Bioacoustics & field recordings
A bird is often heard long before it is seen. These pieces are about the wetland’s voices: the booming bittern, the honk and hiss of geese, the alarm notes and contact calls that tell you what is happening before you raise the glasses.
50 dispatches filed under this habitat
North Carolina hosts six regularly-occurring owl species across the Blue Ridge, Piedmont and coastal plain. Great Horned, Barred, Eastern Screech, and Barn are the four you'll genuinely encounter; Short-eared and Northern Saw-whet appear seasonally. Here's where to find each, and how to identify them by call.
Wild ducks need four things: shallow margins for dabbling, submerged food plants, predator-proof cover, and nest cavities. Get those four into a one-acre pond and you'll have Mallards, Wood Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers within a single season.
Three swan species occur in North America: the native Trumpeter (largest, with a clarion call), the native Tundra (smaller, more numerous), and the introduced Mute (Eurasian origin, common on parks and waterways). Here's how to tell them apart by bill, voice, and behaviour.
Washington State hosts roughly 30 duck species across the Puget Sound, eastern shrub-steppe, and Cascade lakes. Twelve cover most of what you'll see: Mallard, Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, Wigeon, Bufflehead, Harlequin, Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Hooded Merganser, and three teals.
Cabbage is safe and excellent for ducks - raw or cooked, chopped or whole (hung on a string as a tetherball game). Green, red, savoy, all fine. The single best winter enrichment for a confined flock.
It sounds like myth but it's documented science: hen ducks whose ovary is damaged or stops working can develop secondary male plumage. The bird is still genetically female but visually presents as a drake. Here's the hormonal pathway and why it happens.
Ducks make excellent pets for the right person and absolute disasters for the wrong one. Here's the honest breakdown: noise, mess, lifespan, housing, predation risk, and whether your garden, neighbours and patience can take it.
A naturalist's read on hummingbird aggression: who defends what, why a single dominant male can monopolise a feeder, and the four-feeder layout that gets you the most birds visible at once.
A naturalist's guide to goose-on-goose aggression - why Canada geese fight, what the hissing actually means, the four-step attack sequence to read, and why it almost always peaks in March.
Female mallards quack; males rasp. Each call has a job: contact, alarm, courtship, or location. A naturalist's read on the duck vocabulary.
Baby ducks are called ducklings. A field naturalist's read on what that actually means - the timeline from hatch to fledge, how to tell a duckling from a gosling or a cygnet, and the brood biology that decides how many survive.
Predator distress calls and dog barks scare geese; ultrasonics and most static noises don't. A naturalist's read of the deterrents that hold up in the field.
A naturalist's guide to the actual sounds of swans - hiss, hum, snort, trumpet, whistle - and which species makes which. Spoiler: the 'mute' swan is anything but.
Bread is the single worst common food fed to wild geese. A naturalist's read on why it causes angel wing in goslings, fouls park ponds, and what to feed instead.
Dive deep into the world of birdwatching with our comprehensive photo guide dedicated to the blue birds in Wyoming. From the vibrant Mountain Bluebird to the quavering call of the Pinyon Jay,...
Barn owls, often referred to as the "ghosts of the night," are mysterious and captivating creatures. Their silent flight, heart-shaped facial discs, and enigmatic calls have enchanted humans for...
Barn Owls, with their heart-shaped faces and haunting calls, have long been entwined in our stories, myths, and landscapes. As environmental sentinels, changes in their populations and behaviors can...
The nocturnal orchestra of the forest is vast and varied, but few notes are as intriguing as the high-pitched calls of the Northern Saw-whet Owl. Small in stature but mighty in presence, this elusive...
Owls, those silent sentinels of the night, have fascinated us for generations with their distinctive calls, haunting eyes, and impeccable hunting skills. Yet, beyond these commonly known traits lies...
Amidst the vast tapestry of nocturnal sounds, owls have honed an incredible ability to pinpoint the faintest rustle of their prey. This auditory prowess doesn't just stem from their keen sense of...
Owls are not just known for their keen eyesight and nocturnal habits; they're also renowned for their incredibly silent flight. This near-soundless movement, a crucial factor in their hunting...
A naturalist's read on how owls actually pair, court, and breed - the calls, the food gifts, the early-year timing, and why most owl species pair for life.
At night, when the world seems calm, and most creatures are nestled in slumber, the forest is alive with a symphony of sounds, signaling the interactions between various species. At the heart of this...
Barn owls, with their iconic heart-shaped faces and ghostly calls, are revered hunters of the night sky. Yet, even these master predators aren't exempt from the circle of life. While they rule the...
Immerse yourself in the prairie landscapes of Nebraska, a state where water and land intermingle to create an inviting home for a wide variety of water birds . With 27 species calling this state...
A naturalist's field guide to Florida's 27 most-seeable water birds - which wetlands they prefer, when they show up, and the four locations where you'll see most of them in a single morning.
Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River, and inland marshes give the state 25 regular water birds. A naturalist's read on what's where through the year.
Dare to explore Arkansas, where the skies are brought to life by the mesmerizing dance of Birds of Prey. From the echoing calls of eagles soaring above the Ouachita Mountains, to the swift swoops of...
If you have pet ducks, or are considering letting your ducks indoors, you may be wondering, do ducks smell bad? Ducks may emit an unpleasant smell due to a number of reasons. The most common is their...
The duck's webbed feet are one of the most interesting and distinctive body parts. There are numerous names for duck feet, but what is their official name? Duck feet are commonly referred to as...
When most people think of ducks, they picture the classic quacking sound. But do male ducks quack? Sort of but not really. Male ducks do quack, but their quacks are usually softer and raspier than...
Ducks are delightful creatures with their own unique personalities, and one of the joys of keeping ducks as pets or in your backyard is the opportunity to give them a special name. Whether you're...
The falcated duck (Mareca falcata), also called the falcated teal, is a dabbling duck native to eastern Asia. It breeds in eastern Russia, northern Japan, northeastern China and North Korea. It is a...
Have you every looked at a flock of ducks and wondered, what is a group of ducks called? Wonder no more! A group of ducks can be called a raft, team, or paddling when they are in water. When they are...
Have you ever looked at a duck and wondered how it hears? You might be surprised to learn that ducks do have ears, but they don't look quite like the ears of mammals. Yes, ducks have ears, but they...
Ducks are pretty common in our nation's parks, gliding in the water and feeding in ponds and lakes. But many people have wondered — do ducks have knees? Despite the common perception that ducks don't...
Ducks are a common sight in ponds and lakes around the world. But have you ever come across a duck with a bright orange head? These striking birds are not only beautiful to look at but also...
Ducks with green heads , are a captivating subject for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Their distinctive green head, found predominantly in males, sets them apart in the avian world and...
Montana is called Big Sky Country, and it’s easy to see why. The state’s landscape is characterized by sweeping arid grasslands, rolling prairies, and towering mountains. Two of the most iconic...
A naturalist's guide to Oregon's 39 duck species - the year-round residents, the winter visitors from the Arctic, and the four locations where you can see most of them in a single trip.
Despite being the country’s 6th most populated state, more than half of Pennsylvania’s total land area is forest. So it’s not surprising that the Keystone State is home to many wildlife species...
Did you know that 35 different duck breeds call Illinois home? While some people think of Mallards and Canadian Geese when they think of waterfowl, there are quite a few different types of ducks in...
Geese are fascinating creatures, known for their honking calls, webbed feet, and sociable nature. But when it comes to feeding these feathered friends, many pet owners have questions. For example,...
Why geese hiss at you, what the V-formation actually does, and how to read a Canada goose's body language. A field naturalist's notes on what's really going on with the most misunderstood bird in the park.
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of goose calls is their loud honking sound. But did you know that there are different types of calls depending on the situation? To name a few, there...
Have you ever heard the iconic story about swans singing their swan song when they die? It's often referred to as a beautiful, melodic farewell to the world – but do swans actually sing a song as...
Geese are fascinating animals. They are known for their impressive flying abilities and loud honking, but do you know what they eat? Believe it or not, geese will eat snakes! We investigate other...
Vermont has no less than eight different species of geese calling our state home! Geese can be found in all corners of Vermont, but some areas are better for bird-watching than others like Dead Creek...
If you're from Hawaii, you know there are different types of geese that live here. And if you visit one of the nature reserves or parks, you'll see just how many geese call Hawaii home. But what do...
There are five geese species that call Arkansas home. In this guide, we will provide a complete guide to the different types of geese found in Arkansas. We'll discuss their physical characteristics,...