North Coast Diaries

The song remains the same

Synchronicity is what we make of it.

I got into an exchange with someone a couple days ago over whether non-passerines can be said to sing. I had posted an observation of an Anna's Hummingbird singing. I was told by this person that hummingbirds aren't songbirds and therefore an Anna's Hummingbird, technically, can't sing. It is true that the definition of songbirds (oscines) versus non-songbird was based on an anatomical definition concerning the complexity of the syrinx and there is no question that oscines have far more complexity to their vocal apparatus, but it turns out that a song should not be judged by syrinx alone. Most modern ornithologists now define song by function rather than anatomy. So, even though an Anna's Hummingbird is not a songbird (it is non-passerine therefore also non-oscine), they do sing since their vocalizations are functional songs. And the anatomical distinctions of the syrinx, which are relevant taxonomically, are a remnant of quaint Victorian hierarchies when defining what song is.

Which brings us to another rather quaint, Victorian tidbit related to song. Yesterday I was asked by a flute playing friend to suggest some bird songs that she might try to play on her flute for a concert she's doing. In the process of looking for some, I came upon the following in an old bird book written by William Lord (1902).

Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the dichotomy between singers and non-singers was being codified, efforts to describe birdsong using musical notation were very common. Recording was in its infancy, so musical notation was appropriate technology of time. One of the more famous efforts to transcribe bird songs into musical notation was by Simeon Pease Cheney in his book "Wood Notes Wild--notations of bird music". However, in a review of his effort published in the Auk in 1892 [9(3):280-81] 33 of 41 species could not be identified by experienced ornithologist when played on a piano. It turns out that what a person hears from a bird is pretty subjective. This explains why European immigrants imported European species to America (they were better singers) and why anatomy was used as an excuse for claiming that Nightingales sing and Anna's Hummingbirds do not.

I can't read music so I can't really evaluate the accuracy of the meadowlark transcription in Lord, but I can pull up a recording, generate a sonogram and ballpark it.

If I use my imagination, I can see the sonogram in the notes. We'll see how my friend with the flute does.

Those unfamiliar with the song of Western Meadowlark (and it is a song by anyone's definition) should click here.

Hummer at my house

I heard my first Rufous Hummingbird yesterday (2-8) in my yard. This is a full two weeks earlier than the previous earliest record for my yard.

The return of the Rufous Hummingbird

For the last 6 years I've been using the internet to track the arrival of Rufous Hummingbirds in the pacific Northwest. This week, I've been getting notes from folks in Northern California and Southern Oregon. The migration is running ahead of schedule this year, not really that surprising given the weather.

If tracking hummingbird migrations sounds like something you'd be interested in see: Hummingbirds and Flowers.

Yellow-throated Warbler poses

After 4 days of trying, I managed to get some video of the Yellow-throated Warbler that was first reported 29 Jan. It was uncharacteristically cooperative today.