You'll know these 10 common bird songs

As days lengthen and temperatures climb, nature's call of the wild turns irresistible to many. It's another season of rebirth, renewal and discovery.
Each spring many amateur naturalists resolve that this is the year they'll finally learn some bird songs. But their resolve quickly weakens as early-morning choruses devolve into a confusing cacophony of nature's noise. Unfortunately, many people simply give up. Learning bird songs is just too difficult, they say.
I disagree. In fact, if you're reading this column, you already know at least 10 bird vocalizations. You just don't realize it. So here's a guide to 10 species of bird songs/calls you already know. Some are so cooperative they even sing their own names.
The bane of city parks, golf courses, and even some backyards, Canada geese are easily recognized by their large size and white chin strap on the black head and neck. There voice is equally recognizable, so even if they're flying hundreds of feet overhead, there's no mistaking their familiar "honk." It's a deep, throaty, "honk-a-honk."
The red-tailed hawk is the big-bodied raptor that commonly perches on tree tops and power line poles along busy highways. I often hear red-tails before I see them when they're in flight. Their call is a loud, macho, descending scream: "Keeer!"
Name-sayers
The killdeer is the first name-sayer on the list. This common shorebird prefers grassy fields, lakeshores and large expanses of mowed grass. Its dark, double breast bands are distinctive. This is a great quiz bird because on the ground or in flight, it often calls its own name -- "kill-dee, kill-dee" or "dee-dee-dee." I heard my first killdeer one night last month after a high school basketball game.
Even if you've never heard a wild turkey gobble, you'd have no trouble recognizing it. It's exactly what you imagine. And it's loud. A turkey gobble can be heard a mile away.
The mourning dove is named for its sorrowful song: "Oo, oo, oo, ... oo, oo." The second note is usually a bit higher than the others. Beginners often hear a dove and think it's an owl, but owls seldom sing during the day. Mourning doves also produce a distinctive wing whistle when they take flight.
The second name-sayer on the list is the eastern phoebe, a nondescript flycatcher that often nests under a porch roof. When perched on a power line or tree branch, it often pumps its tail downward. Its song is a repetitious, "fee-bee." The quality of the sound is buzzy. I heard the first phoebe of the year as I wrote this column.
Everyone knows the American crow, a large black bird that often roosts in enormous flocks during the winter. Its call is the simple and familiar, "caw, caw, caw." When heard at a distance in the woods, it often means a flock has discovered a roosting great-horned or barred owl.
Look-alikes
Carolina and black-capped chickadees are look-alikes best distinguished by range and voice. Imagine a line running from Philadelphia to Kansas. North of the line, black-capped chickadees prevail; south of the line is Carolina country. Voice is an even better distinguishing characteristic. Black-caps sing "fee-bee" in a sweet pure tone unlike the phoebe's buzzy notes. Carolinas sing "fee-bee, fee-bay," though often in my backyard I hear a more abbreviated, "fee-bee, fee." A call note of both species is the self-evident, "chick-a-dee-dee-dee."
The tufted titmouse, the small, gray, crested bird that comes to feeders, rounds out the top ten bird songs that everyone knows. Its song is a series of pure simple whistles that can be single or double notes. "Here, here, here," or "Peter, Peter, Peter," are the easily recognized sounds of the tufted titmouse.
As you get outside over the next week, test yourself. Can you recognize any birds on the list? Just remember that except in the zone of overlap, you're unlikely to hear both species of chickadees at the same time.
Next week, we'll learn 10 more easy species (including cardinal, robin, towhee, and blue jay), and you'll be ready for spring migration.
Send questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, R.D. 5, Cameron, W.Va. 26033 or via e-mail to sshalaway@aol.com.