70. The joy of western meadowlark songs.
8. How Songs Change over Space and Time
Song changes over evolutionary time
From page 151 in the book.
The joy of western meadowlark songs. Want to explore these western meadowlarks some more? Come along with me to Sierra Valley in eastern California where, during 2018, I just couldn't get enough of them (for meadowlark lovers everywhere, over four and a half hours of recordings are provided here!). One male (call him Bird 1) offered plenty of listening material. Try warming up with ♫620 for nearly nine minutes of song. Hear how repetitive he is, beginning in the following pattern: A B B B B B C C C C C D D D D D D E E E E E E . . . plus another 34 songs. In ♫621 you will find another 138 songs from the same male, these two recordings spanning sunrise. Altogether, in these 195 songs the male revealed a repertoire of 13 different songs; in ♫622 I have copied two renditions of each of the 13, so that you can quickly listen to his entire repertoire.
For more from that same bird two days later, try ♫623 for another 8 minutes. Or ♫624 for an hour and a half spanning sunrise (unedited—sometimes the male is far, sometimes near, with cattle, of course; feel the "you-are-there" experience as it was recorded in the field!). Hear how Bird 1 and a meadowlark in the distance match songs on occasion (e.g., from 1:24:11 to 1:24:35)? What else do you hear? For even more from this meadowlark, listen to ♫625 for another two hours!
There is also Bird 2, the immediate neighbor of Bird 1 (♫626, ♫627). These two neighbors share at least four songs in their repertoires, as heard in ♫628, where matching songs from the two birds are played back to back (i.e., they can and do learn their songs from each other). And, yes, there's also Bird 3 (♫629), should you ask.
Taken together, these recordings offer a marvelous opportunity to explore what western meadowlark singing is all about!
♫620: Bird 1. 57 songs over nearly 9 minutes. He's highly repetitive, beginning in the following pattern: A B B B B B C C C C C D D D D D D E E E E E E . . . plus another 34 songs. 5:14 to 5:23 a.m.; sunrise at 5:33 a.m. June 10, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (8:52) Recorded by Janet Grenzke.
♫621: Bird 1. Another 138 songs over nearly 24 minutes. 5:34 to 5:58 a.m.; sunrise at 5:33 a.m. June 10, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (23:50) Recorded by Janet Grenzke.
♫622: Bird 1. Two examples of each of his 13 different songs. June 10, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (3:42) Recorded by Janet Grenzke.
♫623: Bird 1. Two days later, more from the same western meadowlark, now accompanied by a horned lark (same bird as in ♫483). 7:19 to 7:27 a.m.; sunrise at 5:33 a.m. June 12, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (8:17)
♫624: Bird 1. An unedited hour and a half, spanning sunrise. 5:04 to 6:34 a.m. sunrise at 5:33 a.m. June 12, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (1:29:33) Recorded by Janet Grenzke.
♫625: Bird 1. Even more from him, lots more, beginning with his very first song of the morning, perhaps stimulated by a passing car. 4:58 to 7:09 a.m.; sunrise at 5:33 a.m. June 14, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (2:11:31)
♫626: Bird 2, the immediate neighbor of Bird 1. Five separate recordings are joined here, separated by fades. The cattle are especially vocal this morning! June 12, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (18:19)
♫627: Bird 2. Three separate recordings spliced together, with fades between them. My favorite sage thrasher can often be heard in the background (see ♫518-531). June 14, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (14:44 ) Recorded by Janet Grenzke.
♫628: Birds 1 and 2, on neighboring territories, share four songs in their repertoires. Four pairs of songs are in this recording, the first of each pair from Bird 1, the second from Bird 2. June 10-12, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (0:38) Recorded by Janet Grenzke.
♫629: Bird 3, the neighbor of both Birds 1 and 2, in three segments, with fades between the separate recordings. In the background on occasion is another fairly loud meadowlark (e.g., 9:20 to 10:27). June 14, 2018. Sierra Valley, California. (18:27) Recorded by JanetGrenzke.