Maybe with the best in the world. Kay and I took the Birding by Ear trip with Michael O’Brien today to Santa Ana NWR. It was an experience to open eyes. Michael and his wife Louise have to be among the best if not the best North American auditory birders. Michael can identify essentially every bird call of every bird. There was not a chip note or other call note that he did not confidently identify.
We saw a good variety of birds, and I suppose I learned a few new call notes, but my primary goal was to get a better perspective on how to learn and categorize bird sounds. A few of the techniques he recommends are:
-Try to relate any new sound to a sound you are familiar with. say like the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl call is faster, flatter and less ringing than that of the NPOW.
-Try to put a letter sequence to each sound.
-Look for qualities in the sounds, i.e. rising, falling, accelerating, whiny, hollow, sharp, etc.

The best bird of the day was Green Kingfisher, a lifer for Kay.
The talk tonight by Dorian Anderson about his Biking for Birds big year was terrific.