In a message dated 4/29/2004 11:51:42 AM Eastern Standard Time,
 writes:

> shireen, very afraid of warblers
>

Hi Shireen,
 I'm Rick, and I'm a warbler addict.

 Sorting out all the "voices in the trees" is sort of mind-numbing, but with
help from the many CD's and/or tapes it can take some of the sting out. Here's
another thing to try. Get yourself a Digital Voice Recorder from Radio Shack
or Office Depot or someplace. I use mine in the field to record unfamiliar
songs. You can then compare it to one of the tapes later at home, or try playing
it back in the field right away and lure in the hidden singer. Don't over-do
it though, as it can cause a singing male to abandon its turf. But as an aid to
learning the song, it really does help. Even if you don't know right away
what bird made the song, after you record its' voice in the field, you can also
add verbal notes of your own, ie; "singing from a willow swamp, down low", high
in a river side sycamore, other birds nearby included...", " sounds like
'pizza!' " or something to help you at home.

By the way, these digital voice recorders are tiny, and take almost no room
in a pocket in the field. They have varying degrees of frequency range as far
as recording. Mine is a 180 minute model from Radio Shack, but there is an
identical model from Olympus, and can be had for under $60. Mine works
surprisingly well in the field recording songs even from a distance. For atlasing, it is
indispensible for note-taking.

Rick "warbler addict" Sussman
Ashton,MD


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