of being able to learn to all the bird sounds or to match them with their corresponding species. So this is a place where we can explore the various questions related to birding by ear, including not only what they sound like, but also what they might be saying. Paying attention to these things enriches the birding experience and has real potential to enrich the world around you when you're spending time out in nature, or even when you're enjoying the birds who visit near your home.
"We Americans are reluctant to learn a foreign language of our own species, let alone (one of) another species. But imagine the possibilities. Imagine the access we would have to different perspectives, the things we might see through other eyes, the wisdom that surrounds us. We don’t have to figure out everything by ourselves: there are intelligences other than our own, teachers all around us. Imagine how much less lonely the world would be."
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- Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass, p. 58)
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