Bird Song Resources

Bird Song Ear Training Guide

This is a great new CD for birds of midwestern and eastern USA. It plays the song and THEN tells you what the bird is. And it gives a mnemonic for each song.

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Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region

by Lang Elliott with Donald and Lillian Stokes, published by Little, Brown & Company, 1997. Available as an audio CD.

These are sound recordings of 374 birds of eastern North America, to play on your audio cassette player or audio CD player. Most of these songs were recorded by Lang Elliott, a passionate and inspired recordist.

For most species, several different sounds are given, with an average of 3-5 different sounds per bird, and about 40 seconds per bird. The sounds are in the same order as the birds in the Stokes Eastern field guide, so it's easy to follow along in the book. The CD version has the useful feature of most species' having separate track numbers, so that they can be instantly accessed.

Diane's evaluation: One of the wonderful things about this collection is the accompanying 64-page booklet, which describes each bird's sounds in words. This is a great help to people who find it easy to learn by reading. The booklet also describes the contexts in which the sounds are given, such as "the song of a territorial male," or "begging calls of the young at the nest."

Western Region

This Western Edition of the Stokes Bird Song series fills a real need. It follows the same format and pattern as the Eastern Region guide. The main author of this collection is Kevin J. Colver.

This is good work. It is available as an audio CD.

Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central

by Richard K. Walton and Robert W. Lawson, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. Available on audio CD.

(There is a new picture on the cover, which you'll see at the Birdwatching Dot Com store.)

Birding by Ear, Western

Birding by Ear, Western, by Richard K. Walton and Robert W. Lawson, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990. On audio CD.

Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central and Western are sets you play on your audio CD player.

Diane's evaluation: These collections do more than just teach you the birds' songs. They also teach you how to apply the same methods to learn additional songs that you encounter. I have learned more bird sounds from Dick Walton's recorded courses than I did in many years "on my own."

More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central

by Richard K. Walton and Robert W. Lawson, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. On audio CD.

This set will teach you nearly all the rest of the Eastern warblers and many other birds. You play it on your audio cassette player or audio CD player.

Diane's evaluation: Once you have learned the species in the Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central set, you are ready to undertake More Birding by Ear. It is a delight to own and use.

Peterson Field Guides
Eastern/Central Bird Songs

By Roger Tory Peterson. On audio CD. This collection is like a dictionary of bird sounds. There is an example of each bird's song, which you play on your audio cassette player. Over 250 species are included. Keyed to Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies, 4th Edition.

Diane's evaluation: The sheer volume of material might be overwhelming if a beginner tried to listen to it straight through. However, this collection is a valuable reference when you want to hear the sound of a certain bird.

Peterson Field Guides
Western Bird Songs

By Roger Tory Peterson. On two audio CDs.

Similar to the Field Guide to Eastern Bird Songs (described above), but keyed to the 3rd edition of Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds West of the Rockies. Songs and calls for over 250 species are included.