Birding by sound seems to be the most productive way of enjoying birds while hiking. What are the top ten songs to set to mermory before an AT hike?
Birding by sound seems to be the most productive way of enjoying birds while hiking. What are the top ten songs to set to mermory before an AT hike?
Freebird.Originally Posted by madmantra
Haven't hiked a lot of areas yet, but from my experience in the region:
wood thrush
ovenbird
red-eyed vireo
hermit thrush
black-capped chickadee (easiest song in the world to learn)
northern cardinal
indigo bunting
scarlet tanager
eastern wood-pewee
ruffed grouse (learn the sound of a bird exploding from under your feet)
There's a lot of turnover between GA and ME, but this would be a decent starting list.
Eight Miles High (The long version)
Indigo Bunting
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
Crow
Eastern Bluebird
Cardinal
Towhee
Blue Jay
Nuthatch
Wren
Pileated Woodpecker
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey
Red Tailed Hawk
Eastern Screech owl
Just to list a few .
If we look at the path, we do not see the sky. We are earth people on a spiritual journey to the stars. Our quest, our earth walk is to look within, to know who we are, to see that we are connected to all things, that there is no separation, only in the mind.
- Native American, source unknown
Bottom Ten has to lead off with the #@$%&* whippoorwills.Originally Posted by madmantra
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns
When they all did tricks for you.
White-throated sparrow! Old Sam Peabody, Peabody.
Yesterday I had trouble posting and got tired of trying.
Hiking high in the mountains of northern New England with the aroma of balsam and the song of the white-throated sparrow in the air is about as good as life gets.
Whenever I hear their song in the spring and fall as they pass through eastern Pennsylvania, I am reminded of times spent on the Long Trail and the A.T. in New Hampshire and Maine.
Thats a good start, I think I'd throw in the Barred Owl, Rose Breasted Gross Beak, Thrasher vs Mocking vs Catbird. Wounder if I can put the Peterson's on MP3? That would be nice.
These lists are pretty good. To hear some of these calls, another site is 'New York State Birds', but it covers most of the birds you hear on the AT.
http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/birds/index.html
The recordings are iffy. For example, the clip for the Eastern Towhee doesn't go "Drink your te-e-e-ea!" And that is one of the earliest ones NOBOs will start noticing.
The thrushes, wood and hermit, will start waking you up at 4 a.m., so get to know your alarm clock. Their calls are piercing.
The barred owl goes, "Who cooks for YOU!" with a gutteral YOU. This is the BIG owl you may see perched near the trail who takes off on silent wings.
When you hear a wavering cooing call late at night, it's the screech owl. I don't know why they call that shy whimper a screech. These little owls are no bigger than your fist, so you have to look closely to see their eyes at night.
There are several woodpecker calls that you will hear constantly: pilliated, flickers, red-bellied, esp.
Birding enthusiasts should not miss their visitor center, a short walk uphill from the Eckville Shelter/Hostel managed by BMECC near Kempton, PA.
http://www.hawkmountain.org
Absolutely! My favorite!Originally Posted by rickboudrie
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Add the red winged blackbird to that list. It's often heard in lowland areas near water.
As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11
I finished my hike in Maine July 20, 2000 but then had to return to PA to finish a three day skipped section. The three most common bird songs in Maine at that time were the Winter Wren, White-throated Sparrow & the Dark-eyed Junco. Back in PA Red-eyed Vireos, Indigo Buntings and Towhees were the three most common.
Nothing quite like the sound of the different thrushes on a quiet evening sitting quietly in camp.....
Greg P.
The Hermit Thrush is the rooster of the woods .
I don't know my bird songs but I think it's some kind of thrush that I hear in the southern appalachians. It sounds like it's singing in a long tube. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Can you tell me what I'm hearing?Originally Posted by woodsy
Gray Blazer is it perhaps a Veery : http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/fram...ng/h7560so.wav ?