The Nature Symphony

On a first listen, it is quiet. But it is always quiet before the concert starts. Close your eyes and focus on the sounds around you. You might be surprised by what you hear.

When it comes to bird watching, it would be generous to say that I am an amateur. That is, I can identify birds, but only in the sense that I can identify whether something is a bird or not. I am lucky to have the Bernard Field Station right across the street from where I live. It is the perfect place to begin sharpening my bird identification skills, as it is somewhat secluded from the hustle and bustle of the road. As I have begun to discover, it also has a surprising variety of bird species. The farther away from the busy road you go, the less sound pollution from the cars, and the easier it is to hear the beginning notes of the nature symphony.

Although I was keeping my eyes peeled for birds, I found myself more often just standing in place, listening to their songs and calls. If you are unfamiliar with bird sounds, like me, it can be very difficult to tell bird species apart just by listening to their song. This is when resources like the Merlin app by the Cornell Lab really come in handy. The app records the sounds around you and identifies which species of birds are singing. I also learned from this app that there is a difference between bird songs and bird calls – calls tend to be much shorter, while songs are longer and more complex. Included below is an excerpt from my field notebook showing a list of the bird species I was able to identify, most of them just through their songs [1].

[1] My field notebook with an entry about the bird species I could identify, along with the location in the field station and the method of identification. I’ve also included a quick sketch of a Northern Mockingbird and some things I learned after my foray into the field station.

The app is proficient at identifying calls, and I found it easiest to use on loud calls without much background noise. Identification gets a bit dicey when there are airplanes flying overhead though, and I found myself shaking my fist at the sky on more than one occasion. Eventually, I was able to start identifying some birds on my own purely from their sounds. The California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica), in particular, became easy for me to identify as they are quite common in the field station [2].

[2] Scrub-Jay in flight. They have gorgeous blue coloring and quickly identifiable songs and calls, making them one of the easiest birds in the field station to identify, in my opinion.

The Scrub-Jay has a unique and very loud call that makes it easy to pick out, which is only bolstered by the fact that the Scrub-Jays seem ubiquitous in the field station. While other birds seem to prefer hiding in the trees, the Scrub-Jays are quite visible, which is helped by their bright blue coloring that contrasts with the brush they live in [3].

[3] A Scrub-Jay sitting in a tree. See how its blue feathers stick out among the surrounding colors?

The Scrub-Jay has a variety of different calls, all of which are extremely recognizable. Though writing is not the best medium through which to relay what something sounds like, the Scrub-Jays have calls that tend to go “rawk!” Though there are a few other calls, this was the most common one that I heard. Some of their other calls sound crazy, they have one that is reminiscent of a woodpecker and another that sounds like something from the soundtrack of a horror movie (some of their calls can be heard here).

I found it difficult to identify birds by sight; they tend to fly fast and hide in treetops where it is difficult to see their feathers and note their markings. That’s why using your ears is so important when trying to find and identify birds. By listening, you might get to hear something like the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). As both the common name and the scientific name suggest, this bird can mimic the calls of other birds. I had the good fortune to get somewhat close to a Northern Mockingbird [4], close enough to see its beak opening to let the calls burst forth.

[4] Yes, that blurry bird-shaped thing is the Northern Mockingbird. This picture also serves to show how difficult visually identifying birds can be. The other bird photos were taken with a proper camera, and this one with just a phone. You can see how helpful it is to have the proper equipment!

I heard it cycle through a variety of calls that displayed its mimicry – from sounding like a seagull to a songbird. It is unclear to me what the advantage of having all these different sounding calls is, but it sounded like there were at least 4 different bird calls that came from this one bird, so maybe the ability to sound like more than one bird has something to do with that. Make sure to listen to the Mockingbird calls as the wide range of noises it can make are truly an impressive feat of nature.

I learned a lot of things from this experience, but one of the most important things the birds taught me was to slow down and enjoy the music. Take a moment, step outside, and listen, really listen. You might just get an impromptu concert in your own yard.


Media Credits:
[1]: Photo by author
[2]: Photo by Arman Khasru, used with permission
[3]: Photo by Arman Khasru, used with permission
[4]: Photo by author