Bird Songs of Southeastern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico
Bird Songs of Southeastern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, compiled by Geoffrey A. Keller. Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2 CD-set $24.95.
Southeastern Arizona has long been heralded as one of the top birding destinations in the United States. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has recently released a 2 CD set that covers the vocalizations of 202 species of birds that inhabit southeastern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. This recent release, along with Cornell\'s other recent release, Bird Songs of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Southwestern Texas, are aimed at educating the birdwatching public about the importance of knowing bird vocalizations. By producing audio guides for some of the top birding locales in the country, the Library of Natural Sounds is off to a wonderful start. The 2 Discs are accompanied by a booklet that lists a track number followed by the species name with a brief description of the recorded songs and calls along with the locations of the recordings.
Disc 1 covers species from the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck to the Phainopepla and includes some of the following specialty birds: Buff-collared Nightjar, 10 species of Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Strickland\'s Woodpecker, and many others. Disc 2 ranges from the Olive Warbler to the Black-headed Siskin. Once again many specialty birds are included. The last 51 tracks on Disc 2 are of Sonoran species, many of which have been sighted in the United States on occasion. The length of the tracks for each species lasts anywhere from 20 seconds to well over a minute. This is sufficient time to cover both the song and calls.
The quality and clarity of the bird songs and calls are excellent. They will provide the travelling birder or researcher an effective tool to aid in the identification of species. Kudos are extended to the individuals that made this audio guide possible. I highly recommend this to any birders who are planning a trip to the Southwestern United States or Northwestern Mexico.
Oscar Carmona
hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Created: 28th Aug 2001
