Comments on: The Backyard: Bach or Beethoven for Bluebirds?

By: Send your I and the Bird #124 Submissions | Birds, Words, & Websites

Send your I and the Bird #124 Submissions | Birds, Words, & Websites — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:33:04 +0000

[...] in honor of my last blog post on bird-human interactions…I encourage you to submit a story of a moment when time stood still and you and a bird shared [...]

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:28:16 +0000

@Mike: I have it on good authority that bluebirds prefer Bach while blackbirds prefer Mozart’s Requiem. ;- ) (Mom doesn’t remember the exact piece that played).

@Larry: Let us know what happens. Not sure if the timing matters, but this happened early in the season when the bluebirds had tentatively chosen their nestbox. It’s possible they were involved in an early assessment of nearby threats and therefore more prone to investigate. But that’s a guess. Let us know what happens, and let Mike know which piece you played!

By: Larry Jordan

Larry Jordan — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 04:52:32 +0000

This is very interesting Laura. I have several birdhouses around my house and several feeders as well. I think I will have to see what happens when I play some classical music through my deck speakers! It will be interesting to see if it has any affect on the Hummingbirds (they are closest to the speakers). I will make sure not to blast it though.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:44:21 +0000

Whoa, going back to “Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac”. . . ah, that awesome, bluesy era when they were really amazing (before the late ’70s more “pop” sound). Those early days don’t come across radio too often.

More to the point, what was the classical piece? Was it Bach or Beethoven? Enquiring minds, or those with an acoustic bent, want to know!
-Mike

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:38:14 +0000

Thanks, Kay. : )

And thanks for sharing your story, Alan. I’m a fan of 70s music and thought I knew most of Fleetwood Mac. But had to look up Albatross and see it is a “guitar-based instrumental” released as a single in 1969 — a LONG time ago–, later featuring on the compilation albums The Pious Bird of Good Omen (UK) and English Rose (USA). The WIKI further instructed that…

“The composition suggests a relaxing sea setting, with cymbals imitating the sound of waves and a dreamy solo from Green’s guitar. It contains only two chords, Emaj7 and F#m, and could be seen as an early ambient work. It is often assumed that Green used his Les Paul but he said it was his Fender Stratocaster, as there is subtle use of the vibrato bar. The Les Paul that Green used in Fleetwood Mac has a nasal tone like that achieved in the in-between positions of a Stratocaster, and heard in the song.”

Great description all the way from ‘relaxed sea setting’ to ‘Les Paul’ and ‘Stratocaster…’

BTW: WIKI says “Albatross is the only Fleetwood Mac composition with the distinction of having inspired a Beatles song, ‘Sun King’ from 1969′s Abbey Road.”

The things one learns from blogging.

By: Kay

Kay — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:28:30 +0000

What a delightful story! I love your word choice–I’ve heard “splashes” of ebullience in my yard, too.
Kay

By: Alan Tilmouth

Alan Tilmouth — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:32:45 +0000

Unfortunately nothing so culturally sophisticated, but there is a video way back on my blog of a Fieldfare in my garden. With my back turned one of the kids hit the on button on the stereo after fiddling with the volume button and ‘Albatross’ by Fleetwood Mac leapt out at huge volume giving the Fieldfare a big scare even through triple glazed windows.

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Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:14:56 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Laura Kammermeier. Laura Kammermeier said: Backyard Birding: Bach or Beethoven for Bluebirds? http://bit.ly/bXMjWA #birds #birdwatching [...]