It's July, mid-summer, and those of us who think they can identify every local bird by sound, are often confounded.

What is the problem? Have our memories been lost to the heat? Has hay fever robbed us of our hearing? No, none of these! Our temporary loss of avian auditory acumen is caused by baby talk.

Baby birds, somewhat similar to humans, have a period of development when they speak much differently than adults. The reasons for this are rather simple. In order to get food or aid a baby must first get its parents' attention. It provokes a response in an adult by making a sound that is different from the sound another adult would make.

In human babies, the sound produced to get attention is crying. Not that "goo, goo, dada" wouldn't illicit compliance and attention but there is nothing like a good high-volume bawl to get everyone dashing about ministering to the little speech-challenged tyke.

Baby birds have a repertoire of sounds and actions that produce the same effect as a crying baby. From the moment they hatch, they throw back their heads, open their mouths, and emit "feed me" noises when an adult bird approaches. At first, the sounds are quite feeble. However, by the time they make their first tentative journeys from the nest their calls are loud and more persistent. Even without calls, the sight of an open mouth is enough to provoke a parent bird to begin stuffing food. In one instance in which a parent bird lost its young, the bird was sighted feeding the gaping mouth of goldfish in an outdoor pond.

It must be much easier on adult birds while the young are still all together in the nest. Once junior leaves, he or she must be able to cry loud enough to let an adult bird know where they are hidden, and also coerce the adult into continued feeding. It is a big world out there and if a baby doesn't scream its location it might perish. There are also many predators looking for things to feed their young, so a screaming baby bird puts itself in danger. Yet, screech they do.

All these calls, often strange and unknown, can confound the inveterate summer bird listener. But confusion aside, these sounds can be useful. At this time of year I use the nest-bound 'chanting' of baby Woodpeckers to locate their well concealed nest cavities. So far, I have found the nests of four Red-naped Sapsuckers using this method. I can also tell if a Tree Swallow box is occupied by the gentle chorus of contentment that issues from a box while the young are still quite young.

It is a busy time of year for nesting birds and a confusing time for the wise-of-ear birder. Sadly, this glorious time passes all too quickly, and man and bird once again return to familiar territory.