Try to keep your eyes on it when it calls or trills. So if you hear what you think may be a woodpecker, take the time to stop and find it. My best advice is likely advice you've heard me or others share before: to learn a bird's calls or song, watch it as it vocalizes. Check out our "Whoooo's That? Your Winter Guide to Owls" post from a few weeks back to get some insight on what you might hear from them. If you're birding late afternoons or early mornings, you may find their hoots, toots, and whinnies thrown into the mix. This isn't a comprehensive list of birds you may find or hear in the woods-nor a comprehensive list of the noises they make, of which there are many more possibilities and variations.Īnd we didn't even talk about owls, who will get very vocal this time of year as they begin their mating and courtship season. Their drumming may also be quieter-more of a tapping-because of their small stature and propensity to drum on smaller branches. The descending pitch at the end of the call is going to be what sets their whinny apart from that of the hairy woodpecker, so remember: downy goes down!ĭowny woodpeckers also give a single, sharp chip or "pik" note-but it is not as loud or as emphatic as the very similar sounding chip given by hairy woodpeckers.
#CARDINAL BIRD CALL SERIES#
The first is a whinny-like or trill-like call-a series of very quick, sharp notes strung together-that descends in pitch. But hey, recognizing what may be a woodpecker is step one!ĭowny woodpeckers give two calls you'll want to be familiar with. If your experience is anything like mine, you might start to recognize the "essence" of a woodpecker call and be able to confidently say "That was a woodpecker!" but may struggle to remember which one you're dealing with.
The bulk of the calls that you may be hearing in the woods in winter are going to be those of woodpeckers. It has a slurred, rather than sharp quality to it-kind of like the bleating of sheep, rather than a sharp honk of a car horn.ĭowny woodpecker and red-bellied woodpecker by Kelly Colgan Azar / Hairy woodpecker by Paul VanDerWerf / Pileated woodpecker by Mick Thompson The white-breasted nuthatch will give a loud, nasal yank yank yank (not necessarily three times, but a few times in a row, often with pauses). This year, there are plenty of red-breasted nuthatches to go around!īoth these birds have a nasal-like quality to their calls-plug your nose and say "yank" to get an idea of what I mean-but they say "yank" with a slightly different accent and rhythm. Red-breasted nuthatches are somewhat of an "irruptive" species, meaning that some years, they'll travel further south in greater numbers and in other years, we may get none at all. The white-breasted nuthatch is a year-round resident in Wisconsin and one that will sing late winter, so you’ll hear both their rapid wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa song and their nasal yank yank yank call this time of year, but the red-breasted nuthatch will only visit us in fall and winter. White-breasted nuthatch by Jenn Goellnitz / Red-breasted nuthatch by Doug Greenberg But because of this, the volume is a little variable on each of these recordings - you may have to adjust up and down a little between recordings as you listen. It’s a great tool for exposing yourself to more variations in bird songs and calls, not just the “perfect example” that you’ll hear on many ID apps. I’ve included recordings from xeno-canto, a truly awesome resource of bird recordings submitted by users. Most of these birds will be calling and not singing ( yep, there's a difference!) but don't be too surprised if you suddenly hear a northern cardinal or a chickadee bust out a summer song-that happens! I'm going to lay out a few different groups of birds you're likely to hear in the woods in winter in south-central Wisconsin and describe some tips you can use to remember some of their most common vocalizations.
Your options for what could be making that unidentified bird call are limited by the winter season-you're dealing with a smaller cast of woodland characters and that can make your birding by ear adventures a little easier.
Just keep at it and remember you'll get better with time, patience, and practice.Īnd practice is what winter is for. Birds make a lot of noises (which in turn can be highly varied), and keeping everything straight is tough. All this to say-please don't be discouraged by the challenges of birding by ear and please never, ever be embarrassed if you can't recognize a song or call, common bird or not.
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