{"id":109403,"date":"2023-01-07T03:07:11","date_gmt":"2023-01-07T10:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=109403"},"modified":"2023-07-27T03:41:28","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T09:41:28","slug":"my-birding-by-ear-affliction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/01\/07\/my-birding-by-ear-affliction\/","title":{"rendered":"My Birding By Ear Affliction"},"content":{"rendered":"

My birding by ear affliction isn’t that I can’t hear birds; it is that I can’t not hear them. Even when I am on the phone with my friends.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Crow on ice \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

If my friends or family are outside when we are talking on the phone I simply can’t stop listening for birds or trying to identify them via their songs or calls. I also can’t stop myself from saying “I hear crows<\/span><\/a>” or the name of whatever bird it is that I can hear. I just blurt it out. If I don’t recognize the song or call my brain stores it away so I can hopefully figure it out later.<\/p>\n

\"BarredBarred Owl and Spanish Moss in Florida \u2013 Nikon D200, f5.6, 1\/250, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Or if I am talking to a birding or bird photographer friend I can ask them if I am correct with my sound identification and not feel like such a complete and utter bird geek. If I am talking with family or loved ones who know me well then they already know I am a bird geek. They may have already heard me imitating a Barred Owl’s call of “who cooks for you<\/span><\/a>” or describing the call of some other species.<\/p>\n

\"BlueBlue Jay in Salt Lake County \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

My problem is that I simply can’t help myself. If I am hearing a bird call or sound in person, on TV, or on the phone my brain automatically, or maybe even auto-magically, goes into identification mode.<\/p>\n

Maybe I have a personality flaw? If I do I think I will call it “flawesome” because that very same trait always<\/em> helps me find my subjects when I am in the field.<\/p>\n

I am Mia and I am hopelessly addicted to birds.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Also see this post: I Am Never NOT Looking For Birds<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my bird photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My birding by ear affliction isn’t that I can’t hear birds; it is that I can’t not hear them. Even when I am on the phone with my friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5967,3755,27,13602,25,2324,2570,709,26],"tags":[4004,5969,970,3756,13612,13604,6577,3194,5968,5970,1051,13603,13609,4620,13610,4064,6792,2714,4094,3967,294,13608,4104,3759,3757,13611,4427,4095,373],"class_list":["post-109403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-crows","category-barred-owls","category-avian","category-blue-jays","category-florida","category-hillsborough-county","category-lettuce-lake-regional-park","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-crow","tag-autumn","tag-barred-owl","tag-birding-by-ear","tag-blue-jay","tag-branches","tag-corvids","tag-corvus-brachyrhynchos","tag-crow","tag-crows","tag-cyanocitta-cristata","tag-epiphytic-flowering-plant","tag-fall","tag-hardwood-hammock","tag-ice","tag-jay","tag-jays","tag-marsh","tag-owl","tag-owls","tag-peanut","tag-perched","tag-spanish-moss","tag-strix-varia","tag-tillandsia-usneoides","tag-tree","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/american-crow-icy-marsh-mia-mcpherson-2040.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ssz","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":174209,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/04\/08\/its-barred-owl-nesting-season-at-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":109403,"position":0},"title":"It’s Barred Owl Nesting Season At Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago my dear friend Steve Creek called me while I was at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge to let me know about a Barred Owl that was out in the open.","rel":"","context":"In "Barred Owls"","block_context":{"text":"Barred Owls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/owls\/barred-owls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Barred Owl adult during nesting season at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/barred-owl-adult-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-3544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/barred-owl-adult-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-3544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/barred-owl-adult-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-3544.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/barred-owl-adult-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-3544.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":108524,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/12\/07\/urban-birds-parking-lot-american-crow\/","url_meta":{"origin":109403,"position":1},"title":"Urban Birds – Parking Lot American Crow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The fog was so thick yesterday morning that I decided to stay near home and focus on urban birds. My first one of the day was an American Crow in a parking lot.","rel":"","context":"In "American Crows"","block_context":{"text":"American Crows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/jays\/american-crows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Urban American Crow, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/american-crow-parking-lot-mia-mcpherson-5544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/american-crow-parking-lot-mia-mcpherson-5544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/american-crow-parking-lot-mia-mcpherson-5544.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/american-crow-parking-lot-mia-mcpherson-5544.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56011,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/02\/10\/american-crows-on-ice-and-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":109403,"position":2},"title":"American Crows On Ice And Snow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"At the end of January I had a few opportunities to photograph some American Crows in nice light on snow and ice at Farmington Bay WMA. I jumped at the opportunity of course.","rel":"","context":"In "American Crows"","block_context":{"text":"American Crows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/jays\/american-crows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Calling American Crow on snow, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-crow-ice-and-snow-mia-mcpherson-8063.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-crow-ice-and-snow-mia-mcpherson-8063.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-crow-ice-and-snow-mia-mcpherson-8063.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-crow-ice-and-snow-mia-mcpherson-8063.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15350,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/07\/10\/help-stop-the-utah-crow-hunt\/","url_meta":{"origin":109403,"position":3},"title":"Help Stop the Utah Crow Hunt – UPDATE: The Utah Wildlife Board foolishly approved a Crow Hunt for Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"If the proposed crow hunt isn't stopped Common Ravens; fully protected under the MBTA, will almost certainly be killed this coming September because of mistaken identity.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fish Crow at Fort De Soto with nesting materials, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/fish-crow-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-4166.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/fish-crow-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-4166.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/fish-crow-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-4166.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/fish-crow-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-4166.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":120011,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/22\/american-crow-nictitating-membrane-images\/","url_meta":{"origin":109403,"position":4},"title":"American Crow Nictitating Membrane Images","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I'm sharing three portraits of an American Crow, two of which include the very pale, nearly icy-blue nictitating membrane that these crows have.","rel":"","context":"In "American Crows"","block_context":{"text":"American Crows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/jays\/american-crows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Crow nictitating membrane, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-crow-nictitating-membrane-portrait-mia-mcpherson-2337.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-crow-nictitating-membrane-portrait-mia-mcpherson-2337.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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