Birds Chirping

I have a number of friends who are bird photographers.  I am not one of them.  Numerous attempts have been made to recruit me, but I just can’t do it.  Landscapes and clouds, it will be.

That doesn’t mean I don’t like and appreciate birds, far from it.  After a suggestion some time back from friend and reader Alex, I started using the Merlin Bird ID app, specifically the Sound ID.  The premise is simple.  Install a Bird Pack for your geographical area, hold your phone up to where the birds are chirping, and let the App do the work.  If you are reasonably close, and the area is reasonably quiet, it works great!  And best…the app is free.

So I have spent a fair amount of time in places, holding my phone in the air.  Who knew…..I don’t have much interest in photographing them, but I am genuinely curious when I hear them.

Now the app could be improved.  It really needs an Extrovert Filter, because I don’t know how many times I’ve been by a friend or family member who talks way too much while using it.  Even when you point out that you’re using the Sound ID, it doesn’t occur to them that this is point where you want them to BE QUIET.  These extroverts can’t allow even 2 seconds of silence. without interrupting.

And I guess, who can blame them, because everyday life is just too loud.  In my neighborhood, there is the steady cacophony of not 1, but 3 different freeways.  At night, when I am trying to go to sleep, I can actually hear cars hit the rumble strips at the end of Route 125, easily 1 mile away.  Then you have the Harleys with the loud pipes, the neighbor with the super loud Dodge Challenger, the roar of the fire engines and ambulances down the street – it just continues and continues.

And yet!  I found myself on a Sunday morning that was cool but comfortable enough for me to open my front door.  Not many people were on the freeways, they were sleeping off their partying from the night before.  The neighbors weren’t yet stirring.  And my entire living room was filled with the sound of what seemed like an entire forest of bird-calls.  It was an amazing moment.  I often play music from my computer over to my Apple TV, but I had it off, and the birds were putting on a show.

Bird Fights!

When I need a quick break from work, I have chatted with a couple neighbors once or twice a day.  And we were greeted by a wonderful display of birds fighting.  In this case, we had an aerial brawl between Cooper’s Hawks and American Crows.  Crows have an unpleasant call as bad as my spoken voice – you generally want the “Caws” to go away.  But they are incredibly intelligent and the neighborhood bullies.  They’re quick to adapt which is why they are found where humans are.

While a hawk may look tougher and more fearsome, they don’t quite exhibit the group behavior that Crows (and homo sapiens…) have mastered.  So in a scene all too familiar, we were admiring a majestic hawk, getting pestered by a large group of crows.  The hawk was flying in large circles, changing his looping patterns to confuse the flock.  Always quick to adjust though, they would double-back to make another run at him.  That is when my neighbor and I figured out there were 3-4 separate Cooper’s Hawks involved.  This was large scale bird warfare.

While a couple of the hawks were looping around, trying to get these bothersome creatures away from them, a single Cooper’s Hawk stood at the top of a light pole in a neighbor’s back yard.  The hawk stood like a majestic monument, able to survey the neighborhood, much to the chagrin of the crows.

We watched as the crows took turns dive-bombing the hawk, making quick drops at the hawk before pulling up just before hitting him.  I suppose this can be intimidating behavior.  But it was obvious to us that the hawk knew he wasn’t going to get hit.  So while the crows took their turns trying to move him, the hawk didn’t move an inch.

What an incredible scene it was.  And I couldn’t help but think, had I run into my house to get my longest lens, I would have spent the entire time trying to get a single bird in frame, without observing and truly understanding what was going on.  So, I am glad I have no photos from this event, because I value the memories more.

Aerial Invasives

The Merlin Bird ID does have its limitations, particularly with invasives.  Earlier this month, we began having the sound of some mass-screeching outside.  The sound was unpleasant, far worse than our crows.  And there were hundreds of these birds.  One day, when they were pretty loud, I put up my Sound ID and it identified nothing.  It wasn’t until the flock made a pass directly over my house that I discovered these were parakeets.

These birds probably originated from well-intentioned but unfortunate releases of pet birds, that appear to be clearing out the bird neighborhood.  When they are going, and again, it’s a hundred of these guys at a time, the other birds are quiet and nowhere to be found.  Even the crows leave the area.

While our invasive Eurasian Doves blend a little more into the surrounding area, these ones are the outdoor bull in the china shop.  I don’t know if these guys intend to stay here, or if they are migrating with the weather.  I do know I would like to see them head out of the neighborhood.

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tmschultze

T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.