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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

What do Birds Say? (1 Viewer)

ChuckB

Member
Birding books often describe bird calls or songs in words, but I find it fun to make up my own descriptions.

Here's an example: On a walk in the woods with my wife, I tried to stimulate her interest in birds by pointing out what the American goldfinch was saying. The books describe their call as "per-chic-o-ree," but I told my wife it was saying, "Look at me!" (It worked for a while, but she's still not a birder.)

So, what do you hear birds saying? I'll start with a short list of my favorites:

  • American Goldfinch: Conventional: "per-chic-o-ree." I hear: "Look at me!"
  • Phainopepla: Conventional: "wurp." I hear: My three-year-old granddaughter saying, "huh?"
  • White-breasted nuthatch: Conventional: "yank-yank." I hear: A cartoon character from many years ago saying "Snarf! Snarf!"

What can you add to the list?
 
Hi Chuck,

When I hear birds singing or calling I don't associate their song with a saying. I do associate them with other things.

Northern Cardinal - It's the video game bird
Chimney Swifts - Bats that have their sonar cranked so high I can hear it
Song Sparrows - Little robots
(Other small birds songs have a mechanical sound to me so it gets confusing)
Like Goldfinches and House Finches sound like little robots at times. :)

Good luck with your wife ;) Maybe you will find something that interests you both about birds or other things walking in the woods, flowers, tress and plants. Animal tracks. A simple camera to take photos along the way.

See ya,

Dana
 
people may look the same but i carn't say that for our birds
De Liver Bird’s already on de wing.:t:
 

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Birds that sound like other things:

Dupont's Lark - rusty swing
LOng-eared Owl - Blowing in a bottle, or low-frequency vibration caused by passing lorry
Little Bittern - distant barking dog
Water Rail - the slaughter of the pig
Little Bustard - short juicy raspberry (!)
Eurasian Nightjar - alien spacecraft

and some birds that say things:

Go-back, go-back - Red Grouse
Teacher, teacher, teacher - Great Tit
Cetti, cetti, come-and-get-the-Cetti - Cetti's Warbler
O-ri-o-ol - Golden Oriole
Set-per-vuit, set-per-vuit (seven times eight in Catalan) - Quail
are-you-going? (x3), don't know (x 3), may-be (x3)... - Song thrush
Ooo-oh! (sexy) - Eider

Steve
http://www.BirdingInSpain.com
 
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