Bird Book with Bird Songs

Yesterday, a patron came to the Reference Desk asking for the bird book that actually makes birdcalls. Sure enough, BHPL has not one, but two such books. The patron took one and I took Bird Songs from Around the World by Les Beletsky to play with. Turn to any page, find the number of the bird, punch it into the little gadget on the side of the book, press play, and the song of that particular bird calls out to you loud and clear. I played the Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo and the library took on the air of a Tarzan movie. The Rufous-Bellied Chachalaca has a great name, an impressive profile and a raucous call. I tried a few more bird calls until it occurred to me that maybe birdcalls in the library might not be creating the studious atmosphere we aim for here. The book is on the shelf at 598 BEL. The 200 sounds come from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
If you like birding or want to begin, check out Cornell's Citizen Science section of the Ornithology Lab, take a virtual tour, watch bird videos and you can even join the lab for a chance to win a free IPod loaded with bird songs.