Just A Chirp

Grosse Pointe Audubon Spring 2019

Sing a song of Syrinx

From the President:
We all know birds sing to establish their
territories and attract a mate, but I’m guessing
few of us know about the hows of bird song.
So as we await warmer weather and the bulk
of migration, let us prepare for the sounds that
will will be hearing this spring with a primer on
bird song. Congratulations, you have just
enrolled in Bird Anatomy 101. Today’s lesson:
The Syrinx.
We humans make sound with the use of a
larynx in our throat. We have folds of tissue
that are our vocal cords. When air passes
through the folds we make sound. We then use
the muscles in our faces to form words. Other
mammals have larynxes, but haven’t developed
highly sophisticated language skills. Pigs grunt.
Dogs bark. Cats meow. Cows moo. Etcetera.
Birds, however, don’t have a larynx—they
have a syrinx, which is buried deep in their
chests where the windpipe meets their lungs.
And just like the voice boxes of mammals,
not all syrinxes are created alike. Geese honk.
Ducks quack. Owls hoot. Herons bark. But
songbirds have a highly sophisticated syrinx
that allows them to make complex sounds.
(Let’s acknowledge the sorry exception: vultures
don’t have a syrinx and can only make hissing
sounds.)
An article published in October 2018 on the
website of the Proceedings of that National
Academy of Sciences (https://www.pnas.org/
More on Page 2

Spring Schedule
  Cut out this schedule and put it on your refrigerator to help you remember
these important dates.

April 15 — Humbug Marsh.You may not have heard of this wetland in Trenton but it’s the only
Wetland of International Importance in our state. It’s the last mile of undeveloped shoreline along
the U.S. mainland of the Detroit River and contains critical habitat for many rare fish and wildlife
species. Park Ranger Jennie Braatz will enlighten us on the cultural and natural history of this gem
that is also part of the world’s only international wildlife refuge. This will also be our annual meeting.

April 30, May 7, 14, 21 — Bird walks at the Country Club of Detroit. Meet at 6:30 a.m. on the
service road near the tall trees. The walks will end by 8 a.m. Dress appropriately for the weather, but
always wear waterproof footwear.

May 6 — Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge. More information is available on Page 3 of this
newsletter and at GPAudubon.blogspot.com.

May 2 — Bird walk at Patterson Park, Grosse Pointe Park. Meet in the parking lot at 6:30 p.m.
Dress appropriately for the weather. This walk will last approximately 90 minutes.
May 15 — Bird walk at Patterson Park, Grosse Pointe Park. Meet in the parking lot at 8 a.m. Dress
appropriately for the weather. This walk will last approximately 90 minutes.

PAGE 1
 JUST A CHIRP SPRING 2019

From The President, from Page 1 turning it into music. The score, as displayed in
content/115/41/10209.short?rss=1) compared the the graphic, is incredibly complex.
syrinx of birds to the larynxes of mammals, What Messiaen could not hear is just how
reptiles and amphibians and found that complicated bird song really is. If an individual
songbirds have the most highly evolved voice person produced as many rapid fire words as a
box of all. songbird
First, the produces notes,
organ is highly we would
efficient. Only probably not be
about the size of able to
a rain drop, it understand
uses almost all what that
of the air individual was
passing through saying. A study
it. Muscles of the Kirtland’s
connected to Warbler
the throat and revealed their
wings then help song is so
to amplify the complex that
sound. Unlike they sing
humans, birds potentially
do not have a more than 100
diaphragm, so different notes
Source: oliviermessiaen.com
their entire torso in a second.
acts as an air cavity. In parrots and mynas, the That’s just way too many for the human ear—
syrinx is so advanced that it allows these even Messiaen’s—to detect.
species to mimic human language. When you hear the whistle of a Cardinal,
Second, in some songbirds the syrinx compare that to the chatter of a House Wren or
doesn’t just produce one sound; it produces the flute-like phrases of a Wood Thrush. It’s
multiple sounds. While it’s almost impossible amazing to think there’s a tiny yet sophisticated
for a human to sing two notes at the same time, organ behind those amazing sounds.
these songbirds do it all the time. The syrinx in
a Wood Thrush, for example, has two sides. Notice of Annual Meeting
One side produces low notes and the other Our April meeting is also our annual
produces high notes. We hear a sound that we meeting, which is when we elect officers for the
say sounds like “Eee-O-Lay!” but other birds 2019-2020 year. If you would like to up your
are able to hear something much more participation in Grosse Pointe Audubon by
complex. running for office, please email Judy Florian at
Olivier Messiaen, the 20th century French JFlo@comcast.net.
composer and ornithologist, regularly
incorporated bird song in his compositions, Garage sale!
going so far as to write an entire flute piece We will also be holding a garage sale at our
based on the song of the Blackbird, a common April meeting. I have books, feeders, lovely art,
European species. For another piece, Messiaen and lots of other stuff ready to find new homes.
interpreted a sonogram of the Wood Thrush, If you have something you’d like to contribute,

More on Page 3
PAGE 2
 JUST A CHIRP
From The President, from Page 2
please bring it. The receipts from all sales will
go to Grosse Pointe Audubon.
And don’t forget, we will hold a live auction
of a barred owl print contributed by Rosann
Kovalcik.
Source: ecoenclose.com
Pick your poison
Paper or plastic? That’s the question we all
have to face when shopping at the grocery
store. According to a recent article in The
New York Times the best answer is … neither.
Both paper and plastic can be recycled but
only about 12 percent of plastic bags get
recycled. Recycling centers hate them because
they gum up the machines. The vast majority
of plastic bags end up in the environment or
landfills where it takes roughly 1,000 years for
them to deteriorate. We tend to think of paper
bags as a more responsible environmental
choice because they come from a renewable
source and they are easier to recycle or
compost after use. The problem with paper
bags is that they take much more energy to
produce, which means they ultimately
contribute more to greenhouse gasses. In
order for a paper bag to be carbon neutral it
would have to be used more than three times.
Even the best alternative comes with an
environmental cost. A cotton bag, for example,
requires energy, fertilizer, and pesticides to
produce. One study found that a cotton bag
would have to be used at least 131 times before
it had a smaller global warming impact than a
lightweight plastic bag used only once. Yikes!
(My reusable grocery bags have been with me
for 19 years now, so I think they have crossed
the carbon-neutral threshold.)
PAGE 3
SPRING 2019
Unfortunately there are those times when
I’m forced to make an impromptu grocery
store visit for just one or two items. That’s
when best answer to the inevitable question is
… neither. If it’s just one item, we should all
pledge to make do without.
Birding for Glory!
The annual Grosse Pointe Birding
Challenge is set for Monday, May 6. Teams will
be scouring the Grosse Pointe communities
for as many bird species as they can count.
Tabulation takes place at noon sharp at Panera
in the Village, and the winner takes home a
trophy and a feeling of smug superiority. Join a
team for the entire morning or just an hour.
See the GP Audubon blog for official rules.
Bird walks at the Ford House
Bird walks are scheduled for April 13 at 8
a.m. and May 7-11 at 7:30 a.m. There is also an
evening walk on May 9 that will start at 6 p.m.
As always, the walks will be led by Rosann
Kovalcik. Make a reservation (quickly!) at
313-884-4222. There is a fee.
Spring Fling
The annual gathering at Whitefish Point is
scheduled for April 26-28. The keynote speaker
is Dr. Lisa Williams, who is studying the
impact of contaminants on Herring Gulls and
Caspian Terns in the Great Lakes. I urge you
to go! Register at michiganaudubon.org.
A Spring Dues Poem
I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a fully paid member.
A member who has paid their dues
So I don’t ship you to Syracuse.
You are welcome.
Ink cartridges
Yup, we’re still collecting them. Along with
old cell phones, pagers and PDAs. Please bring
your old items for recycling, which allows GP
Audubon to make a buck on the side.
JUST A CHIRP WINTER 2019

About Grosse Pointe Audubon

Bill Rapai, president, (313) 885-6502 or BRapai@aol.com

Mark O’Keefe, vice president, (313) 884-7472 or imokruok2@aol.com
Trina Bresser Matous, treasurer, tbressler@aol.com
Anna Wuerfel, secretary, anna.wuerfel@att.net
Board of Directors: Mike Florian, Joanna Pease, Terry North, Robert Walter
Joanna Pease, representative to Seven Ponds Nature Center, strixvaria@sbcglobal.net
Edward McHale, Facebook Kahuna

Go to www.gpaudubon.blogspot.com for an online copy of Just A Chirp, membership

form, rules for the G.P. Birding Challenge in the spring, and more.
 
Keep up with other Grosse Pointe birders (and Like us) on Facebook!
 
Grosse Pointe Audubon meets in the Annex of the Pointe Unitarian Church at 17150 Maumee,
between St. Clair and Neff in Grosse Pointe. Social hour starts at 7 p.m. and the meeting starts at
7:30. Our meetings are free and open to all, so bring a friend!

Grosse Pointe Audubon

443 St. Clair
Grosse Pointe, MI 48230