Know Your Bird Sounds, Volume 2: Yard, Garden, and City Birds
by Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio

Learn the languages of 35 common countryside birds with this unique 65-minute audio guide and accompanying 48-page booklet. This superb collection of field recordings gives the listener unparalleled soundprints of the voices of 35 well-known birds of meadow, woodland, marsh, and seashore habitats of eastern and central North America. Detailed coverage of each species' sound repertoire, including songs and a variety of calls, makes this guide an indispensable aid for both novice and experienced bird enthusiasts.

Each sound category on the audio is identified and described with a short, narrative introduction. The companion booklet provides a detailed description of each bird's repertoire, including information describing the meaning of each sound.

65-minute audio with 48-page booklet
Cassette version suggested retail: $12.95
Compact Disc version suggested retail: $16.95

See below for ordering information and list of species.

Below is a RealAudio soundfile optimized for clean playback of the bird sounds over a 28.8 modem (sorry, but the narrative will sound a little wierd). To play this file, you will need a recent version of the RealPlayer.

American Goldfinch (RealAudio segment from guide + booklet text)

Perchickory Flight Call (both sexes): The common flight call of the goldfinch is a melodic, whistled perchickory or perteeteetee. This distinctive sound is given as birds swing upward during undulating flight motions. Similar calls are made by perched birds.

Su-weet Call (both sexes): Another common goldfinch call is a nasal su-weet, which probably indicates mild alarm. Breeding birds often make this call near their nest, and it is commonly given by wintering birds as they vie for food at bird feeders.

Song (males only): The song of the male goldfinch is a lively series of high trills, twitters, and whistles, with su-weet calls interspersed. Many of the notes making up song are repeated two or three times. In spring, males sing a long and nearly continuous version of song, and it is common at this time for flocks of males to sing together from treetops and other perches. A short version of song, lasting two or three seconds, predominates during the summer nesting period.

Bear-bee and Sipperree Calls (both sexes): In situations of extreme alarm, especially near the nest, goldfinches repeat a vibrant bear-bee . . . . bear-bee. Another alarm note sounds like sipperree or fripperree.

Chip-pee Call (fledglings only): A staccato chip-pee, chip-pee, with accent on the first syllable, is given by fledglings from late summer to early autumn. This sound is made by perched and flying birds, and seems to act both as a begging call and contact note. The young stop making this call once they are independent from their parents.

ORDERING INFORMATION: NOTE: This guide is currently out of print due to bankruptcy of the publisher, NorthSound Music. It will be republished this spring as a full-color book with CD by Stackpole Books, available in early March (www.stackpolebooks.com).

List of 35 species covered in this guide:

Open Country and Brushy Areas
American Goldfinch
Eastern Meadowlark
Northern Bobwhite
Eastern Kingbird
Killdeer
Barn Swallow
Indigo Bunting
Yellow Warbler
Rufous-sided Towhee

Marsh, Lake, Stream, and Swamp
Canada Goose
Mallard
Spotted Sandpiper
Tree Swallow
Marsh Wren
Common Yellowthroat
Red-winged Blackbird
Barred Owl

Forest and Pine Woods
Great Horned Owl
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Great-crested Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Wood Thrush
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Scarlet Tanager

Northwoods and High Mountains
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Hermit Thrush
Dark-eyed Junco
Common Raven
Common Loon

Saltmarsh and Seashore
Least Tern
Herring Gull
Clapper Rail
Willet

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