Backyard Birding

This afternoon, I nursed the baby under a tree while my other children searched over the sunflowers growing under the feeders for insects. The birds would not come to the feeders with so much activity, but they gathered in the trees, waiting for us to leave. I love these times. Although we do not get to see the birds very well, the yard is filled with their song. Whether it is the harsh “twack” of the red-headed woodpecker, the soft gurgle of the brown-headed cowbird or the melodious whistle of the cardinal, each brings its own special instrument to the symphony of our backyard.

I am just beginning to learn the songs of the less shy of our feeder birds, but hope to learn more. One of the resources we found at our local library was Birding by Ear, a CD with a collection of bird songs to help you learn to identify birds by their song. My children love going to sleep with it playing in the background, but I am yet to use it to systematically learn the calls of our local birds.

If you are interested in learning to identify birds by their songs, I would recommend checking out the CDs available at your library, and paying close attention to your feeders. The calls which have stuck with me are those I heard while the birds were flying to the feeders. For me, this moment is a little more exciting and personal, so the sounds stay with me more than when I’m trying to memorize the sounds on a recording. We are planning on installing a microphone near our viewing window, which may help us, as well. The Virtual Birder also has a lot of excellent suggestions we may try. Birds are frequently heard more often than seen, and I would love to know who else is hanging out in our trees besides just those who waiting for a chance to come to the feeders.

bird identification, birding, backyard birding, birdwatching, bird song

(I am in no way affiliated with BirdWatcher’s Nature Shop and have never done business with them. The link is only provided to give you more information if you are interested in the CD I mentioned).