Funny that you say that Song Sparrows are the most consistent responders to pishing. While they do respond well, I have pretty equal success wherever any chickadee species are, as well as with Bushtits, House and Bewick's Wrens and Spotted Towhee. When near water, Red-winged Blackbirds (and in the east, Gray Catbirds) will respond very well. And during the fall and winter, I have gotten both Red- and White-breasted Nuthatches and both Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets to come within 3 feet of me with proper pishing. It helps if you have a good hiding spot, so they can't see your human outline. I find that standing under a conifer, or amongst some shrubs, or squating down in brush all help the pishing, because the birds can't see you nearly as well. Sure is fun, but I try to not overdo it, because pishing is basically mimicking an alarm call and upsets the birds. Have fun with it!

Brett A. Wolfe
Seattle, WA (in San Joaquin Valley for summer)
m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


Larry Schwitters <lpatters at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
Tweeters,

Today I got to observe a new for me Song Sparrow behavior.

This is the only species that consistently makes me feel that my pishing
works. Usually they get up in my face and yell at me but today was
different. A pish would send them fluttering to the ground and/or
scurrying across the trail with their wings held up in a V.
It looked like an "I surrender" maneuver, but was probably a "follow me
and catch me" one.

I'll confess I ending up making the noise just to see the dance made by
three different individuals a dozen times. Probably most of you well
seasoned birders have seen this before. Sure is cute.

Larry Schwitters
Issaquah

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