Birds in the Garden - Bird Walk and Music!

Typically, when people think of birdsong, they imagine the beautiful, melodic trademark songs that males belt out to attract females and defend their territories. However, few consider the songs and other complex vocalizations that female songbirds make as they build their nests, defend their territories, or attract males. We (a professional flutist/ PhD student researching mountain chickadee vocal behavior at UNR and an engineer/ masters student studying music composition at UNR) are creating a collection of pieces aimed at bringing awareness to the often overlooked female song of local species.

With this project, we hope to inspire conversation between musicians and biologists/ bird enthusiasts that may help bridge the gap between art and science by exploring how birds and humans interact with their soundscapes. We additionally aim to explore how pre-existing biases strongly influence our understanding of the world around us, and related conservation implications. We hope to premiere our first piece, based on female and male red-winged blackbird song, on June 14, 2026. This event will consist of an approximately 20-minute performance/presentation of the piece and an accompanying bird walk centered around the beautiful sounds, visual displays, and various behaviors of this well-loved species.