Marsh Monitoring Program Training Files

The following recordings are from the original the MMP training CD that each participant receives with their kit. The Marsh Monitoring Program would like to thank Lang Elliott and NorthWood Press for permission to use several recordings from his excellent CD, the Calls of Frogs and Toads. In addition Mary Gartshore and Ron Ridout kindly provided additional field recordings. The Marsh Monitoring Program would like to thank Monte Brigham, Lang Elliott and the Library of Natural Sounds at Cornell for permission to use their recordings reproduced on the MMP instructional CD.

1. Welcome to the MMP

Welcome to the Marsh Monitoring Program. We are pleased that you have chosen to participate in this study. You have joined a team of volunteers dedicated to conserving (marshes in the Great Lakes region by monitoring the birds and amphibians that inhabit them. ♫ This study tape is designed to assist you by acting as an audio learning tool for these species you are unfamiliar with or as a memory refresher after a long frozen winter. In either case, we hope you find it a useful reference. ♫ In order to clearly hear all of the calls on this tape, we suggest you listen to it on a high quality stereo system in a quiet room or with headphones. Reduce the bass level, and turn off the dolby switch.

2. Marsh Bird Introduction

The marshes of the Great Lakes region harbour a rich variety of birds during the breeding season. ♫ These important wetlands offer a suitable nesting environment to some of the region’s most interesting and threatened birds. ♫ Many of these birds are very secretive by nature and establishing their presence is often only possible by voice — either by singing or by calling. Males, and occasionally females of — certain species, will advertise their presence by singing a song to attract a mate or defend their territory. At other times, both sexes will utter alarm or agitated calls or young birds will beg for food. A working knowledge of their various songs and calls is necessary in order to successfully complete your surveys. Listening to this tape will assist you in accomplishing that goal. ♫ Why don’t we get started?

3. Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

by Joanne Brown | The call of the Pied-billed Grebe is one of the most distinctive sounds of the marsh. Often compared to a cuckoo’s, a series of cu-cu notes begins slowly, building rapidly into several cow-cows before slowing in tempo. Seemingly out of breath, the bird inhales with a wail, then utters several more cow-cows, then inhales again, then more cow-cows, each series uttered more slowly, until, after three or four series, it slows to silence, seemingly exhausted by the effort. ♫ (MB D1 Tr.3 -1)

4. American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)

by Laura Stewart | The colloquial names of thunder pumper or stake driver are apt descriptions of the call of the American Bittern. The call is a guttural bass pump-er-lunk given with the emphasis on the middle syllable. It carries far across the marsh on still evenings, so be careful about counting it inside a station’s perimeter, the bird may be several hundred metres away. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 10-1)

5. Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)

by Tim Arthur | The soft coo coo of the Least Bittern may be overlooked on all but the calmest of evenings. Very similar to the Black-billed Cuckoo’s, the call is a four or five note series of coos. They are slightly more guttural in tone than the cuckoo’s and the cuckoo usually utters three coos at a time. Let's listen to the Least Bittern first, then the Black-billed Cuckoo. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 11-1)

6. Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

by Nina Stavlund | The harsh keeyouw of the Green Heron is often heard before the bird is seen, most often as it is flying overhead or is flushed. ♫ (PE Tr. 6-4)

7. Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

by Trisha Snider | Usually heard at dusk, the loud characteristic "quock" of the Black-crowned Night Heron is distinctive. It is almost invariably given in flight. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 15-1)

8. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

by Georgia Wilson | This bird is usually heard as it flushes when disturbed. Then it is the female’s squealing ooo-eek that alerts the observer to the bird’s presence. The male’s siskin-like zzer-ee is given near roosts and in feeding flocks but not usually when disturbed. First the female. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 20-1) Now, the male. .♫ (MB D1Tr. 3-5)

9. Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis)

by Blair Dudeck | While some swear by a roll of American quarters and others simply use two stones, the call of the Yellow Rail is easily imitated by tapping either together. ♪ demonstrate coins The rhythmic tick-tick, tick-tick-tick alternates in groups of two and three notes in long series. The call is usually given at night, long after the other marsh birds have retired for the evening. ♫ (BC D1Tr. 53-1)

10. Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)

by Michael Poole | This species has a variety of calls. The two most frequently heard include a harsh ke-dic repeated quickly several times. This call begins with a single syllabled kic. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 55-5) The second call can be characterized as a waacka-waacka-waacka which speeds up as it descends in tone and softens in volume. This is the call that is generally given in response to the taped broadcast you’ll be using during the survey. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 55-1) This call is the most easily confused with King Rail but is neither as loud nor as deep in tone. If the Virginia Rail is a baritone, the King Rail is the bass. We’ll compare these two a little later. The third call is the often referred to but rarely heard kicker call. It’ s a rapid series of kic-kic-kic-kic notes ending with a. slightly lower krrr. ♫ (NG D1 Tr. 8-3)

11. King Rail (Rallus elegans)

by Yousif Attia | Some of the calls of the King Rail are easily confused with those of the Virginia Rail. The most similar is the deep grunting bump-bump-bump-bump-bump call. It’s much deeper in tone than the Virginia’s and it doesn’t descend but trails off in volume. Here is the King Rail. ♫ (NG D1 Tr. 6-3) The second call is similar to the Virginia Rail’s kicker song. It’s a three syllabled kick kic-krrr, quite harsh in nature, with the emphasis on the second syllable. ♫ (NG D1 Tr. 6-2) The third call is a series of several harsh checks, all similar in torte and volume and given in a even cadence. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 54-1)

12. Comparison: Virginia and King rails

by Michael Poole | Now, let’s compare the calls of Virginia and King Rails directly. We’ll listen to the bump or wack calls to start. First — Virginia Rail, then — King ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 55-1) ♫ (NG D1 Tr. 6-3) Note the deep resonant quality of King and how it really doesn’t descend in tone, just volume. Let’s listen to them again. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 55-1) ♫ (NG D1 Tr. 6-3) Also note how the Virginia Rail’s call speeds up like a bouncing ping-pong ball while the King’s softens but does not speed up substantially. The Virginia speeds up so much that it’s wack notes become two syllabled wacka-wacka near the end. Now let’s examine their kic-krrr calls. Again, first Virginia Rail, then King. ♫ (NG D1 Tr. 8-3) ♫ (NG D1Tr. 6-2) Did you notice how the Virginia Rail uttered two to three more kics and how it seemed more musical? You won’t hear a Virginia Rail give this call very often but it’s a good idea to be aware of it.

13. Sora (Porzana carolina)

by Jeremy Bensette | ♫ (MB D1 Tr. 2-1) That’s the call of the Sora. It’s almost always described as a descending whinny. Another often heard call is a rising two note ker-wee. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 56-3) This call is similar to a Spring Peeper in quality and easily overlooked in a noisy spring marsh. Once in a while you’ll hear a very high keek. ♫ (BC D1 Tr. 56-2) That’s an alarm note most often uttered in the fall but occasionally heard in the spring.

14. Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis)

by Ann Balmber | While most of us won’t hear a Black Rail on our survey routes, it has been recorded in the region. A familiarity with the song might prove useful. It’s best described as a high pitched kee-kee-doo. ♫ (MB D1 Tr. 2-6) -- Our next pair of birds probably poses the most difficult identification problem yoU’ll face. Distinguishing Common Moorhen from American Coot can often be very difficult if not impossible at times which is why there’s a Moot category onthe summary sheet. Don’t be afraid to use it if you’re unsure. Let’s see if we can find some distinguishing features here.

15. Common Gallinule (Moorhen) & American Coot (Gallinula chloropus & Fulica americana)

by Lucas Berrigan | From a-usually concealed position, the Common Moorhen utters a nasal highpitched cackle that sounds almost inquisitive. It is sharper and higher pitched than the American Coot. Also heard are several sharp kek-kek-keks. ♫ (MB Dl Tr. 3-3) -- The various cacklings and grunts of the American Coot are more guttural and complaining in tone than the moorhen. This species seems to prefer marshes with more open areas though this is not always a given.

Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program

Photo: Sandra Horvath