Birds of a Grassy Field

Bobolink
Grasshopper Sparrow
Henslow's Sparrow

June 6, 2006
Fairfield, Iowa

You don't see the birds until you get out into the unmowed field of tall grass.

Even then, you hear them before you see them.

But only if you're listening carefully. The bobolink has a bubbling sound, but it's hard to tell where it's coming from. Some people simply don't notice it.

The grasshopper sparrow sounds like—well, a grasshopper. It's just a buzzy trill.

Bobolink

Grasshopper Sparrow

(tsi-lick)

Henslow's Sparrow

Henslow's sparrow is even more minimal. Imagine a grasshopper hiccoughing. Now imagine that he has laryngitis and can only whisper. All you hear is a tiny tsi-lick. (Hear him roar.) I recorded his song in Jefferson County, Iowa, on June 6, 2006. I processed the recording using Raven Lite software.

How to learn birds' songs

1. Get a field guide to bird songs. Just as you need a book with pictures to learn what birds look like, you need recordings to learn what they sing like. Fortunately, there are several excellent tapes and CDs of bird songs available now. (See Bird Song CDs .)

2. When you hear a bird's song, describe it to yourself in words. You might notice that the white-breasted nuthatch has a nasal sound to his Yenk, yenk, yenk song, and that each note of the northern cardinal's song is a slippery, downward slurp.

Or that the blue jay's call is sometimes loud and harsh, as if the bird were screaming Thief! Making mental note of such characteristics helps you recognize the bird when you hear it again.

3. Associate a phrase of English with the song, such as Peter, Peter, Peter for the tufted titmouse. The words will remind you of the rhythm, speed, or pitch of the song.

It's best when you can fit your own words to a bird's song, but feel free to use memorable phrases others come up with. The ovenbird is traditionally reputed to sing out teacher, Teacher, TEACHER, and it's hard to improve on Quick, three beers! for the olive-sided flycatcher's call.

Once you ascribe words to a bird's song, the melody stays with you forever. Chicago no longer means just a city in Illinois to me. It also takes me back to the manzanita-covered mountains of the West Coast, where the California quail greets the morning with loud, ringing Chi-CAA-go!

4. After you've become familiar with a few songs, make a point of listening early in the morning. During the hour before sunrise, many birds sing. The chorus is lovely to listen to as a whole, but it is also a pleasure to single out and recognize the individual voices in the choir. Some birds sing throughout the day, but you'll hear 100 times as much bird song first thing in the morning as at noon.

At any season, you can see more birds with your ears than you can with your eyes. So why not give it a go tomorrow morning? Sleep with a window open, so that you'll hear the birds singing when you first wake up. If you don't know what they are, try to separate out one song from the rest. Even though the singer may remain a mystery to you for a while, it will serve as your inspiration to learn to see with your ears.