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INSTITUTE FOR FIELD ORNITHOLOGY

2007 IFO Birding by Ear Report

Instructor: Mark Suomala • 21-26 May 2007 • Concord, New Hampshire

This year's Birding by Ear Workshop was based in Concord, New Hampshire, for the first time. On the first evening in town, a Common Nighthawk was noted flying near the state capital dome – a good omen!

Our first field trip was to the Clough State Park area in Weare. Many migrants had still not arrived here, so the bird songs were not overwhelming and very easy to separate – a good way to start off the workshop! We heard a Wood Thrush early on, making his beautiful "e-olay" song, and then later in the morning, we found and watched a beautiful Blue-winged Warbler making his "bee-buzz" song. There was a baby porcupine in the same tree that almost stole the show from the warbler, but we managed to stay focused. We saw two Spotted Sandpipers foraging with a Solitary Sandpiper, and they made piping whistles when they flew. 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 Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham. There were many Pine Warblers and Chipping Sparrows singing, so we were able to repeatedly compare their two trilling songs. We visited a Great Horned Owl nest site, and were not too surprised to hear a Great Horned Owl calling, but then a Northern Goshawk making its loud and harsh screaming alarm call followed it! Wow! We walked a long loop trail, stopping repeatedly to listen to Blackburnian Warblers and American Redstarts. We practiced learning the songs using a recorder/observer pairing technique, allowing everyone to work on their own identification skills, and to aid each other, as well. The birds with easy-to-recognize songs, such as the Least Flycatcher with it explosive "chebek" call were especially appreciated!

On our third morning, we went to a wetland in Concord to demonstrate the use of a broadcast tape as a survey tool. We played a pre-recorded tape of secretive wetland birdcalls, and waited for responses. We heard at least two Virginia Rails responding! There also were many other birds calling in the background, including Gray Catbird and Common Yellowthroat from low in the shrubbery, and Veery, Black-and-white Warbler and Great-crested Flycatcher from the surround forest. After the early-morning fog lifted, the heat rose quickly and many birds quieted down. We visited the pine barrens area around the Concord Airport next, and heard several Field Sparrows, and Prairie Warblers. We got an early lunch and headed to the air-conditioned classroom for the afternoon where we discussed recording and playback techniques, and practice listening to a few recordings of bird songs. Afterwards, we took a late-afternoon walk around Fort Eddy Pond, where we got to hear and see numerous Warbling Vireos, Baltimore Orioles, and Yellow Warblers.

On the morning of our last full day, the forecast was for record heat, so we headed for the seacoast, hoping for a sea breeze. On the way over, we stopped at Chapman's Landing, a salt marsh in Stratham and got great views of and heard the insect-like song of the Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow. There were also two Marsh Wrens singing, and we got a look at two Virginia Rails in flight! We then headed to the Hampton salt marsh where we saw and heard several Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows, providing an excellent comparison with the Nelson's. Several Willets and Common Terns called from the marsh, and we heard one distant call by a Clapper Rail – a rare bird in New Hampshire! We continued birding along the coast, looking at sea birds, and hearing a few land birds, and wishing for cooler weather! We stopped at a seafood restaurant for lunch, enjoying the break from the heat, and then finishing off with some ice cream. In the afternoon, we continued our coastal route, and added a number of non-singing, but beautiful species, such as Red-necked and Horned Grebes, Black Scoter, and Purple Sandpiper. At Odiorne State Park in Rye, we managed to find a few more warblers and songbirds before heading back to Concord and our official workshop closing dinner.

On our last morning, we headed to the sod farms in Canterbury, and put our skills and knowledge to the test. It had cooled down overnight, and the weather was quite nice. There were many birds singing and we practiced using our recorder/observer exercise again, and alternated with a round–robin set of oral quiz questions. The class responded brilliantly to the identification challenges and test questions, and we even found a new species for the week – Canada Warbler – singing from the honeysuckle. Despite the hot weather, 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.

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