This is bird note.

In spring, around low marshy spots in open country,

listen for this sound coming from somewhere up in the sky. It's the winnowing sound of the Wilson's snipe. Look up and you may see the bird itself.

The snipe of brown heavily striped sandpiper with a very long bill

lives in marshes and muddy areas where it probes for worms and other squirming delights.

But when spring comes, it takes to the air.

The male snipes circles high above in a series of roller coaster arcs,

each descent marked by this loud and distinctive sound.

His rapidly beating wings force air through his widespread outer tail feathers, which are narrow

and stiff. The resulting tremolo seems more than could come

from a couple of tail feathers. Each burst of sound has a Doppler effect, like the whistle of a passing

train. Snipes also sing from the ground.

Snipes also sing from the ground.

In this case, a song like that of many other birds in the spring,

but it is the winnowing that captures our attention. A Twitter-pated

sandpiper making music with two wings and a tail. For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.