Decoding Birdsong

Birds speak in a language all their own. Through chirps, warbles, trills and calls, they advertise for mates, warn of approaching predators and defend territories. Naturalist and author David Lukas trains listeners to pick up on these cues and hear a new world, as KRCB's Danielle Venton reports.

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Credit Danielle Venton for KRCB

David Lukas observes a flock of unperturbed Canada geese grazing near Oakland's Lake Merritt.

 Lukas will also present a talk on bird song to the Redwood Region Ornithological Society in Santa Rosa on Feb. 14 . Details here. He has also recently published a book about the birds of the Bay Area, which, he says, is the perfect place to be a birder.