I wish they were as deafening as when I was a kid; in fact the Dawn Chorus
all over the world has been gradually getting quieter noticeably in
deforested deciduous tree areas, having been recording now for well over 25
years I find it hard to find areas that were as loud as say, 10 years ago!
My father land in Britain around all the old Oak trees and mixed woodlands
are a shadow of themselves now, my wife is from Australia and when we go
back there every other year, the tropical rainforests are somewhat eerie
quiet, if it was not for many insect sounds they would be dead.
But yes, this is a lovely time of the year now :)

Martyn

Martyn Stewart
Birds Sounds Digitally Recorded at:
http://www.naturesound.org
N47.65543 W121.98428
Redmond. Washington. USA
Make every Garden a wildlife Habitat


-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Alexia Stevens
Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2004 9:40 AM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Bird Language class

The dawn choruses are getting deafening, and I have had to cover the windows
where the song sparrow sees his reflection. At first I thought my water
heater plumbing was broken, but it turned out to be the flicker drumming on
the gutters. Yesterday a rufous was displaying right over my head. Sorry,
dude--I'm petite, but not that small.

In case anyone is interested, I am helping out at some bird language classes
through Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall. As you can see from my email
address (full disclosure) I work there. The first class is on April 10, and
there are two more day-long classes before a bird language weekend in May.
If you have ever spotted an owl because of the ruckus the wrens or
chickadees were making, you have used bird language. The class doesn't
focus on i.d.--many participants are learning to tell the difference between
a robin and a towhee--but on the different vocalizations of each species.
Is that song sparrow alarming at a cat or a coyote? Is there a
sharp-shinned hawk on the way? It's a fun perspective to get to know some
common birds better. Feel free to email me off list, or check out the
website below.

Happy listening,
Alexia Stevens, Woodinville
Product Sales and Kamana Student Services
(425) 788-1301 x30
alexia at wildernessawareness.org
www.WildernessAwareness.org

Wilderness Awareness School is dedicated to caring for the earth and our
children by fostering understanding and appreciation of nature, community,
and self.