You can't impress me with this old tune

Subject: RE: You can't impress me with this old tune
From: GUEST,Rumncoke
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 10:04 AM

I never realised that we humans can pick up regional variation in birdsong until I heard the children's TV show 'Postman Pat' set in the Yorkshire Dales with a recording of a skylark in the soundtrack.

I really choked.

I was long ago transplanted to the South of England from Yorkshire. I have heard larks down here, and never thought they were any different to the ones at home, but I supose subconsciously I had learned the larksong of the 60's in South Yorkshire.

I still listen to skylarks, but now I wonder if I return to Yorkshire will I find the song to have changed, and might it be - ordinary - if such a sound can ever be so described.

Subject: RE: You can't impress me with this old tune
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 09:32 AM

How interesting. I wonder if they took into account the maturity of each bird. I believe there is more appreciate for the historical songs as one grows older. You know how young whipper-snappers can be!

Subject: RE: You can't impress me with this old tune
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 08:45 AM

Ver good but we are not a sparrows. [ well I'm not ]

eric

Subject: RE: You can't impress me with this old tune
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 08:26 AM

Interesting! I wonder if the researcher checked the regionality of the historic recordings, though, as I think many songbirds have regional variants of songs.

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Subject: RE: You can't impress me with this old tune
From: jacqui.c
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 07:20 AM

Absolutely true Wolfgang - that would certainly weed out all the faux folkies from the group.

Courtship might be a bit longwinded, though, if it requires the singing of all the Child ballads.

Subject: You can't impress me with this old tune
From: Wolfgang
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 07:11 AM

This is music BS actually, but perhaps just a tiny bit more music than BS:

EVOLUTION OF BIRD SONG AFFECTS SIGNAL EFFICACY: AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST USING HISTORICAL AND CURRENT SIGNALS

Making use of historical recordings of bird song, I found that both male and female white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) respond more strongly to current than to historical songs, indicating that historical songs are less effective as signals in the current contexts of both mate choice and male–male competition.

On the one hand: That may explain (if we transfer the result to humans) why being able to sing 36 verses of Tamlyn wins you less female admirers than being able to sing a Robbie Williams song.

On the other hand: That single female admirer that still sits looking at you after the 36th verse of Tamlyn may be a better choice for a male folkie than the many others who have left during the rendition.

Wolfgang