He was vice president of the Board of Directors for the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory 2001-2008. He served as president of the Houston Audubon Society 1989-1991 and purchased the North American Rare Bird Alert for Houston Audubon in 1990. He founded the Piney Woods Wildlife Society in 1982 and the Texas Coast Rare Bird Alert in 1983. Gary has been active in the birding community for more than 30 years. He is a recipient of the Teacher Excellence Award. In 32 years at the college, Gary has served as vice president of instruction dean of Business, Social and Behavioral Sciences associate dean of Natural Sciences professor of marketing professor of developmental writing and Faculty Senate president. Gary is professor of business and developmental studies at Lone Star College-North Harris. He has won eight Lone Star College writing awards and is the recipient of the Houston Audubon Society 2004 Excellence in Media Award and the Citizens' Environmental Coalition 2010 Synergy Media Award for Environmental Reporting. He also publishes feature articles in state and national magazines and has written four books: "Texas Wildlife Portfolio," "Texas Gulf Coast Impressions," "Backroads of the Texas Hill Country" and "Enjoying Big Bend National Park." Gary is also a contributing author in the book, "Pride of Place: A Contemporary Anthology of Texas Nature Writing." Gary Clark is the weekly nature columnist for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. What's more, the female northern cardinal is among the North American female songbirds that sing back to males during breeding season. So the northern cardinal might vary his song with a liquid " cheer-cheer-cheer" plus a sharp " whoit-whoit-whoit" or a staccato " wheeet-wheeet-wheeet." He can sing as many as 24 musical variations in a single morning recital. The male reasserts himself as worthy to be a mate and establishes once again a prime feeding territory whether or not last year's mate joins him.īirds utter complex melodies and mix them up in a variety of musical and chirping combinations. Part of the female's mate selection process is to determine whether the male has a robust song - the more robust the song the better the male's genes and perhaps the better his breeding territory of available food for her babies.Įven birds such as the northern cardinals that formed a pair bond that lasted through the previous year still go through the spring musical courtship ritual. The males are wooing females with song while at the same time signaling to the potential mates that they have staked out prime real estate for breeding.įemale birds know this. Bird melodies are meant for courtship and the announcement of breeding territories. See More CollapseĪs I read the morning newspaper over breakfast, I enjoy the background tune of a Carolina wren singing a full-throttled song sounding like " tea-kettle-tea-kettle-tea-kettle." Or the newly arrived bluebirds sitting atop my bluebird nest boxes singing a sweet, gentle, high-pitched warbling melody resembling the sound " chur-weee-chur-weee."Īlthough enlivening my mornings, their bird song is not meant for me. Male woodpeckers make a "drumming" sound by hammering their beaks on tree trucks, housing eaves and chimney flashings to attract a mate.Įach woodpecker has a drumming sound specific to species identity. Songbirds can sing with closed beaks, because songs are shaped inside the syrinx, not in the oral cavity as with humans.īirds such as red-bellied woodpeckers make a variety of sounds and calls but not usually rhythmic melodies. Anatomical mechanisms in the bronchi and trachea augment the bird's songs and calls. Air vibrating the membranes in combination with muscles tensing and relaxing the membranes produces whistles, songs, chirps, buzzes and calls.Ĥ. The syrinx is a bony chassis encasing thin membranes, stretched and relaxed by tiny muscles.ģ. Bird song originates in a syrinx located at the base of the windpipe where it branches into two tubes that enter the lungs.Ģ. Songbirds make up over half of all bird species and produce complex, rhythmic vocalizations that resemble musical melodies:ġ.
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