Most people and most birds share two things. We communicate using sound, and what we see often shapes the way we live.  Many birds have better eyesight than we do, and many hear sounds beyond our own earshot. But we mammals certainly have learned to listen in to our feathered neighbors. Though it is not clear if our ancestors learned to make music after hearing birds, it is clear that bird sounds have influenced how we sing, whistle and use instruments. Apparently the first musically-inclined songbirds evolved in Australia, but their success and social skills allowed them to spread across the planet. It is easy for us to hear many bird sounds because they are deliberately loud enough and meant to be widely heard.  Some birds, like robins, have two voice boxes. They can sing both melody and harmony at the same time. While some predatory birds are often quiet and stealthy (like the Cooper’s hawk who wants the finch at your feeder), many more are alert to danger, and often say so.  From chickadees to crows, house finches to herons, a perceived danger brings out a warning call. A scolding jay is heard by every nuthatch and sparrow within range, and all react. Often a group of potential prey birds will gather to scream at an enemy—a hawk or owl. It is called “mobbing,” and the sounds of one scolding bird often gathers a helpful crowd of noise-making birds. It also means the predator can no longer be sneaky. It is now observed by smaller and faster birds. Many bird species sing to claim territory, attract a mate, reassure a mate, or celebrate the dawn of a new day. Research shows that the dawn chorus of bird voices has a pattern. Birds with larger eyes and better eyesight in dim light sing first, often well before dawn. Here in the temperate part of the Northern Hemisphere the high season for bird song is spring. But some birds will sing for what may be appreciation. Bewick’s wrens and meadowlarks are local residents who may sing any morning when the sun shines, be it January or August.  Calling to other members of the flock is spread across the bird world. Tiny bushtits whisper to each other as they flutter through a thicket. Canada Geese may be honking loudly as they move from one marsh to the next, or across the golf course. Five hundred feet overhead, migrating sandhill cranes will be bugling to keep their formation together. Sonic analysis shows birds often make notes faster and more complex than we can hear. Some notes are beyond our ability altogether. Through it all birds are sharing information, conversing, warning, celebrating. Don’t believe me? Just listen to the crows near where you live or work. For information about upcoming Salem Audubon programs and activities, see www.salemaudubon.org, or Salem Audubon’s Facebook page. Harry Fuller is an Oregon birder and natural history author of “Freeway Birding” and the newly-published “Birding Harney County.” He is a member of the Salem Audubon Society. Contact him at [email protected] or atowhee.blog. His “Some Fascinating Things About Birds” column appears regularly in Salem Reporter. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post COLUMN: What did that bird just say? appeared first on Salem Reporter.