Do I need CDs featuring bird calls?
This is #17 in a series called frequently asked questions about birding.
Do I need to buy a set of CDs featuring bird calls?
- No – but they are an excellent learning resource especially if you are just beginning in birding.
- Another use for them, even for experienced birders, is to get to recognise species by call alone. I can do that with probably about 50 species found near our home. When I move to the Adelaide Hills only 60 kilometres away some species are not as well known to me and I flounder with my identification.
- I know I am really out of my zone of experience when I go birding in Sydney, for example.
- Queensland and the Northern Territory are like going to another country. I can recognise them when I see them, but it is useful to also be able to ID a bird by call alone.
It’s invaluable to be able to recognise birds by their calls when doing Atlas surveys as you’d know Trevor, saves a lot of time. A birder I know has the tapes playing whenever she drives anywhere, that’s dedication!
You are quite correct Duncan. I’m not dedicated enough to have them playing in the car all the time – but its a good strategy. (I wonder what my wife would think?)