** Reply to message from Bob Flores <rflores at qosi.net> on Thu, 20 Jun 2002 20:17:30 -0700

<snip>
> oh if you are interested in what he thinks is diagnostic it is the "soft whit" for Willow and the "hard bik" for Alder. He excludes the call "hard peep" from being diagnostic for Alder! Having heard it many willows call peep then the typical song. > He did state the peep from Willow is softer than those he had heard for Alder.

Not in my experience. Call notes are just about 100% diagnostic: 'whit' for Willow and 'PEEP' or 'PEP' for Alder. I think Matt is including the frequent 'Wheer' and other gargly type contact notes that are common to many empids as a reason to steer clear of using the PEEP as a diagnostic for Alder. But this is certainly the best way to pick them out of a crowd here if they aren't singing. Wish I could take a recorder out into the field across the road in the morning and pipe the Alders into the list for you all. You will wonder how you could ever mix them up with Willows.

Jack Bowling Prince George, BC mailto: jbinpg at shaw.ca