Originally aired during the week of July 21, 2008
The bobolink travels an average of 12,000 miles a year, migrating from New England to its winter habitat south of the equator--an amazing feat for a bird measuring only 6 to 8 inches. But sadly, their populations are declining due to loss of nesting habitat. Bobolinks build their nests on the ground in meadows, and these open grassy areas once made by beavers and then by farmers are disappearing. So are the animals that live in them. Bobolinks and their familiar song, once common, are becoming rare. You may be able to help. Do you have more than one acre of meadow? If so, can you wait until late July to mow? Most meadow birds are finished nesting by then. To hear the Bobolink's song, visit the
Meadow Kiosk on the Forest Trail at the Montshire Museum in Norwich, Vermont.
Listen carefully to the birds around you. Do you hear a bird song or a bird call? Most bird sounds are calls. These are the simple chirps, caws, tweets, or hoots that make up "bird talk." All birds—male and female—use calls. Bird calls often tell you what a bird is doing or what is going on nearby. Some calls are warnings, while some are used only between mates. A song is a loud complex musical sound, often used to mark a territory or attract a mate. A bird's song is partly inherited and partly learned. A young bird knows its song, but not perfectly. It learns the rest from adult birds of the same species.
The Meadow Kiosk at the Montshire Museum lets you hear the difference between several black-capped chickadee calls, such as those that mean "danger, there's a predator nearby" or "Where is everybody? Let's all get back together."
So which birds have the largest vocabularies? If you guessed crows and ravens you'd be right. Crows have at least 27 different calls and ravens make as many as 64 different sounds! Scientists are just starting to figure out what the different calls mean. While some birds such as crows and ravens have extensive vocabularies, others birds communicate by making sounds with their feathers, beak, or feet. The downy woodpecker drums its beak on tree trunks to say, "this is my territory." Snipes and woodcocks have feathers that "sing" in flight. The sound is part of their courtship. The more you learn about birds and how they communicate the more you'll want to know. The
Meadow Kiosk, on the Forest Trail at the Montshire Museum, plays many bird songs and calls, including those of crows, ravens, snipes, and woodcocks.
Shhh . . . this is Neal at the Montshire, and I'm looking for a very elusive bird! You see, it's kinda' shy. In fact, you can tell how shy it is by its name. We're talking about the Hermit Thrush, the official Vermont state bird. Sure, those other states may go for selecting colorful species like the goldfinch or bluebird as their state bird. Other flashy birds get baseball teams named after them, like the Cardinals and Blue Jays. Something tells me there will never be a team named
The Hermit Thrushes. But that makes seeing this bird all the more rewarding. You probably won't find the hermit thrush in your backyard - unless you're near the woods where the bird makes its home. The hermit thrush migrates south for the winter but it's one of the first woodland songbirds to return in spring, usually around mid-April.
Thrushes are known for their beautiful songs, and the northern section of the Connecticut River Valley is one of the best places to hear them. The second best place is at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont where you can listen for the subtle difference between the Bicknell's thrush, the Veery, the wood thrush, the hermit thrush, and the Robin. The Robin is the most widespread thrush in North America and is one of the most familiar birds to most of us. The robin has learned to adapt to human-modified habitats, and it can often be seen foraging on lawns early in the day. While the Robin's song varies regionally, its complex and almost continuous song is the often the first to greet you in the morning. What a nice way to wake up. Listen to a Robin's song in the
Meadow Kiosk at the Montshire Museum in Norwich, Vermont.
