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About the
Course
Hearbirds is an
online, interactive course which runs in your web browser. The
goal is to help you notice and learn the distinctive features of
songs. Recordings of approximately 190 North American species
are presented in:
- Learning pages --
typical songs for common birds, the "top fifty hits"
- Study pages -- more
species and examples, plus illustrations
- Quizzes -- a fun way
to practice
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a western regional track and a central and eastern regional
track. You can use one or both tracks depending on where you
will be listening to birds.
The course helps you learn by
means of visual aids. With each sound there is a chart, called a
sound spectrogram, sometimes referred to as a sonogram. The
picture reinforces what you hear.
There are also instructions about
sketching sounds. With this technique you make rough drawings
like spectrograms which will help you remember new and
unfamiliar songs. Explore the patterns and rhythms at your own
pace. Many of the songs are available for half-speed playback
which allows you to study the changes in pitch and the pattern
of notes. To play the songs you will need an up-to-date
Macromedia Flash Player, which is free from their web site.
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After registration
you are enrolled for twelve months and can play the songs as
much as you want during that period. Practice online, then go
out in the field and listen to natural sounds around you. Return
to the course for review and study. Use the quiz to practice
identifying sounds by ear.
The course is available as a 12
month subscription run from your web browser or on CD-ROM.
Benefits of the Hearbirds Course
The benefits of using the
"Introduction to Bird Songs and Sounds" are:
- Notice more birds -- nearly
every user hears more natural sounds
after taking the course, which increases
their enjoyment and appreciation of
nature.
- Learn songs -- most users
learn to identify songs for common
birds, some of the "top fifty hits"
- Develop skills -- most users
develop skills to help them learn new
songs in the region where they spend
time outdoors. This is a valuable skill
since birders usually hear more birds
than they see.
- Exposure to many songs and sounds
-- if you have time to explore the full
menu of songs in the course, you will be
primed to start recognizing these sounds
in the wild. You may not memorize all of
them, but your exposure to them will
help you notice the sounds.
Try the Hearbirds Demo
Sign up for a Subscription or Purchase a CD
ROM
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