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From: jespah@milton.u.washington.edu (Kathleen Hunt)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Contact Notes of Winter Birds in Seattle
Message-ID: <11634@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 25 Nov 90 05:03:48 GMT
Distribution: rec.birds
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Lines: 54


Hi, everyone.  I am currently involved in a wimpy little class project
which involves identifying songs, calls, and other misc. noises made by
winter residents in Seattle parks.  I am relatively new to id'ing bird 
song, especially western birds (though luckily the common species are
much the same as in the east for winter residents), and I'm having trouble
with those damn little mixed flocks.  I've got no problem if they would 
only sing their little songs or call their little calls, but when they 
just sit up there going "ee ee ee" I have an awful hard time telling apart
golden-crowned kinglets, ruby-crowned kinglets, black-capped chickadees,
and chestnut-backed chickadees.  I seem to be able to hear slight differences
in the peeps, but I don't know if that's just individual variation or if
there are really reliable differences among the species.  Does anyone have
any suggestions?  (P.S. the time is long past when I could have LOOKED at
the birds...what I am doing now is listening to tapes made weeks ago.)  There
is one bird that seems to be doing a rapid, chittering version of the "ee ee
ee", and there's another bird that goes "eee     eee"  with a relatively
long pause.  Does that ring any bells for anyone?      

Also, for chickadees, can I expect that they will at some
point actually say "chick-a-dee"? or is it common for chickadees to go for
a long time just saying "ee ee ee" without any "chick-a-dee"?  Boy, I 
thought I knew black-cappeds inside out, but now I realize there are all
these little details I've forgotten to notice about them.

And while I have your undivided attention :-), I would like to confirm
differences in the "chick-a-dees".  Seems that the black-cappeds, the ones
I am most familiar with, have a full-bodied, rather deep "chick-a-dee-dee-
dee-dee" usually with several throaty dee's.  The chestnut-backed (the ones
I am unfamiliar with since I never saw them back east) seem to be have 
higher voices and have a shorter call, just "chick-a-dee" with one dee, and
the dee is sort of buzzy.  Have I got that right?

Finally, there is a wren around here that goes "chuck-chuck  chuck-chuck
chuck-chuck-chuck  chuck-chuck"  on and on, with the chucks usually in
twos or sometimes threes.  I could never get a look at the little guys
because they were way down in the underbrush.  I've heard a rumor that
Winter Wrens sound like this, which would make sense since I also heard
Winter Wren songs now and then, but I am curious to know if other wrens --
specifically the Bewick's Wren -- have notes anything like this.

I've got a couple bird song tapes, but they are not much help because they
only have examples of full song or complete calls, not these little
contact notes and miscellaneous chatters and whatnot.  I've been considering
getting Birding By Ear, western version (I have the eastern) but $35!!!!!
is a little much for a couple cassettes and a booklet.  If it has all the
misc. noises, though, I'd invest in it.  Anyone out there have any comments
on Birding By Ear, western version?

Thanks for any info...
P.S. Saw a sharpie go after a flicker on one of these taping expeditions.
Flicker got away.  Pretty cool!  

Jespah