The Music of Spring

I've probably already mentioned the loveliness of the early morning bird songs now that spring is nearly here, but, I'm going to mention it once again in relationship to a unusual item recently added to our collection. It's The Backyard Birdsong Guide: Eastern and Central North America: A Guide to Listening by Donald Kroodsma [598.159 KRO]. The book is a "Cornell Lab of Ornithology Audio Field Guide" and it allows you to not only read about birds and their songs, but you can listen to them, too! Here's the publisher's description:

With a touch-button electronic module housing common vocalizations of 75 species from across Eastern and Central North America, this volume offers a truly sensory way to identify and get to know local birds. Crisply detailed and scientifically accurate illustrations accompany each entry, and up-to-date range maps from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provide clear geographical reference points. Complete with an introduction to birdsong that will inspire readers to look out their kitchen windows and venture out in the field, this unique book provides an exciting entryway into the subtle art of birding.

I also want to mention an online article from the U.K. that alerts the reading to the possibility of losing songbirds in the near future. It's "The Sound of Silence: The Cuckoo is Vanishing," and it features audios of a number of birds. If you've only ever heard a cuckoo's song through a cuckoo clock, make sure you check out the real thing!