∞
[Can’t hear anything?: Open this post in your favorite browser…and turn up the speakers.]
It took a few months (maybe a year?) before we actually saw the elusive White-eyed Vireo. They frequent Brazos Bend State Park — year-round residents I believe — and as they are most usually heard not seen, many of my local birding friends also had no idea which bird was making the ruckus (which I would record then share).
Adult White-eyed Vireo
(See the eyes?)
It wasn’t until we heard Mr. Chatterbox while viewing him through field lenses in dense foliage of our own yard were we able match the song with the bird. In the recording, you can hear Scott in his enjoyment of seeing the singer with his own eyes. Hard to contain excitement for birds over here!
Like other vireos, once heard and seen, they are locked into memory, easy to recall at a future time. This first-hand field knowledge is how experienced birders are made. Perhaps one day I’ll become one.
We have seen a total of 8 Vireo species this year — a record.
Go ahead…have a look at our list to-date.
DirtNKids Blog 
Beautiful and such a sweet little chirp too. I am working at trying to match bird sounds here in Sri Lanka with the visuals. Not so easy !
Peta
LikeLike
We became very familiar with local birdsong with a North American bird app, iBird Pro. Many recordings helps ‘lock it in’ when in the field. You should check to see if there is something similar for your region! Thanks for coming by.
LikeLike
At least within your family, then, the vireo went viral.
LikeLike
Viral indeed! Three of them were vocal vireo visitors, the Blue-headed being our fav for that audible treat (https://dirtnkids.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/wishing-and-hoping-blue-headed-vireo/).
The Black-whiskered was accidental, got blown way westward usually in Florida) and we stumbled upon him at a favorite spring birding hot spot (https://dirtnkids.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/spring-migration-when-birds-give-you-butts/). Don’t get me started on the smorgasbord that was the Four Corners. Viral!!
LikeLike
I can only dream of 8 vireos. I can relate to your excitement about detecting it in your yard! Great photos.
LikeLike
It’s been a vireo great year for birds, Tanja. 😀 I can’t believe we topped 300 already.
We are going to try for one more national park before the year is out, our tenth for 2017: Big Bend NP. We should see some more birds we wouldn’t otherwise see how big our annual number can actually get.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great. I hope you will be able to add some more. Have fun at Big Bend, whenever you end up going.
LikeLike
That song is so familiar. I often hear birds at the Dudley Nature Center that I can’t find, and can’t identify, but the songs are lovely — especially the burble-y ones. I laughed at myself this weekend. I heard a familiar bird that clearly wasn’t any more than a few feet away. I spent about five or ten minutes looking, and then there they were: a pair of wrens, for heaven’s sake!
I saw something this afternoon that I’ve never seen: a group of maybe two dozen swallows running a hawk out of the neighborhood. I never thought I’d see a hawk flee from birds like that, but when they formed that group, he took off — with them in hot pursuit.
LikeLike
Wrens have so many different sounds. I love it when they scold. Such personalities.
Swallows chasing a hawk! How divine. If he’s a bird-eater like Cooper’s, no one wants him hanging in the hood. Best to gang up on those guys. Hope you’re having a great summer, Linda.
LikeLike
Cool. I have heard those birds.. my back door is open right now and I can count at least 5 different sounds coming from birds. I believe one of them is the Ghost Bird! There is a poor blue bird that keeps flying into one of my windows trying to get in. I am afraid it is going to give itself brain damage!! LOL! 😉
LikeLike
Might be a male bluebird fighting off a potential territorial rival (his reflection). They do it here too! http://wp.me/p28k6D-WC
Your home sounds divine. Remind me where in Texas you are? East piney woods?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh!! Thats an interesting concept. I will have to tell my husband. We are in Athens. Just south of Dallas. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, wow!
Pretty, pretty!
LikeLike
I feel pretty special having these guys in my yard.
LikeLiked by 1 person