Listening to a Continent Sing

BOB-WHITE! The male perches somewhere out in the low bushes beside a prairie stream, calling his name repeatedly. BOB-WHITE! Every 15 to 20 seconds, BOB-WHITE! What he does between calling I can only guess, because he's well out of sight. BOB -WHITE! What a nice diversion listening to the Bell's vireo, the common yellowthroat, the American goldfinch, the trickling stream, until our attention is again riveted on the BOB-WHITE!

Background

I stand out on the prairie, aiming the parabolic microphone into a riparian belt beside a stream. It is the northern bobwhite that most interests me, but listen for all of the other birds that he lives with: Bell's vireo, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, American goldfinch, dickcissel, red-winged blackbird, yellow-breasted chat, indigo bunting, willow flycatcher, brown thrasher, American crow.

Photo by John Van de Graaff