I’ve been trying out the sounds on the Pizzey app and comparing them with the Morcombe app here and there. Today I tried out the calls for Forest and Sacred Kingfishers on both apps. What I’ve been finding with my random sampling is that the collection of calls are often complimentary. If I had to pick one app based on pictures, it would be Pizzey. If I had to pick one on sounds…it would be tough. David Stewart’s recordings on Morcombe are excellent, as everyone knows. (I particularly like it that the natural gaps are left in place.) Then again, the Morcombe app often has a wide range of calls. So, if you can only manage to get one app…I’m not sure…but if you can get both, you’ll probably be glad of it. Unless you don’t like apps, in which case, you can stick to the field guide transcriptions of sounds. “LIke a box of marbles falling down stairs covered in maple syrup-EEEH-WOOH…falling away on the second note.” That’s not quite fair, but I can’t say that I’ve ever found a written sound description of any help. =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Yes, both descriptions seem appropriate
While on the subject of wacky calls, I’d describe the call of the Marbled Frogmouth as sounding like a Wild Turkey who suddenly gets his head chopped off. Have listen to Greame Chapman’s recording here: http://www.graemechapman.com.au/library/sounds.php?c=191&p=111 Tim ________________________________________ Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 3:09 PM Cc: Birding Aus Top Keith she That’s a great one! I remember being told that Gang-gangs sound like “a squeaky screen door”…and nothing could be more on the mark. =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org =============================== This email, including any attachment, is intended solely for the use of the intended recipient. It is confidential and may contain personal information or be subject to legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient any use, disclosure, reproduction or storage of it is unauthorised. If you have received this email in error, please advise the sender via return email and delete it from your system immediately. Victoria University does not warrant that this email is free from viruses or defects and accepts no liability for any damage caused by such viruses or defects. =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Ah, but was it the toilet door ? —–Original Message—– [mailto:birding-aus-bounces@lists.vicnet.net.au] On Behalf Of David Adams Sent: Wednesday, 4 December 2013 2:40 PM Cc: Birding Aus Top Keith she That’s a great one! I remember being told that Gang-gangs sound like “a squeaky screen door”…and nothing could be more on the mark. =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org =============================== =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Top Keith she That’s a great one! I remember being told that Gang-gangs sound like “a squeaky screen door”…and nothing could be more on the mark. =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Sometimes written descriptions can be helpful. In “Birds of Australia’s Top End” I described the call of Black-tailed Treecreeper as sounding like someone “whistling with his head down a toilet bowl”. I remember that Keith Betton didn’t get the connection, but his wife Esther certainly did, and she found the bird based on that call! Denise Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow PO Box 71, Darwin River, NT 0841 043 8650 835 On 27/11/13 9:42 PM, “David Adams” < dpadams@gmail.com> wrote: =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Or Tasmanian Native Hen!. John Tongue Ulverstone, Tas. On 28/11/2013, at 9:56 PM, “Roger Giller” < rgiller@optusnet.com.au> wrote: =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
I was surprised to find that there are no calls at all included for Spotless Crake. Peter Shute Sent from my iPad =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
On slightly strange thing with the Pizzey and Knight App is that the Eastern Koel has two calls, neither of which is of what we regard as the signature “coo-ee” call. Roger. —–Original Message—– Sent: Wednesday, 27 November 2013 6:44 PM I’ve been trying out the sounds on the Pizzey app and comparing them with the Morcombe app here and there. Today I tried out the calls for Forest and Sacred Kingfishers on both apps. What I’ve been finding with my random sampling is that the collection of calls are often complimentary. If I had to pick one app based on pictures, it would be Pizzey. If I had to pick one on sounds…it would be tough. David Stewart’s recordings on Morcombe are excellent, as everyone knows. (I particularly like it that the natural gaps are left in place.) Then again, the Morcombe app often has a wide range of calls. So, if you can only manage to get one app…I’m not sure…but if you can get both, you’ll probably be glad of it. Unless you don’t like apps, in which case, you can stick to the field guide transcriptions of sounds. “LIke a box of marbles falling down stairs covered in maple syrup-EEEH-WOOH…falling away on the second note.” That’s not quite fair, but I can’t say that I’ve ever found a written sound description of any help. =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Honestly, I wasn’t being super serious. I’m sure it is enormously difficult to translate bird sounds into textual descriptions. If others have benefited from these impressionistic transcriptions (such as the lovely poetic one you site), so much the better. Saddly for me, they don’t help and I’d rather have seen the space in paper guides devoted to information on nesting and behavior. In electronic guides, space is not at a premium and sounds can be included. In time, I’m sure that we’ll also see sonograms in electronic guides as a matter of course. It seems like time again to say thank you to the handful of dedicated recordists in Australia that have captured the high-quality recordings we’re talking about (and those that aren’t in these aps). It seems like very hard work…I can only imagine the number of hours that must go into getting a good recording. So, thank you to everyone that’s shared good recordings – commercially or through the academic and public sites. On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 11:02 PM, Andrew Bell < andrew@bells.id.au > wrote: =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
It is indeed very unfair David, I’ve always loved Graham Pizzey’s white throated gerygone song: “beautiful silvery falling leaf song in a minor key…” – I knew it as soon as I heard it -and I’m glad those descriptions are still there in the e-version. (It’s also the bird I choose when demonstrating Morcombe on my phone) Andrew Bell On 27/11/2013, at 5:13 PM, David Adams < dpadams@gmail.com> wrote: =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
narrow down the possibilities when you’re trying to id a call, and they help as mnemonics. Fair enough! Even though they haven’t been of much help to me, that’s a reflection on me as much as anything else. I have noticed a few guides around the world are starting to include sonograms for species where it’s appropriate. Faansie Peacock’s LBJs of Southern Africa does this, as an example. In many ways, that’s the single finest field guide that I have ever seen. Now I just have to learn to read the diagrams… On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 8:50 PM, Peter Shute < pshute@nuw.org.au> wrote: =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
The Morcombe app seems to break the calls up into types more. E.g. For Lewin’s Rail, there is “krek”, “grunt” and “squeaky grunt and knock” in three separate tracks, whereas the Pizzey app has only one track containing some krekking and some grunting. I find it useful to have them broken up. On the other hand, Pizzey includes the location for every track, while Morcombe doesn’t. The Pizzey app starts playing the first track as soon as you open the sound section for a species, and continues on to the second when it’s finished. I much prefer Morcombe in that regard. It only plays the track you select. Has anyone compared the tracks on these apps with what’s on the BOCA CDs? Those are all rolled into one track per species, probably because of there’s a limit to the number of tracks allowed on a single CD, but are all well described in the notes for each CD. When’s that coming out as an app? As for the call descriptions in field guides, they at least help you narrow down the possibilities when you’re trying to id a call, and they help as mnemonics. Peter Shute Sent from my iPad =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================