song contest

There has been a rousing song contest between two Carolina Wrens whose territories are separated by the open area in front of the house. The two birds spend a certain portion of the morning engaged in what is sometimes called countersinging but which seems to me to be more like a musical battle. The songs are easily recognizable: one bird sings a traditional loud upward bounding triplet, repeated four or five time, and the other a simpler two-step downward song, also repeated a few times. The two sing in strict alternation from the woods on either side, thereby defining or confirming the boundaries between their territories. Many of the Carolina's tropical relatives (Cantorchilus wrens, formerly also considered in the same Thryothorus genus as the Carolinas) are famous for their male-female duets but our birds are territorial males. Along with the Cardinals, the Carolinas are the only birds still singing extensively at this time of the year and, in fact, their singing is more intense than it has been since the early spring. Like the Cardinals, the Carolina Wrens are residents (i.e. they don't migrate) and they tend to defend the same territories and mates throughout the year. In these song contests, the singers usually stick to a single signature song repeated vigorously a few times and then, after a pause, the same thing over and over gain. At this time of year, some birds -- perhaps young ones learning to sing or older birds looking for a mate and a territory -- seem to vary their songs to a remarkable degree. But the song warriors stick to the traditional type.

One of the most remarkable of local 'songs' -- also from a resident bird and often heard at this time of the year -- is the quavery call of the Tufted Titmouse. This is a very haunting sound, a bit like one of the calls of the Screech Owl; it is not mentioned in the field guides and not recognized even by most birdwatchers. The best-known song of the Titmouse is the two-note 'Peter, Peter' but they also often sound a Johnny One-Note note (there are other variations and their ordinary calls are similar to the dee-dee-dee of the Chickadee). But the Titmice have a bigger vocal range than most people realize and I long ago learned that 'if you don't know what you're hearing, it's probably a Titmouse'. The quavering song, although fairly often heard, is not mentioned in the standard guidebooks and it took me quite a while to figure out what it was. It is definitely Titmouse but I have yet to discover if it has any special meaning or use. Whatever it means to the birds, it has an almost supernatural aura as it floats out of the woods.

Eric Salzman