Don Stap

Birdsong by Don Stap is perfect for the bright days of spring when the full chorus of birds explodes each morning. Divided into three parts, it provides a broad overview of the current state of bioaccoustics. The author begins by tagging along with noted researcher Don Kroodsma on an expedition to capture the different vocalizations of chickadees on Martha's Vineyard. The complexity of this familiar song provides a deft segue into an overview of bird vocalization and the role songs play in bird life.

The second part of the book recounts the author's experiences at the highly regarded bioaccoustic workshop run by San Francisco State University in the Sierra Nevada. Stap introduces an interesting cast of instructors and students and uses both groups' goals to help the reader understand the importance of and potential for contributing to the current knowledge of bird song. This section also underscores the challenges in getting high quality bird song recordings—something I imagine to be even more difficult than getting a decent bird photograph.

The final section, most interesting of all to me, deals with the conundrum of bird song learning in species that are not true songbirds. Stap paints an intriguing picture of how researchers come to focus on a particular questions, recounting the moment Don Kroodsma first heard the song of the three-wattled bellbird on a CD and then later fatefully encountered it on a trip to Costa Rica. This sets the stage for an in-depth examination of the interplay between different populations, bird ages (known through banding studies) and their songs and a challenge to traditional scientific thinking. Traditional thinking says that true songbirds (including thrushes, warblers and sparrows among others) learn their songs while suboscines (an evolutionary branch of the avian tree that includes flycatchers and bellbirds) are genetically programmed and sing the same song regardless of whether they hear it as a nestling or not. Kroodsma's research includes repeated forays to record bellbirds in the tropics and Chris Sharpe (a LT member) gets a nod for his recordings of bellbirds in the late 1990s. The end result, although unsatisfying for the reader, tells volumes about the scientific research process. Highly recommended… (plus d'informations)