Birding by Ear

There's a lot to look forward to in spring for birders.

The flowers are blooming, old friends are returning,  and birdsong is at its peak. The sheer volume of songs and calls can often feel overwhelming for birders, but these sounds offer an opportunity and a challenge. With our birding-by-ear series you can learn how to better ID birds through their vocalizations. 

Pt. 1: Start Listening for Songs and Calls
Pt. 2: Learn the Most Common Kinds of Sounds
Pt. 3: Connect Noises With Pictures That Stick
Pt. 4: Grow Familiar With Neighborhood Voices
Pt. 5: “Read” Sounds on Spectrograms
Pt. 6: Know If It's a Mimic or the Real Deal
Pt. 7: Learn Different Regional Accents
Pt. 8: Eavesdrop on Nature's Orchestra
A Few of Our Favorite Sounds
Adopt a Bird
American Bittern
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns
! Priority Bird
Varied Thrush
Thrushes
Red-tailed Hawk
Hawks and Eagles
Pied-billed Grebe
Grebes

More Birding Advice

How To Begin Birding
January 25, 2015 — Like birds, but don’t know how to make the leap to becoming a birder? Here are three easy steps to get you into the field.
Birding
Pulling North America's Loons Back from the Brink
January 22, 2015 — Restoring a national icon takes luck, patience, and more than a little guile. The backing of a billionaire helps quite a bit, too.
Climate-Threatened Birds
Camilla Cerea/National Audubon Society
The Audubon Dictionary For Birders
January 13, 2015 — Get your bird-word knowledge up to date.
The Birding Scene
Tom_Fowlks_Birding_California
Safety Tips For Better Birding
January 13, 2015 — Keep your eyes on the prize, in addition to other things, to avoid disasters out in the field.
Birding
Courtesy of J. Drew Lanham
The Freedom to Bird
January 01, 2015 — For ornithologist Drew Lanham, it started with the (in)ability to fly.
Why I'm a Birder