by Sharon Krushel, author of Mother Earth: Boreal Beauty of the Peace Country
with Flora, Fauna, & Fungi ID, including Latin, French, Beaver and Cree
Songbirds of the Boreal
Hearing the music of our songbirds in the Peace always brings a smile to my face and light to my soul. I used to think I was hearing mostly Black-capped Chickadees (“Hey Sweetie!”) and White-throated Sparrows (“My Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada!”), and guessed that the rest might be American Robins.
Then, I found out how to play “Name that Tune” in the free Merlin Bird ID app.
On May 25, I was honoured to give a Mother Earth presentation at the annual Songbird Festival at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. Before my presentation, I took in their Merlin workshop. We stepped into the forest, stopped to listen, and within about 20 seconds, we heard five different species of birds singing all around us.
If you press the sound button on the Merlin app, it will tell you the species of the bird you’re hearing, show you a picture and give you some fun facts.
In settings, download the bird pack Canada: West for more accurate results. You can also search for a bird by name and listen to its song recordings. And, you can contribute to the power of citizen science by reporting your findings through eBird.
As a musician, I am intrigued with each species’ unique song(s), so I’ve written down some lyrics (mnemonics) and descriptions to help me remember which bird sings what. Here are just a few. You can find more at the bottom of our Videos and Resources page at MotherEarthBook.ca.
Yellow Warbler -- Setophaga petechia
French: Paruline jaune | Cree: osâwaskopîwâyisis
Like many songbirds, the yellow warbler has a variety of sounds. A mnemonic for its most popular tune is, “Sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet!” They eat mostly insects, so maybe they’re actually singing, “Sweet, sweet, sweet, they’re so sweet!” as it chows down a caterpillar.
The first yellow warbler I saw was singing with great gusto in the bushes beside the dike path along the Peace River. It brightened my day for a week. This little touring songbird flew here all the way from Central or South America. Its next concert might have been in Manning or High Level on its way to Nunavut to sing in the land of the midnight sun!
Photo by Wendy Parkin (p.182)
American Robin -- Turdus migratorius
French: Merle dAmérique | Cree: pihpihcô
In addition to “tuk,” “peek,” and a repeated “chirr” that sounds like a chuckle, the American robin sings, “Cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up,” which can be a bit much at 3:30am on a summer solstice morn’ in Northern Alberta.
I’ve written a song for the robin to the tune of the silly ‘60s song “Chewy Chewy,” which I hope to record and upload to our website by mid-July (MotherEarthBook.ca).
Photo by Sharon Krushel (p.102)
Red-eyed Vireo -- Vireo olivaceus
French: Viréo aux yeux rouges
“Here I am!…Can you see?…in the tree...at the top!” Each phrase tends to end with a downslur or an upswing, so it sounds like it’s asking a question and then answering it, over and over. It has been called the “happy preacher bird” because it goes on and on and on!
Passionately prolific but petite, this bird is often heard but seldom seen. We didn’t get the red-eyed vireo in the Mother Earth book, but I’m grateful to Myrna Pearman, biologist, author and friend, for permission to use her photo here.
Photo by Myrna Pearman
Rose-breasted Grosbeak -- Pheucticus ludovicianus
French: Cardinal á poitrine rose
This bird sings like an American robin with opera training!
According to allaboutbirds.org, “Their song can last six seconds and consist of 20 notes or syllables. Rose-breasted grosbeaks are one of few bird species reported to sing while sitting on the nest. The female sings when nest-building, incubating and brooding. The male often sings quietly from the nest and loudly from other high perches.”
Their opera training starts before they’re even out of the egg.
Photo by Wendy Parkin (p.183)
White-throated Sparrow -- Zonotrichia albicollis
French: Bruant á gorge blanche
The white-throated sparrow has one song that starts on a high note and descends in pitch: “My sweet Canada Canada Canada!” and another that starts with one low note and goes up by a perfect 4th (sol do do do…): “Oh Canada, Canada, Canada!” I’ve written and recorded a song for this patriotic passerine (perching) bird, which you can find on our videos and resources page on our website MotherEarthBook.ca.
Photo by Sharon Krushel
Did you know?
In summer, we have over 300 species of birds hatching, flapping and flying about the Peace Country. Thanks to our many contributing photographers, I was able to feature 129 of these species in the Mother Earth book.
See MotherEarthBook.ca for online purchase and a list of outlets in the Peace. Contact Sharon at 780-625-6324 to order a personally-autographed book or to find out about presentations, hikes, events and educational resources. Or, email sharon@motherearthbook.ca
At the bottom of our videos and resources page, we have the Rhyming Riddles Scavenger Hunt with 33 riddles to test your knowledge of the boreal (answers to be found in the book). If you don’t have a Mother Earth book, you may be able to find one at your local library.
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