Bird Series
In January 2011, I was invited to join a new team competing in the Carden Challenge where teams compete to identify the greatest number of bird species in a 24 hour period. My song ID skills at the time were not great so I spent the next three months studying and listening and practicing. At the time, I thought I was doing it just for the Challenge. Now I realize that those months spent learning have led to some pretty fantastic work opportunities.
I was interested in birds long before I had any clue that geocaching existed. So when it came time to place some caches, what better way to combine the two interests. How many of these birds can you identify?
Red-eyed Vireo
This species is responsible for convincing me that what I've learned from studying bird songs has made getting out in nature much more interesting. Now instead of the white noise of random bird noises coming from the tree tops or from deep within shrubs, my ears pick up the patterns and I am able to identify what bird makes that noise. And it's hard to miss this bird once you know its song.
Red-eyed vireos are one of the most common summer birds to be found in our forests. Because they like to stay high in the trees, you will rarely have an opportunity to see one but if you learn their song you will realize just how common they are. A single male can sing more than 20,000 times in a single day: "where are you?, here I am, up here, look at me".
The red iris forms after the bird's first winter and can range from dull brick red to bright crimson. This colour, however, is rarely visible unless the bird is in the hand.
In the summer, insects account for a large percentage of their diet. As fall migration approaches, the amount of fruit in their diet increases. While on their southern over-wintering ground, they become almost entirely fruit eaters.
