Post by Gord on Jan 23, 2007 16:06:40 GMT -8
On a house aross the street from home, there is a pair of starlings that I think roost under the lose eaves, faucets or whatever those are (I run out of such terms quickly) under the roof where it overhangs the building. They nested here during the summer.
Anyway, every evening they sit on the roof above it before going in for bed. One loves to sing but aside from usual starling song, this one does PERFECT red-winged blackbird song and the call note as well. He also does spotted towhee, both song and call too (mind you a part of a starling's song sort of sounds like a towhee). With the blackbird, who often hangs out with starlings during the wintertime in mixed flocks, he picked up the call like other's Ive heard do too. This is why even though when I hear a red-winged blackbird in a big flock of starlings I look until I see the blackbird. Before, Id either mark off a red-winged blackbird, or look and look but never seeing the red-winged even though the whole flock was very visible in the top of a tree. One of the few instances where birding by ear isnt 100% reliable and you need to double check!
As to where he learned towhee, who knows!
You have to hear it to believe it. This guy is awesome because he's all alone and there isnt a bunch of other starling noise drowning him out.
Anyway, every evening they sit on the roof above it before going in for bed. One loves to sing but aside from usual starling song, this one does PERFECT red-winged blackbird song and the call note as well. He also does spotted towhee, both song and call too (mind you a part of a starling's song sort of sounds like a towhee). With the blackbird, who often hangs out with starlings during the wintertime in mixed flocks, he picked up the call like other's Ive heard do too. This is why even though when I hear a red-winged blackbird in a big flock of starlings I look until I see the blackbird. Before, Id either mark off a red-winged blackbird, or look and look but never seeing the red-winged even though the whole flock was very visible in the top of a tree. One of the few instances where birding by ear isnt 100% reliable and you need to double check!
As to where he learned towhee, who knows!
You have to hear it to believe it. This guy is awesome because he's all alone and there isnt a bunch of other starling noise drowning him out.