mp3 players for birding

One of the nice things about biking through the local Forest Preserves here in the Chicago suburbs is hearing the birds sing as a I pedal along the trail. Since I know my bird songs and calls well, I can keep a mental tally of all the species I hear on every outing. This time of year, the forest and prairies are alive with bird song. I can't even begin to list them all the species I hear, but I will say that it is rare to go more than a few minutes without hearing some song and, more often than not, I can hear several songs at once. It is truly music to my ears.

If you are new to birding, there is a trick I learned some time back that will help you learn your songs and calls and it won't cost you a great deal or burden you down with a lot of weight or size. Just download bird songs onto a conventional mp3 player from one of the many bird song CDs on the market. You can even download songs directly from many bird websites where allowed (but check before you copy).

Since bird songs and calls are minimal size, file-wise, you don't need a high capacity mp3 player to do this. I know of several birders who just use a small, inexpensive, low capacity models, such as the Sandisk Sansa C100 Digital Music mp3 player and reserve their high capacity iPods for their music files. That way, if the mp3 player is lost out in the field, they are not too upset and even a 1 GB model will hold all the bird songs and calls you will ever need. The nice thing about an mp3 player, compared to a CD player, is that you can instantly select any call you want and compare it directly with what you are hearing at the time.

Just a note of caution, though, for you bicyclists. I do not recommend listening to any mp3 player while riding. You need to hear what is going on around you at all times for safety's sake. If you want to plug in to your mp3, pull off the road and do it right.