02 Oct Sing Sweetly, Sweet Songbird (by Linda Thompson)
S I N G S W E E T L Y, S W E E T S O N G B I R D
When thro’ the woods and glades I wander
Cliff Shackelford, the nongame ornithologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife, has compiled a list of “12 Birds Every Texan Should Know.” It is interesting to compare his list of must-know birds with the list identified by Cabeza de Vaca in his Relacion of the ill-fated Narvaez expedition to New Spain in 1527. Cabeza, one of four survivors of the expedition, documents his 8-year existential struggle (sometimes alone, sometimes with others) as he wanders the Texas coastline and marshy flats, hoping for rescue and return to Spain. His report to Charles V gives the earliest and most complete account of the Texas environment, eco-systems, and native peoples. Cabeza is awed by the plethora and varieties of wildlife and habitat, and his Relacion, written in 1537 and published in 1542, is still of interest to Texas historians and environmentalists:
Cliff Shackelford, the nongame ornithologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife, has compiled a list of “12 Birds Every Texan Should Know.” It is interesting to compare his list of must-know birds with the list identified by Cabeza de Vaca in his Relacion of the ill-fated Narvaez expedition to New Spain in 1527. Cabeza, one of four survivors of the expedition, documents his 8-year existential struggle (sometimes alone, sometimes with others) as he wanders the Texas coastline and marshy flats, hoping for rescue and return to Spain. His report to Charles V gives the earliest and most complete account of the Texas environment, eco-systems, and native peoples. Cabeza is awed by the plethora and varieties of wildlife and habitat, and his Relacion, written in 1537 and published in 1542, is still of interest to Texas historians and environmentalists:
There are birds of many types: geese in great numbers, ducks, mallards, royal-
ducks, fly-catchers and night herons and herons, and partridges. We saw
many falcons, gyrfalcons, sparrow hawks, merlins, and many other birds. (fiiv, p. 65)
ducks, fly-catchers and night herons and herons, and partridges. We saw
many falcons, gyrfalcons, sparrow hawks, merlins, and many other birds. (fiiv, p. 65)
Of this list only two overlap with Cliff Shackelford’s starter list of birds – the heron and the hawk, and even these may be different sub-species. De Vaca does not mention the ubiquitous mockingbird, much loved by we Texans for its beauty and song. Many of the birds he does list, valued either as a food source or for hunting and gaming, undoubtedly reflect his psychological state as he and his fellow conquistadors strive to sustain themselves in a new and unknown world. Today, a lapse in time exceeding 400 years reveals a change in our mental state. No longer struggling for daily sustenance, we prize birds not only as food sources, but also for their beauty, their aesthetics, their song, and for the spiritual connectedness they help to bridge between nature, humanity and God Himself.
Believing that all creatures have a right to existence in their own unique habitat, yet recognizing that mankind has the capability and perhaps rightful need to convert these habitat to personal and societal purposes, this brief paper will explore the mystery of bird song, the economic functions of bird colonies, and the unintended consequences of habitat conversion from wildlife to human uses. We must appreciate the beauty and bounty we have in nature before we will be willing to work and even sacrifice for its conservation.
(Travis Aududon's gallery of Austin birds here.)
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
David Rothenberg in Why Birds Sing has compiled an extensive survey of 19th and 20th century research on bird song. While interesting both historically and biologically, it is somewhat opaque to the lay person and especially to the non-musicologist. Bird song precedes human music by millions of years and is probably the original impetus for human composition. Rothenberg discusses four different methods by which humans have attempted to duplicate and study the beauty of bird song: through poetry, alphabetical correlations of sounds, musical transcriptions, sound recordings, and most recently through sonogram transcriptions of spacing, timing, and duplication of sounds.
David Rothenberg in Why Birds Sing has compiled an extensive survey of 19th and 20th century research on bird song. While interesting both historically and biologically, it is somewhat opaque to the lay person and especially to the non-musicologist. Bird song precedes human music by millions of years and is probably the original impetus for human composition. Rothenberg discusses four different methods by which humans have attempted to duplicate and study the beauty of bird song: through poetry, alphabetical correlations of sounds, musical transcriptions, sound recordings, and most recently through sonogram transcriptions of spacing, timing, and duplication of sounds.
Rothenberg’s comprehensive survey of ornithology concludes that when it comes to bird song, there are many hypotheses but rarely enough systematized knowledge “to guarantee bold generalizations about anything we hear.” Even the strictest of scientists have tended to blur the boundaries between science and art, and the “wonderful field of bird song biology and ethology seems closer to artistic elegance than objective certainty.” (p. 214) I think this is a somewhat obfuscated way of saying, “We really don’t know why birds sing.”
Nonetheless, there are certain agreed upon principles regarding bird sounds, particularly bird calls. Calls are likely to be innate to each species, while bird song is partially innate and partially learned. Peter Marler, credited as the greatest song bird scientist alive today, has identified 12 specific functions of bird calls. While his work dealt with only one species, undoubtedly some of the identified functions are inherent to all: (a) the flight call, (b) the social call, (c) the injury call, (d) the aggressive call, (e) three different types of alarm calls, (f) three courtship calls, (g) one call for the nestling begging for food and (h) another for the fledgling begging for food. (p. 65) As a backyard bird watcher, I might add one additional call: The call to signal that the bird feeder is now full and the human has made herself scarce.
Rothenberg notes that very few birds learn to sing. Among the thousands of birds on earth, most are born with the sounds they use, and only four out of the 23 major groups of birds learn to make their sounds: song birds, parrots, hummingbirds, and lyrebirds. The learning period for most song birds is closed upon adulthood. A few, such as the mockingbird, starling, and canary are open-ended learners, continuing to add and refine their repertories throughout their life spans. (p. 17)
Descriptions and scoring of bird music rely on terms and patterns endemic to human composition: “(a) repeating patterns, themes, and variations, (b) virtuosic trills and ornaments, (c) scales and inversions and (d) rhythms, dance, and energy.” (p. 9) Bird songs are produced by a two-sided syrinx, which is far more complex than the human larynx and capable of producing multiple sounds simultaneously. This ability to produce separate, simultaneous sounds is one of the reasons “birds can sometimes seem to be singing several songs at once.” (p. 169)
So, why do birds sing? Unlike calls, songs do not have specific meanings that each syllable can reveal. As song is more prevalent among male genders, Darwin hypothesized that song is intended to attract females, claim and defend territory, and also to express a wide range of emotions, such as distress, fear, anger, triumph, and (most interestingly coming from an evolutionist) “mere happiness.” (p. 36) Birds sing year-round, not just in mating season, so it must be assumed that motivation encompasses more than the mating instinct. Other speculations quoted by Rothenberg as to why birds sing include (a) strengthening the bond between mates, (b) communicating messages across distance, and (c) teaching their young. There is also some hint that birds sing to express their essence – their song is part of their identity, part of their reason for being.
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze
Rosenberg in Why Birds Sing deals with the beauty, joy, and mystery of bird music. He reflects only passingly on the thought that bird song may be in danger. He fears that nature is under siege and that “the restless voice of humanity” may ultimately push the song birds away. (p. 227) Recent articles from Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Farm Bureau, and the non-profit American Bird Conservancy identify “the restless noise” as the rapid conversion of natural wildlife habitat to conditions and surroundings beneficial to human habitation but which are rendering it incapable of supporting and perhaps detrimental to the survival of native animal and plant species.
Rosenberg in Why Birds Sing deals with the beauty, joy, and mystery of bird music. He reflects only passingly on the thought that bird song may be in danger. He fears that nature is under siege and that “the restless voice of humanity” may ultimately push the song birds away. (p. 227) Recent articles from Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Farm Bureau, and the non-profit American Bird Conservancy identify “the restless noise” as the rapid conversion of natural wildlife habitat to conditions and surroundings beneficial to human habitation but which are rendering it incapable of supporting and perhaps detrimental to the survival of native animal and plant species.
The American Bird Conservancy catalogs 12 “Historical and Current Threats” to bird habitat, with the top five being:
- the introduction of invasive species which crowd out native species and perhaps carry contagions that decimate the non-immune, local species.
- the conversion of habitat to urban/suburban development which not only destroys breeding and feeding grounds, but places high rise buildings, communications towers, and wind farms in bird flight patterns. Wikipedia tells us that between 3.5 to 975 million birds a year in North America perish from crashing into structures obstructing their established migratory patterns.
- fire suppression which, intended to sustain forest and grass lands, actually results in massive wildfires when conditions finally overwhelm suppression efforts.
- agriculture which converts both forests and prairies to food production for humans, but eliminates nesting and breeding grounds and destroys native food vital to local bird species.
- deforestation/timber extraction which both eliminates and fragments habitats, pushing birds into other species territory, which in turn becomes unstable. (p.4)
All sources read for this paper cite habitat loss or degradation as being the fundamental cause of a declining bird population. Worldwatch Institute, quoted in Wikipedia, projects that 1200 bird species face extinction in the next century.
A map prepared by the American Bird Conservancy color-codes the “Top 20 Threatened Bird Habitats in the United States.” Most of these habitat ranges extend into multiple states, with seven extending into Texas. The Edwards Plateau Savannah located in central and west-central Texas is exclusive to our area and, of course, the one of our greater familiarity. Priority species include the golden-cheeked warbler, the black-capped vireo, and the scissor-tailed flycatcher, all of which are considered endangered and in need of special protections. The greatest threats to these species are urban/suburban development and extensive agricultural conversions of habitat to farm and ranch land. Livestock overgrazing has fragmented habitat and virtually eliminated native grasses. All but 2% of the Edwards Plateau has been converted from wildlife habitat to human uses, and 95% of the ranch land is privately owned. (p. 41)
While I support private property rights, I recognize that privatization complicates the preservation of natural areas. That said, farmers and ranchers are conservationists. They love their land and are immersed everyday in the natural world which city dwellers visit only occasionally and mostly when the weather is inviting. Rain, snow, mud, and days when the temperatures exceed 100 degrees or dip below 30 are good days to be indoors. The farmer’s livelihood depends upon the use of the land, and the feeding of the world depends upon the farmer. We all must do more to protect the environment; the question is “How can all interests be best served?” The American Bird Conservancy believes that the primary hope for the survival of the warbler, vireo, and flycatcher rests on incentivized conservation programs sponsored by the Federal government, such as Partners for Fish and Wildlife and the Landowner Incentive Program which rewards ranchers for their conservation efforts.
Re: the Conservancy of other bird habitats in Texas. Particularly of interest for their proximity and beauty are Habitat 7 – Coastal Beaches and Marsh and Habitat 8 – Gulf Coast Prairies. These are the areas of Cabeza de Vaca’s wanderings during his 8-year struggle to survive the Narvaez expedition, ship-wrecked in the Texas Gulf, probably Galveston Bay during hurricane season. The priority species of the Gulf Coast Prairie are Attwater’s greater prairie-chicken, reddish egret, buff-breasted sandpiper, Hudsonian godwit, and the whooping crane. The threats according to the American Bird Conservancy are many, with perhaps the major one being agriculture and the conversion of fertile prairie flats to pastureland or to rice and sugarcane production. The coastal marsh has suffered from the construction of levees, canal channelization, dredging, and the oil and gas industry. The primary hope for birds of this habitat resides with the Endangered Species Act and the Gulf Coast Joint Venture working to restore and protect habitat in both prairie and wetland regions. The Texas drought has also endangered wildlife habitat, as river flows from the Colorado, Brazos and other rivers have been reallocated from environmental purposes to human purposes. Texas has a growing population with an increasing need for water. Sadly, Rothenberg’s fear may yet be realized: The “restless noise of humanity” may finally push the song birds away.
Texas Parks and Wildlife has outlined guidelines for conserving habitat for backyard, native, coastal and migratory birds. Land-use planning is critical, and governments at all levels, conservation organizations, and private citizens must work to protect and restore natural habitat. We are apt to become involved if we value the beauty, joy, and serenity offered by the natural world. The America Bird Conservancy acknowledges, however, that enjoyment may be an insufficient incentive. We recognize that birds contribute artistically and spiritually to our culture, but we must also recognize that they make enormous economic contributions as well. They eat billions of insects each year and play an important role as pollinators, providing irreplaceable services to agricultural production. They are a fundamental part of our food production processes and enable the bounteous harvests that feed ourselves and the world. Additionally, as ABC and other agencies emphasize, birds are the proverbial “canaries in the coal mine.” Their survival or decline are early indicators of environmental health and change factors that also impact humankind. (p. 7)
Now sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
Perhaps now is a time for us to remember Aldo Leopold’s land ethic that embraces an “intelligent humility toward man’s place in nature. Man is not the conqueror of the land community, but a plain member and citizen of it, and respect must be granted to all members: soils, waters, plants, and animals.” (p. 204) Humans are part of the earth’s delicately balanced, symbiotic eco-systems upon which not only we but all of life are utterly dependent for survival. The survival of the biomass depends upon the survival of its parts. The survival of mankind is dependent upon the survival of the land community. To return to Rothenberg’s question, “Why do birds sing?” Perhaps they sing because they cannot cry, perhaps they innately recognize the wisdom imparted to me by my Mother as she neared her own ending: “There’s no use in crying, no use in crying.” There is no use in crying, but there is use in working to preserve the beauty, joy, and mystery of bird song, a gift that elevates our lives and draws us closer to the Creator of us all.
Perhaps now is a time for us to remember Aldo Leopold’s land ethic that embraces an “intelligent humility toward man’s place in nature. Man is not the conqueror of the land community, but a plain member and citizen of it, and respect must be granted to all members: soils, waters, plants, and animals.” (p. 204) Humans are part of the earth’s delicately balanced, symbiotic eco-systems upon which not only we but all of life are utterly dependent for survival. The survival of the biomass depends upon the survival of its parts. The survival of mankind is dependent upon the survival of the land community. To return to Rothenberg’s question, “Why do birds sing?” Perhaps they sing because they cannot cry, perhaps they innately recognize the wisdom imparted to me by my Mother as she neared her own ending: “There’s no use in crying, no use in crying.” There is no use in crying, but there is use in working to preserve the beauty, joy, and mystery of bird song, a gift that elevates our lives and draws us closer to the Creator of us all.
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Linda Thompson is a member of First Baptist Church, Austin, TX and the First Baptist Church Green Team. She allowed this piece to be reprinted on AEN by FEAT by special request. Learn more about Linda's views on bird songs and bird conservation by visiting her eduational display at First Baptist Church.
References
- American Bird Conservancy. Top 20 Most Threatened Bird Habitats in the United States. The Plains, Va.: Internet, n.d.
- Bird Conservation, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet, last revised Feb. 11,2014.
- Boberg, Carl. How Great Thou Art. Words, 1886, tr. by Stuart K. Hine, 1949.
- Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Nunez. The Narrative of Cabeza de Vaca. Edited, translated, and with an introduction by Rolena Adorno and Patrick Charles Pautz. Lincoln, Neb.: Univ. of Neb. Press, 2003.
- Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There. Special Commemorative Edition. N.Y. and Oxford: Oxford University Press, c. 1949, reprinted 1989.
- Rothenberg, David. Why Birds Sing; a Journey through the Mystery of Bird Song. N.Y.: Basic Books, 2005.
- Shackelford, Cliff. 12 Birds Every Texan Should Know in Texas Parks and Wildlife (Aug./Sept., 2014) pp. 30 – 37.
- Texas Partners in Flight; Guidelines for Bird Habitats. Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.: n.d.
*All images by Travis Audubon. Learn about local bird sanctuaries, bird science, and more: TravisAudubon.org.
More info on Austin's Faith and Energy Action Team (FEAT) can be found via: facebook.com/faithandenergy and faithandenergy.org. Email questions to FEAT here.
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