From the time the first robin bobs along a spring lawn until the last cardinal takes wing on fall breezes, Midwestern bird lovers are in heaven. With flocks of birds perched on our trees, taking up residence in birdhouses and greeting the dawn with a heavenly chorus, the time to learn how to identify our featured friends is now.
Thanks to technology, there are tools for everyone from experienced birders to those who don’t know a grackle from a crow. CD-ROMs offer a new way to identify bird songs and plumage. Plus, a new series of videos offers a complete look at avian life.
Here’s a look at a few computer programs:
Peterson Multimedia Guides North American Birds (Houghton Mifflin Interactive, $10). It’s hard to believe that a program this complete is available for so little money (before May 1, the program cost $50). The Peterson guide is structured on a simple concept: Pick the silhouette of the bird you want. If it’s a bird on a telephone wire, it’s probably a passerine. The program takes you to passerines, then to the sub-categories and finally to a specific bird. The descriptions of individual birds feature a map of their range, a recording of their song, information on nesting and feeding habits and tips on where to see them. This program also offers Lifelist, a notebook where birders can enter comments on sightings. A Skill Builder game, based on the silhouettes, is a lot of fun, even if the “beginner setting” completely lost this reporter. There are several instruction videos, too, featuring avian authority Roger Tory Peterson. (star)(star)(star)(star)
Birds of North America (Thayer Birding Software, $70). This program is like taking a graduate course in ornithology. Designed for serious birders, “Birds of North America” includes all 925 birds found in the United States and Canada. You’ll need to know about bird classifications when looking up individual birds – a skill that leaves novices behind. But once you get close, the listings are complete. The birdsong recordings are so good that my cats ran to my computer, eager for a glimpse of a finch. Range maps show where birds live in summer and where they vacation in the winter. There also are 161 video clips of birds in their natural habitats. Those with birds on the brain can create screen savers, take one of the 250 quizzes or even create their own quiz. There also is a program that allows beginners to enter color, habitat and other descriptions to find closest matches. The best feature is the Avian Jukebox, which plays a hit parade of birdcalls. (The program also includes a sampler of “Birds of the World,” a companion CD-ROM.) (star)(star)(star)(star)
For the Birders (Birdstar, $50). Designed with beginners in mind, “For the Birders” is easy to use, but it has some balky functions. For birders who simply want to scroll through the listings, there are some wonderful photos, range maps, song recordings and facts. However, my attempts to identify a simple house sparrow in the Advisor program were unsuccessful. After I realized that I never really noticed a sparrow’s markings well enough to give detailed information, I switched to a description of the bird’s behavior. I ended up with plenty of “sparrow-like” birds but no house sparrow.
However, user error is probably the problem here. The quiz is simple and enjoyable. The SlideShow feature is the best, offering a lovely parade of birds and their songs. It also can be used as a screen saver. (star)(star)
VIDEO
“The Life of Birds,” (BBC Video, $90). For those who can’t get enough knowledge about our airborne friends, BBC Video will release the 10-hour video series Tuesday. (The entire series will be broadcast on WTTW-Ch. 11 at 9 p.m. Tuesdays over 10 weeks starting July 20.) Hosted by Sir Richard Attenborough, this five-tape set of programs features some astonishing stories of bird intelligence, adaptability and physical endurance. Taking a spectacular worldwide tour of bird habitats, Attenborough is an engaging narrator. Whether allowing birds to perch on his arm, sneaking up gently on newly hatched chicks, or braving the seas to study Galapagos penguins, the hardy actor is dauntless in his pursuit of bird encounters. The facts he presents are amazing. Common crows turn out to be Einsteins of the bird world, as cameras show them using tools to hunt for grubs. Crows even push hard-shelled nuts into Tokyo traffic, wait for the cars to crush them, then wait for stoplights, cross with pedestrians and pick up their meals. There also are fascinating recordings of birdcalls, including one rare bird that mimics car alarms, camera shutters and motor drives.
The best segments include computer models of how the first bird might have looked, explanations of how wings work and a look at how an egg is created a laid.
Some of the hardest scenes to watch involve the hunting habits of hawks and owls. Don’t watch if you have an affection for little chicks and bunnies. While the program on parenting can be touching, there also are harrowing scenes of young ducks and pelicans pecked, harassed and allowed to starve to death by parents who only have resources for a few youngsters.
The scenery is spectacular, although it gets a bit confusing as Attenborough pops up in the Seychelles, an English garden, a Brazilian rainforest and urban Sao Paulo, all in the same episode. Just hang on for a wild ride. By the end, the term “bird brain” will seem like a high compliment. (star)(star)(star)(star)
WEB SITES
– Birdwatching.com (www.birdwatching.com). Tips, gifts for birders, birdsong recordings and a list of great birding books are on-line.
– Hummingbird! (www.derived.net/hummers/). Check out the facts on the tiniest and most endearing of birds. Photos, maps of migration patterns and facts are easy to find.
– Home of the Wild BirdCam (http://host.fptoday.com/debzone/). Live shots from South Florida, FAQs, photos, news and more.
– The Ornithology Web Site (www.mgfx.com/bird/). An expert’s site devoted to bird ecology and conservation.
