Spring Songs, or What a Bird in the Hand is Really Worth

Kasey Cox

Chur-REE! A couple of years ago, these plush, stuffed toy birds showed up in Dunham’s, each one with a real bird song inside, recorded by the Audubon Society. My mom and I picked one out as a Christmas present for my nephew, joked how my grandmother Laura would have gotten a kick out of these. I received the red-wing blackbird for Christmas, much to the dismay of the cat but to my endless fascination. For me, it’s not the robin who is the harbinger of spring in these parts. As someone who suffers from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder, and who doesn’t experience that, to some extent, living around here?), I know winter’s back is truly broken for another year when I see the red-wing blackbirds in the fields. And now, after freaking out the cat and annoying my boyfriend by pushing my stuffed bird’s button a hundred times, I will never forget what to listen for, as well.

As fun as the Audubon toys are, I can’t afford to buy one for every birdsong I’d like to learn. And although it’s amusing to open this article with my approximation of birdspeak, I think you’ll get more from the expert who will become birders’ – amateur and serious – new best friend. Stan Tekiela is an award-winning author, wildlife photographer, naturalist, columnist, and radio-show host from Minnesota. To date, Stan has published nearly sixty books, filled with gorgeous, close-up color photos, and well-organized information. His books include guides on birds in nearly forty states as well as regions like the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. He has also penned books on categories of birds, such as raptors or geese; family nature guides; a how-to begin mushroom hunting; and several guides to regional tree and wildflower identification.

With his bird guides for specific states, Stan has taken out the guesswork that comes with larger classics like Audubon, Stokes, Peterson or National Geographic – “does this bird even live in my area?” And best of all, almost every Stan Tekiela state bird book has a companion audio CD (or CDs). At the bottom of every information page in the bird books, there is a reference to the CD track number where one can hear the bird matching the description and photo from the book! The CDs can be purchased separately, or as part of a guidebook-and-CD set at very reasonable prices (suggested retail price of most guide books is around $13, and the CD is around $15). Now that’s birding for dummies or for idiots, without the name-calling! I’m thrilled with this new discovery, which will save me from drowning in a hundred of stuffed birds, keep me in good graces with Kevin and Hobo (not always an easy trick, between the two of them), and give me a gift option for last-minute or hard-to-buy-for folks. Plus, I’m hoping to look super-knowledgeable this coming spring and summer as I name birds everywhere I go. Too bad this wasn’t available to me when I was a camp counselor. But, it’s never too late to learn these heart-lifting songs and teach them to others. My grandmother, Laura, would be proud.