![\"k10668\"](\"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/files\/2016\/11\/k10668-199x300.gif\")
<\/a>Kroodsma has an insatiable curiosity about bird vocalizations and also a deep passion for his subject. He certainly shares Shakespeare\u2019s observation that \u201cThe earth has music for those who listen\u201d.\u00a0 Kroodma\u2019s curiosity, scientific rigor and passion are all on display in his popular books.<\/p>\nIn 2005, Kroodma\u2019s \u201cThe Singing Life of Birds\u201d appeared to great acclaim. In easily accessible language, Kroodsma takes the reader through many aspects of bird vocal behavior including song learning, dialects, the functions of song, singing by females among others. The book provides thorough training in the interpretation of bird song.<\/p>\n
In this book, Kroodsma provides sonograms for many vocalizations. These graphics show the duration of individual notes and their rise or fall in pitch. He argues that hearing by seeing is a powerful tool.<\/p>\n
The latest book by Kroodsma has just appeared and it is wonderful as well.\u00a0 The book is titled \u201cListening to a Continent Sing: Birdsong by Bicycle from the Atlantic to the Pacific). The book is an account of a 70-day cross-country bike excursion he made with his son David in 2003.\u00a0 Kroodsma was 56 years old at the time and David was 24.\u00a0 The book is an engaging mix of travelogue and natural history with a little bit of geology and anthropology for good measure.<\/p>\n
Most cross-country cyclists travel from the West Coast to the East to take advantage of prevailing westerly winds to aid their journey. Many cyclists prefer to ride in the afternoon when those winds are stronger and the sun is behind them.\u00a0 However, our duo decided to ride in the opposite direction, despite frequent headwinds. The purpose of the trip was to hear the songs of the breeding birds.\u00a0 The breeding season arrives late in the Cascades and Rockies.\u00a0 An eastward trip would mean they would miss most of the breeding season east of the Mississippi because they would need to be in the Rockies no earlier than mid-June.<\/p>\n
As you can imagine, Kroodsma\u2019s early morning trips were slow-paced with frequent stops to listen intently and to record.\u00a0 Kroodsma\u2019s focus was on sound. He had a small pair of binoculars with him but they were only rarely used.\u00a0 He and David heard hundreds of Eastern Wood-Pewees and Western Wood-Pewees but did not see one, by serendipity, until they got to Oregon.<\/p>\n
We travel along with the Kroodsmas on an extended field trip, never sure of what we will hear.\u00a0 When Kroodsma does stop to listen, he describes amazing detail and variety in songs that most of us fail to hear. But, we can listen to those same songs and understand the detail Kroodsma discerns.<\/p>\n
In the margins of the book, you will find QR codes (those two-dimensional bar codes). Downloading a free QR Reader onto your smartphone, iPod or tablet allows you to quickly play each vocalization that Kroodsma analyzes.\u00a0 With over 371 recordings, many of which are several minutes long, you can be in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the prairie of Kansas or in Yellowstone National Park.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have a QR reader, you can visit ListeningToAContinentSing.com to hear the recordings.<\/p>\n
This book provides a delightful, vicarious ride across our country. We stop frequently to appreciate the music of the birds.<\/p>\n\n
The first half of June is the best time of the year for bird song in Maine. Male songbirds sing insistently, hoping to win the favor of an available female.\u00a0 Males also sing to ward off marauding males from their own territories. Our sophistication in listening to bird song and our enjoyment have been greatly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[426,4627],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":804,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions\/804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}