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Community Corner

Learning How to Speak "Bird" at the Tolland Library

Part of a collaboration between the town's Conservation Commission and the nonprofit conservation group, Conserving Tolland, a birding seminar was held May 31 to complement upcoming hikes the groups are sponsoring.

Being able to identify various birds by their size and coloring can be impressive. Recognizing them without seeing them, simply by listening to the songs they sing, well, that's something to crow about.

On Tuesday, May 31, the town's Conservation Commission, in collaboration with the nonprofit conservation group, Conserving Tolland, led a birding seminar at the library to help hikers and other nature enthusiasts learn to discern the many birds that make Tolland their home by their trills, chirps, whistles, and warbles. Conservation Commission member and Tolland resident Cynthia MacDonald led the seminar.

"Conserving Tolland has been good about sponsoring a couple of bird listening, but at times there has been some frustration because not everyone knew what birds they were listening to," MacDonald said. The seminar was intended to educate people on basic methods for identifying birds through their songs, she said.

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Sandra Freeman, one of several people who attended, said she came to the seminar because she is a hiker and enjoys listening to birds and talking back to them. "I came because I want to know who I'm talking to," she joked.

MacDonald helped to make it easier for Freeman and others at the seminar to identify birds by breaking them down into song categories. For example, there are the "Sing Songers" such as the American Robin, the Scarlet Tanager, and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. "Whistlers" include the Northern Cardinal, the Tufted Titmose, and the Baltimare Oriole. "Chippers and Trillers" include the Chipping Sparrow and the Dark-Eyed Junco. Other types of birds can be identified by their simple or complex vocalizations, their warblings, or the names they seem to be singing in their calls, such as the chickadee.

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It can take a while for the novice to become proficient at recognizing bird calls, and MacDonald recommended several resources to help on the journey, including the Birding By Ear Series of CDs by Richard Walton and Robert Lawson. MacDonald used the series as the basis for the seminar. She also recommended the Birdsong Identiflyer, a hand held computer library that matches bird pictures with their songs.

"[The Birdsong Identiflyer] gives you a way to test your skills," MacDonald said.

The hour-long seminar included an opportunity to practice matching birds to their songs and also to talk with Marsh Summers, a Tolland native who will be leading  at the Weigold and Auperin Conservation Areas on Sunday, June 5 at both 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Parking for both hikes will be at Summerwood Ridge Drive off of Weigold Road.

MacDonald said Tolland is fortunate to have Conserving Tolland, as they have worked to preserve habitats such as un-fragmented forest, marshland, and open meadow areas, which allow a wide variety of birds to thrive.

"I truly feel birds are a very good indicator of the health and diversity of the habitat," MacDonald said. "Their vivid colors and body shapes can make them sensitive to the environment, so if you have a variety of birds in your neighborhood, its a good sign of a healthy environment," she said.  

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