birding by ear

A Bird in the Hand

A Bird in the Hand

No matter how many calls you hear and songs you listen to, the noises don’t always give you a sense for the shape and size of the bird. For folks who are blind or visually impaired, this shape and size mystery is a missing piece of the puzzle.

Enter: Patrick Collins. We reached out to the UW-Madison’s School of Human Ecology, which houses departments that are full of creative, innovative students whose expertise is to MAKE things. We asked them, “Can you help us make 3D birds?” Patrick, a graduate student, said yes.

Photo by Rowan Koester-Jess

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Birding by Ear: Sounds of the Winter Woods

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Winter bird activity certainly isn't as hustlin' and bustlin' as it is during spring migration, but it has its own special joys. It also has some unexpected benefits. You'll likely see and hear fewer species on your outings in winter than in any other season, but that's not a bad thing. It's a hidden opportunity. If the woods are mostly quiet, it gives you more opportunity to really learn and recognize the birds you do hear. Many newer birders struggle with birding by ear (I know I sure do!) but winter is a great time to improve this skill.

Birding by ear is hard, but this week's Entryway to Birding blog brings you some pointers and mnemonics to help you sort out who's-who on your winter outings.

Photo by Nick Busse

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The Eyes (and Ears) Have It

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A couple of weeks ago I was walking into a trout stream (here I go again) when I spotted an odd splotch of brown, white, and black on the opposite bank. I could not make it out — a dead raccoon? a sleeping badger? Neither seemed quite right and the latter sort of ridiculous. Later as I had worked back to that bank, I had my answer when a goose erupted off her nest. I had not known that geese flatten themselves on a nest when they feel threatened. Within the next week or so on two different streams I saw the same phenomena. In both cases, though, I instantly recognized what I was seeing.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

July 2018 Keystone Volunteer: Kerry Wilcox

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The birding world is blessed to have people with a variety of skills and interests, and a willingness to share them. Kerry Wilcox is a perfect example of this: he came to Madison Audubon with the idea to run a "Birding by Ear" field trip that was particularly geared for folks with visual impairments. His idea blossomed into a wonderful class that exceeded all of our expectations!

"I'd recently moved back to Wisconsin after a couple decades in California where I worked for the National Audubon Society as a biologist and was looking to get involved with the local Audubon chapter," said Kerry. "I'd also had a long time interest in birding by ear--in particular with people who had different levels of sightedness." So Kerry pitched that we partner with a local non-profit, the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, to host a meaningful, enriching class that opens up the birding world to those who might otherwise be unable to fully experience it.

Kerry leads one of the small groups through Pheasant Branch Conservancy to listen for and learn a variety of bird calls. MAS Photo

Kerry leads one of the small groups through Pheasant Branch Conservancy to listen for and learn a variety of bird calls. MAS Photo

The class was part of our new Audubon Naturalists Series, and had both an indoor and outdoor component, and the 20 participants learned a variety of songs, calls, and other identification cues -- as well as the importance of knowing when and where you are to help hone in on which potential species you can hear. Kerry took the lead on creating all class materials and pulling together a variety of resources for participants, with support from Madison Audubon and great partners at the Council.

We're so grateful to Kerry for being such a champion for birders of all varieties and an advocate for increasing accessibility to birding. We look forward to working with Kerry and the Council for another Birding by Ear class! To learn how you can volunteer with Madison Audubon, visit our volunteer page.

Written by Brenna Marsicek, Director of Communications