There are at least 3 tapes of British Columbia birds out that I consider
the best available for this region. Sorry, I don't have them, so I can't
cite the exact reference, but they are arranged by region (coast, interior,
and parklands or something like that), which seems to make sense, and are
recorded in BC so include the local dialect(s). I agree with several who
commented about the difficulties of learning bird songs just by listening
to long tapes with dozens and dozens of species, but these locally oriented
tapes make learning somewhat easier (as do the Birding by Ear tapes).

The best bet to me is just to try to track down every unfamiliar bird
vocalization and identify it. I also found my learning enhanced by reading
R. T. Peterson's descriptions, to which I could often relate. For example,
I identified my first singing Chestnut-sided Warbler when I heard something
that sounded like "I wish to see Miss Beecher," a phrase I had read in
Peterson years before.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416