Weminuche Audubon to present birding by ear

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By Jean Zirnhelt

Weminuche Audubon Society

Learning to identify birds by their songs and calls will be the topic of the next Weminuche Audubon Chapter meeting, on Wednesday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m. 

Keith Bruno, Audubon Rockies community naturalist and Weminuche board member, will lead us in this exercise of seeing with our ears. With mating season and the arrival of our summer birds, the air is filled with birdsong. Some birds we haven’t heard for several months. 

Distinguishing a bird by its unique sound is a fun challenge. Bruno will provide tips for picking apart the song we hear and aligning it with the bird singing it. Learn about the technology available to teach yourself this skill. 

Chapter members are getting ready to begin the third season of surveying bird populations in areas of the San Juan National Forest. This citizen science project is designed to study the effects of different fire prevention practices employed by the U.S. Forest Service on bird populations. A link to reports and YouTube videos on our study may be found under the Projects tab, Bird Community Monitoring, at www.weminucheaudubon.org. 

Identifying birds by their songs is an important skill in recording birds that are difficult to see hidden in the canopy or the brush in the forest, and will add to your enjoyment of the birds at your home. All interested parties are invited to join us at our meeting on Zoom. The meeting link may be found under the events tab on our website.