Recording songs of birds requires time, skill and patience, yet the most persistent ones may be proud of the effects of their efforts.

Anyone, who wants to record bird song must remember to act with great care, not to disturb birds. During your bloodless hunting with microphone you must not frighten off birds. Remember – do not be an intruder.

Why do birds sing?

In case of territorial birds, it is a male occupying a territory and ready to breed that sings. In case of birds without territory a male ready to breed that sings. For other males of the same species the song of one bird is a signal that he is ready to defend his property (i.e. "land" and "wife" or even a few "wives").

In most cases singing prevents bird’s rivals from breaching to his territory. However, if the bird’s rival is exceptionally "ambitious" or "finds itself better", because the song it heard is fainter and less sophisticated that his own, the conflict may start. It is solved by means of a singing contest, seldom a fight, and in exceptional cases – by killing the rival.

For a female looking for a partner with an affluent territory the same song signifies a matrimonial offer, and for a singer’s "wife" it means that the territory is safe and protected by her "husband".

In most cases only male birds sing, while female judging by their song chose a partner. In some species pairs of birds sing together – in a duet.

In is worth knowing that song of one bird species have no meaning for other species – it is like a foreign language for them. Most male bird living in the climatic zone of Poland sing only in spring; some species continue singing till late summer. When the breeding season is over birds communicate by means of short sounds which have little in common with singing, Moreover there are many bird species which do not sing at all, in order to signal that they are ready to breed they use gesture or show their colourful plumage.

Some advice for "bird song hunters"

1. Listen carefully. For anybody who wants to record bird song, ears are the most important of all senses. Practice your hearing in the open space, trying to distinguish different sounds.
2. Get a microphone. Unfortunately a proper microphone can be several times as expensive as the rest of your equipment. Ordinary microphones record only a fragment of bird song. Microphones for recording bird song need good windshield when used outdoors, and should be equipped with a bass cut switch to reduce wind and traffic noise.
   You may hold your microphone in your hand, however a tripod would be much more convenient and it will allow you to reduce handling noise and freely operate the recorder. Do not forget to take a pair of earphones to listen to what you have just recorded.
3. What recorder should you use? The most convenient, light and easy to operate, is a mini-disc recorder. However as a new audio format it is still quite expensive. An audiocassette recorder will also do to record a high quality sound. However, even the most modern and most expensive equipment may appear useless if you do not get familiar with it. Thus, whatever equipment you chose it is essential to get to know how to operate it.
4. If you are a beginner chose a manageable and accessible subject. A song of a blackbird is a classic sound of spring. Moreover blackbirds often chose the same spot to sing and their song is quite loud, which makes it easier to record.
5. When setting off to record bird song avoid noisy fabrics and chose cloths of neutral colours – it will help you hide in thickets.