Bird ID — May All Your Blues Be Birds

We've been tuning up our ears to bird vocalizations for the last week.

All of us use meaningless words to try to describe these sounds - "The call is very distinct...the song has a certain quality and ring...tonally there's a lot going on...there’s a DISTINCT difference between a WETA and AMRO.”

Also, the men tend to associate bird songs with some kind of weapon.

Here's what we've learned:

Townsend's Warbler (TOWA) sounds like = The Maxwell House Coffee song

Wilson's Warbler = The Elvis BirdPhoto by Tony Tong — Wilson's Warbler = The Elvis Bird
Photo by Tony Tong

Nashville Warbler (NAWA) sounds like = pizza pizza pizza, beer beer

MacGillivray's Warbler (MGWA) = call sounds like two marbles being hit together

Brown Creeper = Trees, trees, beautiful trees!

Northern Goshawks have a stovepipe body - the beefy accipiter. Photo by Don Delaney — Northern Goshawks have a stovepipe body - the beefy accipiter.
Photo by Don Delaney

Wilson's Warbler = one of the men said it sounds like a machine gun cocking and going off

Yellow-breasted Chat = the Larry, Moe, and Curly bird; it sounds like yuk yuk yuk, whistle whistle, honk honk honk

Male Northern Harrier - the gray ghost with the white butt. Photo by Don Delaney — Male Northern Harrier - the gray ghost with the white butt.
Photo by Don Delaney

Lazuli Bunting = ...here, here, fire, fire, put it out...

Pine Siskin = a caffeinated robot with a ZZZzzzzrrree!

American Goldfinch = the bird that brings the party snacks; Potato chip! Bean dip! (I typed Potato Chip into Cornell's All About Birds sight, and nothing came up)