CAUTION: This HD video has a heart-wrenching story of the murder of a Mother Kabir Bird by a Hawk. I feel this video is too sad for young children.

Image: “California Towhee Eating Seeds, Santa Monica Mountains, California,” by Alice B. Clagett, 17 August 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0 International, from “Awakening with Planet Earth,” https://awakeningwithplanetearth.com ..

• INTRODUCTION
  • Rationale for Slow-Speed Video Segments: The Rate of Slowdown Has to Do with the Rate of Metabolism of the Birds at the Time They Are Speaking
  • On the Accuracy of These Transcripts of Hummingbird, Kabir Bird (California Towhee?) and Hawk Vocalizations
• VIDEO BY ALICE
  • Timestamps
• SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO – TRANSCRIPT: WHAT THE BIRDS ARE SAYING
  • Hummingbird Speaks
  • Mother and Father Raven Speak
  • Kabir Birds and Hawk Speak
  • Sign-Off
  • Postscript – Redux
• VIDEO CREDITS

INTRODUCTION

Dear Ones,

This HD video has an introductory word from a grateful Hummingbird. Then there is a heart-wrenching story of the murder of a Kabir Bird by a Hawk. When I heard this story, it really set me on edge. The things that the Songbirds must deal with every day … it is just mind-boggling!

We humans are very lucky to have a culture that helps us all to stay safe and productively working. In these fortunate times, people of all ages are protected by our laws and our customs. But amongst the Songbirds, predation of eggs, nestlings, and mature birds especially by Hawks, Owls, Coyotes, Wolves, and Cougars is an everyday event.

That is why it is so painful for us to hear about the day-to-day struggle of Songbirds for survival. It is as if we were to be cast back to a time when a slim number of early humans foraged about for enough food to keep them alive.

For those early humans who lived in cold climates, the winter months were always a survival test. For those of us who lived in arid climates, the dryseason was a challenge. And so it went.

I hope the story that unfolds in this video will not prove too harrying for you.

Rationale for Slow-Speed Video Segments: The Rate of Slowdown Has to Do with the Rate of Metabolism of the Birds at the Time They Are Speaking

I have presented video segments at normal speed, then slowed them down so that you can hear better what the birds are saying.

Hummingbirds have a metabolism 77 times higher than our human metabolism. Their speech is equally fast, so I find their vocalizations need to be slowed down to Speed 0.125x for us humans to properly understand them.

It must be that Kabir Birds (which I am guessing will turn out to be California Towhees) … and also Hawks … have a metabolism in between that of Hummingbirds and humans. That must be why, when I slow the Speed of a pertinent video segment to Speed 0.25x, it is easier to understand the lingo of Songbirds and Hawks.

I note the metabolism of both Songbirds and Hawks must speed up mightily at the moment when the Hawk catches the Songbird and devours it, as I needed to slow down that video segment to Speed 0.125x so that we humans could understand what the participants in this drama were saying at the moment when tragedy struck.

So now you know the logic behind the presentation of a segment below first at normal speed, and then at a slower speed. It is to facilitate our understanding of the words the birds are saying, and the emotion that their words convey.

The video is in high definition (HD) to help present with clarity the frequency range of birds’ vocalizations.

On the Accuracy of These Transcripts of Hummingbird, Kabir Bird (California Towhee?) and Hawk Vocalizations

There is a Summary after the video.

I ought to let you know that I am a little at odds with my transcript of the Hummingbird’s speech at the beginning of the video. The emotion of the slowed video segment was clear to me, but the words shifted a little each time I listened to the slowed video segment. I hope I got it right, but I am not completely certain of that.

The speech of the Mother and Father Raven and of the Kabir Birds and the Hawk seemed crystal clear to me. I can vouch for the accuracy of my transcripts for that part of the Summary. I hope, what with high definition and all, that you will be able to distinguish these words and the emotion conveyed by the slowed Kabir Bird and Hawk segments as well.

VIDEO BY ALICE

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Hummingbird Speaks – Mother and Father Raven Speak
00:39 Mother Kabir Bird (California Towhee?) Speaks
02:04 Hawk Eats Mother Kabir Bird
04:15 Father Kabir Bird Grieves the Loss of His Mate
08:40 Video Credits and Redux

SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO – TRANSCRIPT: WHAT THE BIRDS ARE SAYING

A Great Tragedy Takes Place Amongst the Kabir Birds – and Hummingbird Has Something to Say!
By Alice B. Clagett

HUMMINGBIRD SPEAKS

* Normal Speed * – Alice had just refilled the Hummingbird feeder. Hummingbird is talking.

Alice to Readers: This is my Songbird blind! Hummingbird is speaking. . [You can see the Hummingbird blind and hear the Hummingbird.]

* Speed 0.125x * – I have slowed the video down so you can hear what Hummingbird said.

Hummingbird says: That’s some GOOD stuff. We LOVE that stuff … OH God yes!

. . . . .

MOTHER AND FATHER RAVEN SPEAK

* Normal Speed * – Mother and Father Raven are speaking.

Mother Raven sweetly says: Hawk! …

Father Raven sternly says: Hawk! Hawk! Hawk!

. . . . .

KABIR BIRDS AND HAWK SPEAK

* Normal Speed * – This is what Alice calls the ‘Kabir Bird’ sound. It could be a California Towhee, but she has no proof of that as yet.

Alice to Readers: Here is what Alice terms the ‘Kabir’ call. [You can hear the ‘Kabir’ call.]

* Speed 0.25x *  – Let’s slow down the video and see what the Kabir Bird is really saying.

Kabir Bird says: Help MEEEE! … Oh my God! Great big HAWK is FLY-ing in the sky … I’m REAL-ly scared.

* Normal Speed *

A Songbird says: Kabir Bird is making all kinds of noise!

Kabir Bird interjects what sounds like CHEEP!

In the slow video clip coming up next you will find out what Kabir Bird is really saying.

Now you hear Hawk’s voice, which sounds slow and wheedling at this speed.

Kabir Bird interjects with: CHEEP! … CHEEP! … CHEEP!

Another Songbird interjects: Just LIS-ten to him [Hawk] going on!

* Speed 0.125x * – Here is what Kabir Bird is really saying …

Kabir Bird says: Oh, no! … Oh, no! … Oh, NO! HELP ME!

Kabir Bird says: HELPPP! HELPPP me! …  Please help me!

Hawk says twice: I won’t worry about what that Kabir Bird says. It will not even hurt me at all.

Kabir Bird interjects: PLEASE! … Oh, no. Oh, no.

Hawk is gulping down the Kabir Bird. He says: Really good.  Really good! Really good!

Kabir Bird, inside the Hawk, says in a muffled voice: God, oh no!

Kabir Bird, inside the Hawk, says in a muffled voice: God, oh no!

Hawk goes: Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

Kabir Bird says in a slow, muffled voice: God! … Oh nooo.

And that is the last of her.

* Normal Speed * –

Kabir Bird says what at normal speed sounds like: CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP!

Hawk, in a sly coddling voice: I’m flying away right now. Goodbye!

Kabir Bird’s Mate interjects: CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP! etc.

* Speed 0.25x * –

Another Songbird is whistling softly, in a singsong way: I’m very sorry. I’m very sorry.

‘Kabir Bird’s Mate [speaking, I think, to his friend who is consoling him]: HELP me, and he would not help me!

The other Songbird is whistling softly, over and over again: I’m very sorry. I’m very sorry. I’m very sorry.

Kabir Bird’s Mate: HELP me!

The other Songbird whistles softly: I’m very sorry. Please stop it!

Kabir Bird’s Mate: HELP me!

Kabir Bird’s Mate, very softly:  Oh, no! … Oh, no! … DEEEEAR me! [and continues to grieve]

Kabir Bird’s Mate: HELP! HELP! … HELP! [and so on] This grieving process continues for quite some while for the Songbirds, as you will see …

* Normal Speed * – Kabir Bird’s Mate is speaking.

* Speed 0.25x * – Kabir Bird’s Mate seems to be reliving the capture and devourment of his wife by the Hawk.

Kabir Bird’s Mate: Oh God, oh no! Oh God, oh no! Oh God, God, no! Oh God, no no! No, NO! Oh God, NO, no! Oh God, oh no.

Kabir Bird’s Mate: Oh God oh God!

. . . . .

SIGN-OFF

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

Filmed on 6 September 2024 and produced on 8 September 2024; published on 9 September 2024; youtube transcript edited on 10 February 2026

. . . . .

POSTSCRIPT – REDUX

* Normal Speed * – Kabir Bird is speaking.

* Speed 0.25x *- Kabir Bird says: Help!

Kabir Bird: Help!

VIDEO CREDITS

“A Great Tragedy Takes Place Amongst the Kabir Birds – and Hummingbird Has Something to Say!”
by Alice B. Clagett

Filmed on 6 September 2024 and produced on 8 September 2024; published on 9 September 2024
Location: San Fernando Valley, CA

CC BY-SA 4.0 International

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
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birds, Songbirds, hummingbirds, Ravens, Kabir Birds, California Towyees, Hawks, interspecies communication,