February Speaker Report: Roger Jaensch on Communicating with birds: acquring skills and applying to conservation.

 

Roger's presentation was both entertaining and informative as well as being different from the usual style in that it was an auditory experience rather than a visual one.

His talk explored three main topics: how birds call and why, why would we want to communicate with birds, what use to conservation is communicating with birds.

Roger began by playing the calls of several night birds, which really tested the members knowledge. First and foremost, the Powerful Owl call had us all stumped, while the Owlet Nightjar and the White Throated Nightjar were only recognized by a few. 

Why do birds call? For various reasons: territorial, to attract a mate, alarm calls (predator or other danger), contact calls, for a young bird to show hunger, maybe just for the fun of it? 

Roger then played the calls of familiar birds we hear flying over: e.g. Rainbow Bee-eater, Channel Billed Cuckoo, Mistletoe Bird. Further fascinating facts:

Songbirds have two parts to their voice box and can make two sounds simultaneously. Apparently for songbirds, singing can be very draining. 

·         Birds of temperate zones may have different calls from those in the tropics e. generally in temperate zones it is the males who call, while in the tropics both sexes may call, often in duets, like Whipbirds.

·         There is a large number of birds who mimic e.g. Lyrebirds. Fig birds, Oriole, Butcher birds

·         Some birds have local dialects, especially if geographically isolated.

·         Some birds display while calling: Rifle birds, Bower birds and, particularly ostentatiously, the male Bustard. 

·         Some birds only call seasonally e.g. Cuckoos.

·         Some birds have loud voices for their size: Speckled Warblers, Gerygones. 

·         Some birds have different calls for different occasions. e.g. Grey Butcherbird early morning call is different from the call through the day. One member commented that their local Kookaburra had a distinct call for the presence of a Monitor Lizard. 

Why would we want to recognize bird calls? 

·         For a new birder particularly, it is often difficult to see a bird so sound recognition is a big help. 

·         For research purposes: for some birds it may be the only way to detect their presence and so plan for conservation of the species. e.g. The Night Parrot

Sound identification is especially important in locating night birds. Ethical issues are a very important consideration as minimal disturbance from electronically reproduced sounds(apps) is of utmost importance. 

Roger stressed the important times to avoid playback sounds: when birds are nesting, just in order to get a good photo, in areas of high visitation. e.g. National Parks. 

Finally Roger spoke about the importance of the Birds Australia National Data Base. The bird data collected over more than thirty years of standardized fixed surveys by everyday birders is invaluable in studying trends in bird populations and therefore important in conservation planning. 

It was a fascinating presentation, enjoyed by all who attended.

(Report by Tricia Allen)