1. Learn local bird songs with the Ottawa Bird Count
Chirps, Tweets, and Trills
Learn local bird songs with the Ottawa Bird Count
A Volunteer Based, Scientifically Rigorous Survey of Birds in an Expanding City

2. Today What can we learn from the Ottawa Bird Count? Course outline
How to learn songs
How to identify songs
30 common or relatively simple songs

3. Today What can we learn from the Ottawa Bird Count? Course outline
How to learn songs
How to identify songs
30 common or relatively simple songs

4. > 50% of world population is urban
Source:
United Nations

5. Much more in developed countries
Source:
United Nations

6. Canada’s population growth is ALL urban.
Source:
United Nations

7. Biodiversity in the places where we live
Are you interested in natural history and conservation?
Where and when did you develop that interest?

8. Areas with the most birds also have the most people
50 x 50 km (25 Atlas Squares)

9. Even at the highest human population densities there can still be many high-priority birds
10 x 10 km

13. Today What can we learn from the Ottawa Bird Count? Course outline
How to learn songs
How to identify songs
30 common or relatively simple songs

14. Class Schedule 6 – Saturdays, through April 28
Saturday mornings 8:30-10:30 am
Daily schedule:
Doors open at 8:30
Course starts immediately afterwards

15. Most of your learning is outside this room

16. Class Content Tips, Tricks, and Technology for song learning
70 – 90 species
Start easy and get more challenging
Common/Simple Songs, Robin like songs, Woodpeckers, Thrushes, Birds of Prey, Aerial sightings, Warblers, Sparrows, Chippers and Trillers…
Ecological Monitoring (Standardized Surveys)
Point Counts – how do they work?
Census Plots and Spot Mapping.
Four Letter Species Codes

17. Today What can we learn from the Ottawa Bird Count? Course outline
How to learn songs
How to identify songs
30 common or relatively simple songs

18. How to learn songs Practise, practise, practise! – Every Day
Walking the dog
Making dinner
Riding the bus
Make a playlist, load them on your phone, etc. anything that plays songs and will show you the file name
Practise identifying them don’t listen passively
Vital that you do NOT know the answer before hearing the song
Also vital that you find out the answer before moving on to the next song

19. Tools to learn songs Other Sources for songs etc. Online and free:
Listen to the recordings…Often!
I’ll provide mp3 files for this course
Other Sources for songs etc.
Online and free:
Dendroica
Computer programs, very useful and flexible
Thayer’s Birding Software
Smartphone Apps (link to a review of these 4 apps)
Audubon, iBird, National Geographic, Peterson
Smartphone or Computer
Larkwire, Bird Song Hero
Friends who know

20. Today What can we learn from the Ottawa Bird Count? Course outline
How to learn songs
How to identify songs
30 common or relatively simple songs

21. Tips and Tricks to identify songs
Know what species are most likely
Some songs are distinctive

22. Tips and Tricks to identify songs
Know what species are most likely
Some songs are distinctive
Mnemonics – “sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet” etc.

23. How to identify songs Scarlet Tanager!
Sometimes it helps to think systematically
Where is it?
It’s singing from the top of a deciduous tree in a large forest…
What type or group of song/sound is it?
It sounds like a robin and therefore it could be one of these 8-10 species…
Of those 8-10 species what are the distinguishing song characteristics?
It is also a bit raspy (robin with a sore throat)
Are there other identifying sounds or characteristics that might help?
It said “chip-burrr” so it must be a…

24. Today What can we learn from the Ottawa Bird Count? Course outline
How to learn songs
How to identify songs
30 common or relatively simple songs

25. 30 species to start