2006 IFO Birding by Ear Report
Instructors
Mark Suomala
5-10 June 2006
White Mountains, New Hampshire
This year's Birding by Ear Workshop was once again based in Gorham. Our first field trip was to the Pondicherry Sanctuary and Wildlife Refuge and the nearby Whitefield Airport Marsh. There were so many species to hear that the first day was a bit overwhelming with highlights including 15 warbler, 3 vireo, and 3 thrush species. White-throated Sparrows sang their trademark "Sam Peabody" song from many locations, and the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers "rat-a-tat-tatted" their Morse code-like drumming from the aspens. At Cherry Pond, we heard and saw a pair of Common Loons, and encountered a surprise Arctic Tern out of range. Bobolinks and Brown Thrashers were the highlight of the field habitat near the Whitefield Airport, and we even saw a male Northern Harrier carrying food to a nest site. In our classroom session, we listened to recordings of some of the species we had just heard in the field and considered various approaches to learning and memorizing them.
On our second day, we explored the wetlands and mixed forest found in the York Pond Fish Hatchery area. We saw a Mourning Warbler singing persistently from an open perch within 50 feet of us - in the same site as 2005 - and we also heard several more at other locations. We saw a family of Ruffed Grouse crossing the road, first the hen, and then 6 chicks, rushing to catch up with mom! We worked on listening to warblers singing again, paying special attention to some of the most variable, such as American Redstart. We again had 15 warbler species upon which to test our ears, including Nashville, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, and Common Yellowthroat.
At Pontook Marsh in Dummer on our third morning out, we heard and saw several Wilson's Snipe, giving their "beak, beak, beak" calls, two American Bitterns giving their odd gurgling sounds, and several Virginia Rails making their strange duck-like descending quacks. Swamp Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds added to the cacophony. The two Bald Eagles chicks, nearly fledged were a real treat to see. After briefly using a broadcast tape, and discussing the ethics of using recordings, we headed farther north along the Androscoggin River and made several stops. We heard and saw Palm Warbler, a rare breeder in New Hampshire. We also heard several Magnolia Warblers, had a stunning look at a Black-and-white Warbler, and watched an Alder Flycatcher calling from the top of a sapling. At one stop, we encountered a family group of Gray Jays, making a number of interesting calls, and saw 2 moose by the side of the road. We kept practicing identifying the birds and used a combination of mnemonics, field-drawn sonograms, and written descriptions of the song to keep building our skills.
On Friday morning we headed over to Cannon Mountain and took the tram to the summit area. It was foggy and misting, but along the trail, we heard and saw a Bicknell's Thrush, a nice treat! There also were Blackpoll and Yellow-rumped Warblers flitting through the Red Spruce and Balsam Fir trees. At Jefferson Notch, we drove once again into the spruce and fir forest, and heard many Swainson's Thrushes, and had a close look at a Black-throated Green Warbler. At a low-elevation site, we heard and saw Ovenbird and Scarlet Tanager very well. In the afternoon we had a brief review of what we had learned during the week, and then had an enjoyable final dinner together.
Saturday morning was raining, but we braved the weather, and tried our field "test". The birds were smarter than us, and only the Red-eyed Vireo could still be heard in the rain! It was a great week, and all the participants were able to improve their birding-by-ear skills. I am looking forward to next year's class, which will be held in at a new site with many of the same birds, but a host of new ones to add to the mix.
ABA Institute for Field Ornithology, ABA
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