Birding by Ear: Lake Murray (Review Session)

Dec 28, 2025

9-11a

Homework due this session! Learn a neighborhood voice using ANY of the 3 skills we've learned so far:

• Describe the sounds using words
• Distinguish the song from the call
• Connect an image to the sounds

This will be a review session. We will discuss everyone's neighborhood bird of choice and what tricks we used to remember each bird's voice. Then, we will enjoy the birds of Lake Murray and practice using our new skills together.

Birding by Ear for Beginners (and the Rest of Us!) at Lake Murray

Part 4: Grow Familiar with Neighborhood Voices

Leaders: Willow Eichler and Elena Adams

Learn to enjoy and identify birds by ear! This skill allows you to more easily identify the birds that are all around you, especially when they are hiding under cover in chaparral or high up in riparian woodland treetops. On our walk, we will stop frequently and really listen for familiar birds, to confirm our confidence, and unfamiliar birds - testing our ability to describe the differences.

Bring binoculars, hats, sunscreen, and water. The trail is relatively flat: Some slight up and down, but mostly flat and wide trails all around the lake. Substrate is a mix of concrete, asphalt, and soil/sand (looser soils avoidable as necessary by ability). Restroom facilities with flush toilets and water fountains are available. There are several shaded benches that we can sit and observe from, if desired.

From National Audubon's article "Why Knowing Your Local Bird Sounds Is the Key to Unlocking New IDs," the fourth article in a series on Birding by Ear: "Ultimately, your goal is to build on what you already know and draw comparisons to help you identify new sounds. So the next time you go birding, concentrate on calls and songs performed at a higher or lower pitch than the ones you can identify. See what comes of the experiment—but remember, it will only work if you've already learned the tempo, quality, and length (along with pitch and repetition patterns) of your local feathered friends. When you hear the Black-capped Chickadee asking for a cheeseburger, check it off your mental list and move on. There could be a more mysterious species singing about food out there.” 

Capped at 24 participants. Registration required.

Location Details:

Lake Murray Trail Head / Boat Dock 5540 Kiowa Dr. La Mesa, CA 91942

Driving directions: From the 8 Freeway, exit at 70th/Lake Murray and follow directions to Lake Murray Blvd. Continue up Lake Murray Dr., then turn left on Kiowa Dr. Continue to the end of Kiowa Dr. into the driveway to the parking lot.

Transit Directions: Take the MTS 14 to the Lake Murray Dr. and Kiowa Dr. exit.