Hello Tweets,

Jack Bowling mentioned the Lincoln's Sparrow as a bird which gives
a rambling, freeform sort of song on occasion in the fall at less
than full volume. This sounds very much like the vocalizations (I
hesitate to even call it a song) I heard from a Spotted Towhee at
the Jensen access area on Fir Island last November. I remember being
mystified as to the source of the sound and very surprised to find
these very un-Towhee like sounds coming from a Towhee just 5 or 10
feet in front of me. It reminded me of the "whisper songs" I'd heard
from Song Sparrows in the past. I suppose the "Jumble" and "Whisper"
songs may be the same sort of phenomenon. I thought it was just
a bird learning to sing but that doesn't explain the Towhee's im-
provisation, if he was just "learning" he's going to grow up to be
a new breed of Towhee..a real Jimi Hendrix of the bird world.
Does anyone else know why some birds do this? Or has anyone else
heard other species oing this...not just aberrant song styles but
rambling squeaky little songs given in a very quiet voice.

Jim Flynn
Renton, WA
bf519 at scn.org