Hi All,

I want to thank everyone who replied to my query about learning bird
songs. It seems clear that different folks have different learning
styles (as my wife the teacher likes to say) and therefore different
approaches to the problem. For my part I need a way to make the task
seem manageable which is why I wanted to restrict how much I try to
do at the start. Here is what I am going to do
* My daughter has consented to loaning me her iPod. I am going to
transfer perhaps 60 songs and calls from the Stokes CD and arrange
them into playlists of (a) birds I am trying to memorize and (b)
birds I just want to be aware of for now. I may also have playlists
for habitat. I figure that arranging the playlists myself will more
actively engage me in the learning process. I'll also learn enough to
be able to add songs from sources other than Stokes.
* I will be using my camera to record birdsongs. We recently got
a great camera (Canon S2) that allows us to record sound clips. I
have used it to take pictures of habitat and then record an attached
sound clip of a bird I could not find. I was subsequently able to
identify the bird based on the song. I'll also use the camera to take
pictures of birds and record their songs and calls for comparison
with Stokes. If it is different than Stokes then I can add it to the iPod.
* I'll also transfer "Birding By Ear" to the iPod and spend some
time with it. This seems like a good resource since it is not just a
catalog of songs but provides background and context.
* Taking a walk with an expert sounds like a great idea but will
probably have to wait until after soccer season (I have to coach
those pesky kids of mine).

It seems clear that the iPod has great potential. The one issue is
that it often works best for me to associate a mental image of the
bird with the sounds. I therefore will be using the iPod in
conjunction with a field guide for visual reinforcement. I noticed
that the birdPod has just come out with a Warbler set that includes
song + picture for color iPods. They will have additional sets soon
though for an additional charge. If my daughters non-color iPod works
out then I may get a color model and add some pictures that I have
taken and possibly also get the birdPod software.

Thanks again for all your help, Mark

Mark Wensnahan
Ballard/Seattle
reganw at rockisland.com