Science is...tedium

Well, it's the middle of July now, which means the field season in Colorado is slowing down. We have most of the birds banded and IDed at nests now and the first slew of nestlings have fledged. That means I now have a bit more time to dedicate to catching up on neglected emails, organization, and that old evertask, data analysis. Currently I'm going through my recordings from Taiwan and trying to pick out songs which miraculously sound clear over the constant rumble and clanking of trucks going somewhere at 3:30 in the morning. Also, I'm listening to my dictations recorded on a separate audio channel where I mutter to myself as I strain my eyes in the morning dim to identify the bird I'm recording to avoid analyzing the same bird twice. It was maddenning doing this, and now I feel my frustration overtake me at times as I go through it again. Still, it will be cool to measure these songs and see how they compare to other subspecies. After all, if it were easy, somebody'ed have done it already...