KC in NJ

Further detail: This is again at my home, in semi-wooded area. I frequently hear a Titmouse (or multiple) singing right outside my house, nearby. I thought perhaps it was him, as this was also right outside my door, somewhere close by, but unseen.

Thank you for your input, bird brains! ? Titmouse call.m4a

I use the better mixes that don't have a lot of milo in it (looks like brown balls, a little smaller than a "BB."), and which don't include a lot of large pieces of cracked corn. Too much milo in mix I find gets left uneaten. A little is okay. Too large of pieces of corn also go uneaten, which the big, cheap bags often have. They do eat the millet in the mix, okay. I also enrich it with more sunflower seeds. I get quite a variety, so far that I've identified. (8 species today that I noticed at my seed, plus the two woodpeckers at suet, in just my first day of really focusing on birding for half an hour in the early morning, after learning some species identification.) Yes, suet feeder is getting the woodpeckers - Downy and Red-Bellied for me, so far that I've noticed today, as a newbie in identifying birds. I do want to add nyjer to my mix. Consistency in feeding them is also important. They will then start to show up every day, almost on cue; and more and more birds will eventually come. I put out about 1.5 cups of seed a day in the morning, and it gets eaten. They would eat more if I put out more. I gave up on feeders, for now. I just put it on the deck and deck railing, and on ground, as different species are more comfortable in different places. (Yes, squirrels eat the sunflower seeds, but my many winter birds I would say get vast majority of it before the squirrels, at this point.) Also, old seed, rotting in bottom of a feeder is no good. Keep feeders clean. Re: fresh water… I was amazed when I finally recently put out a small pan of water on the ground. Within 5 minutes, probably 8 birds had either drank or bathed in it.. and this was just a month ago—not in hot weather or anything, but just a time when it hadn't rained in a while.

Thanks guys. … I was just leaning that way myself, when I came to see the replies. …Now could an individual Tit vary their song across different sessions? Or are individuals likely to remain somewhat consistent in their song? Is this likely to be the same individual from yesterday, as distinct from the the other Tits I also hear, at nearly the same time, with a more recognizable, fast, 'peter-peter-peter?' Or could the same bird be making two distinct songs?

FYI, this is a new recording from today. Sounds like the same bird as yesterday.

6:50 am. Carolina Chickadee is in background (better quality in my original recording). The mystery bird in the foreground is the same one I posted yesterday. … Any more clarity with this clip? (Regarding the Cardinal guess, I will say that I have not seen any cardinals yet this winter. ) Thank you. Chickadee plus what.wav

This really looks like the (Red) Fox Sparrow to me (indicated as "uncommon" for my area, but not rare), and not the Song Sparrow, which is considered common for my area. ...Fairly distinct in its markings, would you agree?

I thought I had the Titmouse down, because I have heard the distinctive "peter-peter-peter" song. These clips don't sound like that. And now, listening to the samples at ibird , of both the Wren and the Titmouse, the examples are so varied it seems too difficult to identify them. Sigh. ...Thanks everyone for the replies. I will keep them all in mind, as I gather further samples to try to narrow it down.

Hmm. . The Carolina Wren is a call I thought I knew, from my first post a few days ago, when that was the reply. I did learn from the replies I got that the wren has large range of songs… Geez—hard to tell what ISN'T a wren, then. And Tufted Tit-mouse was the other song I thought I had down! So, I don't know. I will have to listen to more samples of it, I guess.

Hi guys. New birder. Several of you helped me out the other day, identifying a song. Second clip is quite low volume. (Or is this one a "call" and not a "song?") Thank you! New-5.amr New-6.amr

Wow, Kevin re: ebird… Based on that (assuming all the entries were correctly identified as Carolina Wren), this wren varies a lot in its song.

Thanks so much, Avery. …Yes, the site Kevin linked (which is run by Cornell) actually appears to use the Macaulay Library data. Lots of different photos, regional differences, and multiple sound clips for each bird. …Yes, this wren is claimed to use many different songs: "Each male has a repertoire of up to several dozen different song variations. " I've learned something already from this—that there may be many birds I may hear but rarely if ever see at the seed on my deck, since they prefer to hide in the bushes, like this wren. So, I will indeed have to learn some bird songs, to know they are around.

I can't seem to edit my reply, but I just now listened to Kevin's link to the allaboutbirds recording. Yes, that one sounds like mine. Thanks again, you guys. I'm sure I will be asking for more help.

Thanks for the replies! Ok--I listened to two different Carolina Wren recordings, on these sites: https://www.bird-sounds.net/carolina-wren/?type982 https://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/education/nasongkey.pl?bird=Carolina+Wren+(1) Would you say there is great variation between individual birds of a species? If so, I don't think I am likely to be able to identify birds this way, as they all sound different to me.

Hi everyone. My first post here. What a great resource. I was hoping to participate in this year's GBBC, but I am fairly ignorant, outside of the regulars I see on my deck/yard eating seed/suet in winter: Juncos, Chickadees, Starlings, Blue Jays, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Doves. First clip has two different calls — are they two different birds? Bird calls 4 Feb.amr They don't sound like any calls in the list of "common birds" for winter in NJ that I went through, but surely they are common? House is in mobile home park, in semi-rural area. There are plenty of large clusters of trees and brush around houses… Backs up to forest. About 12 miles from shore. I'm sorry volume is so low. I can hear it—hopefully you can.