Recently, I went with a zoologist from UC Davis who was doing a bird count in our park. Her name was Ona, and she was an amazing person. I thought that we would see the birds, but to my surprise, Ona could identify the birds by listening to them.

I was so excited when we first heard, and then saw a Yellow Breasted Chat, which is a “species of special concern.” This means that the habitat for these birds is getting smaller and smaller. But they like the Auburn State Recreation Area!

So many times, we use only our eyes when we are out in nature, but when we do this, most of the natural world will remain hidden.

There is a great website where you can learn birdcalls. It is the Cornell University bird website. You can go to their All About Birds site and learn many things about birds. Listen to bird calls. Learn how to bird watch. And learn how your reports of birds can really help scientists.

When I went birdwatching with a person who really knew how to listen we were able to identify over 20 bird species in just about 4 hours. Amazing!

We always talk about opening our eyes, but Ona taught me the importance of opening my ears.

photo: Steve Zack, courtesy of www.prbo.org