Seattle Audubon

Pet Dish

Look, Ma, it's a bird!

I'm working on a story about companion birds. In the process, I'm discovering a community of avid avianophiles that I, surrounded by tooth and claw, didn't know existed.

By Lisa Wogan | April 18, 2008

Birding: Listen up, it's prime time to identify sweet tweets

Trills and whinnies, grunts and warbles, squawks and whistles — birds are capable of an exceptional variety of noises. Whether defending territory, revving up the opposite sex or yelling "HAWK!" to their neighbors, they depend on sound to survive.

This time of year birds begin to sing madly in response to the clanging of their metabolic alarm clocks: Find mate! Nest! Procreate! And birders are listening, tuning up rusty, winter-logged eardrums to play their own version of "Name That Tune."

By Kathryn True | March 10, 2005

Birding: Tips to get you started

Bob Sundstrom of Seattle Audubon offers these tips for the birding-by-ear beginner:

• Relax and stay focused. Try to learn only a few new bird songs at a time and get out in the field often to listen. Repetition is key.

By Kathryn True | March 10, 2005