MacGillivray's Warbler. We visited a banding station one day to see some of the birds up close. If you click on the picture, you can hear a MacGillivray's Warbler singing--I made that recording at the workshop.If you don't already have plans for June 7-14, one cool way to spend the week seeing spectacular California birds, including White-headed Woodpecker and Spotted Owl, is to take the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library's Sound Recording Workshop. I took this course in 2001 and can't say enough good things about it. The instructors are not just authoritative and talented recordists--they're genuinely nice people who are patient and accessible. I had fun every moment, even as I developed a whole new skill set. They cover every aspect of field recording--how to use your equipment (and you can use some of theirs, too--call ahead of time to work with them if you don't have any equipment to bring), how to deal with varying field conditions to compensate for wind and ambient sounds, how to focus your microphone properly, and then how to edit your sounds on your computer and how to analyze them. I have photos and some of the sounds I recorded at the workshop at my "Laura Goes to the Sound Recording Workshop"page. There are still a few openings for this year's workshop--it makes a fabulous and memorable vacation!
