An Audio Guide to Identifying New England Birds By Their Sounds

What is An Audio Guide to Identifying New England Birds By Their Sounds?

University of New Hampshire Extension Professor Matt Tarr teaches how to identify 62 common New England bird species. In addition to the most easily recognized sounds, listeners learn the habitat the bird species is most likely to be found.

Black-capped chickadee (song)

Black-capped chickadees occur in a wide range of predominately forested habitats and habitats with tall saplings. They are also common in residential areas that have mature trees and a well-established shrub layer.

Black-capped chickadees vocalize at a variety of heights from the shrub layer and on up to the canopy. They often sing perched prominently out at the tip of a sapling or at the end of an exposed branch,
and they regularly call while foraging on exposed branches or deep within a tangle of cover.

Black-capped chickadees can be identified readily by both their common call and by their song.

The most recognizable call of the black-capped chickadee can be heard at any time of the year - it says the birds name with a clear "Chick-a-dee-dee-dee".
3.oo-22-5-30a BCCH chick-a-dee-dee-dee calls_edit from original

Male and female Black-capped chickadees make the chick-a-dee-dee call.
1.oo-22-5-30a BCCH chick-a-dee-dee-dee calls_edit from original

The SONG of the Black-capped chickadee, heard mainly in early spring through autumn, is a clear-whisted, "feee-beee"
5.oo-22-5-1 BCCH Feebee Song_edit from original

The song is made mainly by Males but females do sing occassionally. Here's two-different Black-capped chickadees singing their sweet-whistled "feee-beee" song"
Bird one: 6.o-23-5-16 BCCH song_edit from original
And Bird two: 7.o-23-5-21 BCCH song1_edit from original

Alright, so the SONG of the black-capped chickadee is an example of where mnemonics, or the words we use to remember a bird's vocalization gets a little fun. I've always thought the song of the Black-capped chickadee sounded like the bird was saying feee-beee.
However, some of my students say they here the song as "hey-Sweeetie"
5.oo-22-5-1 BCCH Feebee Song_edit from original (two verses)

My mom, who's also one of my birding students, says she hears the song as "he-did-it"
5.oo-22-5-1 BCCH Feebee Song_edit from original (two verses)

And I've heard others say this is the "Cheeese-burger" song of the black-capped chickadee
5.oo-22-5-1 BCCH Feebee Song_edit from original (two verses)

(Song in the background 4.oo-22-5-1 BCCH Feebee Song_edit from original)
So, obviously, Black-capped chickadees aren't actually saying ANY of these things. The point of mnemonics is to help you recognize the specific pattern of a bird's vocalization so you are more likely to recognize and remember what bird makes that sound when you hear it.
Throughout this Audio guide, I will teach you the mnemonics that I find to be the most helpful for recognizing and remembering each species... and I encourage YOU to make up and use whatever mnemonics work best to help YOU remember the vocalizations of different birds.

With that said, I'll give you an example for how specific mnemonics can help you not confuse the sweet- whistled song of the Black-capped chickadee with the raspy song of the Eastern phoebe.

Here's the song of the Eastern phoebe that sounds like a raspy "Feee-beee"
2.o-22-5-13 EAPH song_edit from original

And compare that to the song of the Black-capped chickadee that sounds like a sweet-whistled "Hey-Sweee-ty)
5.oo-22-5-1 BCCH Feebee Song_edit from original

So, by remembering the song of the black-capped chickadee (one BCCH song phrase) as "Hey-Sweee-ty (BCCH song phrase). We are less likely to mistakenly identify the Black-capped chickadee's song as a phoebe. An now YOU TOO can be one of those annoying bird nerds that corrects your friends when they mistake a Chickadee for a Phoebe.

So now, let's actually take a closer listen to the song of the Eastern phoebe.