Birds

Thanks to my trusty new CD, "Bird Song Ear Training Guide," I've been learning a lot about birds lately. This CD plays recordings of all of the Midwestern birds singing, and then it has this girl who imitates them, but adds little mnemonic devices to help your remember their calls. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Least Bittern, call: "poopoopoopoo" - It makes me think of "least bitter" which I guess could be ale, but I prefer to think of it emotionally.

2. Dickcissel, call: "dick, dick, sizzle, sizzle" - for obvious sophomoric reasons, I find this extremely funny.

3. Least Flycatcher, call: "chebek" - I'm always a fan of the underdog, or underbird, as the case may be. Who is the Most Flycatcher, I wonder?

4. Dark-eyed Junco, call: "musical trills" - How romantic! Who gets close enough to a wild bird to see its eyes?

5. Rednecked Pheasant, call: "cow cat" - upon closer examination, it appears that this is really the Ringnecked Pheasant. Darn.

6. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, call: "nasal meaw" - an unfortunate creature!

7. Tufted Titmouse, call: "peter peter peter peter" - tee hee hee!