S2 E13: Bird Mnemonics - Time To Talk Like A Bird

Welcome back to the Bird Brief, this is Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist. This will be our last episode of the season! We are wrapping up this season with something a little different. Today we’re literally singing with the birds where I’ll teach you mnemonics for four different bird species that, if you live in North America, you probably hear every day (minus the owl, of course). Let’s get started.

Bird Sound: 

Great Horned Owl 01 Song US-CA. William R. Fish, Macaulay Library. The Cornell Guide to Bird Sounds: United States and Canada (v2021).

American Robin. Song. Brian Cox, XC938991. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/938991. 

Black-capped Chickadee. Call. Thomas Magarian, XC544964. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/544964.

Black-capped Chickadee. Song. Ted Floyd, XC350304. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/350304. 

Northern Cardinal. Song. Scott Gravette, XC743545. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/743545

Music: The Weeknd from wish by Lundstroem is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/songs-i-regard-terrible/the-weeknd-from-wish/ 

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF