What languages can you speak? Spanish? Mandarin? Bird?

Most of us enjoy just listening to birds but for Tim Lovegrove talking to birds is as normal as chatting over coffee with friends.

A regional fauna adviser in the Council’s Biodiversity team, he’s fondly dubbed “The Bird Whisperer”. Tim can distinguish and identify many different bird languages by ear, mimic their chatter through whistles, coos and occasionally with the help of lures made from forest grasses (they’re especially useful for talking to little birds apparently).

Like we pop over to friends’ houses, he has a forest address book of the different family nests; he will stroll through various bird neighborhoods call out to them in their native bird song to let them know he’s visiting. They call back or come fluttering over; it’s like he’s our very own doctor Doolittle.
When asked what made him start talking to birds he seemed almost surprised at why it was even a question.

“I’ve been listening to birds for years and got familiar with their calls,” he says casually. “Being able to call them is a way of seeing birds you might otherwise not see.”

So why not whistle them in? I can bring birds to me with a few squeaks or a whistle.”

At that he gives a few calls – reed between his teeth, eyes sharp and focused. Almost instantly an answer trills out and Tim grins, removing the reed.

“Ah there you see,” he nods, with the air of recognizing an old friend. “That’s the North Island tomtit.”

Talking to him is amusing as he tries to multi-task; answering while also calling the birds. He also explains the Five Minute Bird Count technique, one of the ways he conducts annual counts to keep track of bush bird numbers. For these counts a trained ear is essential because for this bird counting method, the birds are not lured into view. The birds counted are just those you see and hear over a five minute period.

“In thick bush it’s amazing how much you miss just using your eyes – you really do rely heavily on your ears.”

Even as we talk, he’s reels them off, gesturing: “There’s the trill of a grey warbler now, a chime from a tui over there and now a chattering chaffinch. Listen to that, it’s a song thrush; listen how he always repeats himself. Sometimes we see kaka – they have a range of powerful whistles and you can lure them right in by mimicking those.”

So, if you’re ever wandering through the forest and come across a fellow and bird chatting, make sure to say hello, or at least give a friendly tweet.

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