Young Birder Learns the Secrets to Identifying Birds by Sound

By Guest Blogger Zane Watson

When I was eight years old, I became interested in songbirds. I enjoyed watching them fly and look for food. I began using field guides and Merlin Bird ID to identify birds. I felt proud when I found and identified a new bird that I had not seen before because I grew my knowledge of birds.

My third-grade science teacher, Ms. Luby, at Woodland School liked birds too and she helped me start a brochure on birds. My parents noticed my curiosity about birds too and began taking me to local birding events. I’ve attended festivals, guided hikes, birding classes, and bird banding events. Currently, I am ... 

​​in a class at outschool.com taught by Ms. Gerth on avian research and conducting a study on Dark-eyed Juncos and another class in photography where I choose projects each season. My present project includes making photographs of hummingbirds with a fast shutter speed. 

I heard about the Bird Sound Workshop with Alvaro Jaramillo on February 8th and 12th this year and wanted to attend. This topic and workshop were valuable to me because I had always wondered about different sounds birds make and why they make them.

I learned:

• The difference between a California Scrub-Jay’s call and a Steller’s Jay’s call
• More about spectrograms
• That birds know their calls from instinct, but their song is learned from other birds
• Songs are for declaring territory and attracting a mate

Mr. Jaramillo had lots of knowledge about the songs and calls that birds make. I liked how he showed how certain bird songs were slightly different and compared them to each other. Thank you to the donors who contributed to the scholarship fund to support a commitment to racial justice. I appreciate the understanding, need, and awareness for inclusion.

Zane Watson is a 13-year-old middle school student at Ocean Grove Charter School and an avid birder who loves photography. He enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, and the peace and solitude of the outdoors.