--- Ann and Manley Olson <[email protected]> wrote: > Two experiences from yesterday that reinforce that > one needs to exercise > caution when identifying birds only by vocalizations > heard. I heard what > clearly sounded like an oriole,only to find it was a > starling.I am sure that most of us have had > similar experiences and it > is just one of many things that might help new > birders. Manley Olson
There are actually many mimics to be cautious about. Starlings are one, nockingbirds of course and also Lesser Goldfinches. The key is in length of time you listen. In the case of both starling and Lesser Goldfinch you shouldn't have to listen long to hear the bird shift to something else. For mockingbirds, they tend to repeat everything three times before moving on (and almost always get back to their own song somewhere in there). The times you have to be most cautious is when you hear a phrase once, or only hear a piece of a phrase. Jeff Price (currently in Belgium where spring is underway) ===== Jeff Price Boulder, CO [email protected] __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html
