Article: The Man With 10,000 (Bird) Songs In His Head: Bret Whitney's extraordinary ear is proving to the birding world that there's more to a species than meets the eye.(Biography)

Byline: Dan Koeppel

We emerge from a tiny boat, 12 of us, and step onto a nameless island in the heart of Brazilian Amazonia. We each carry binoculars, but our precision optics seem less than useful; the birds are invisible in the snarl of forest vegetation. No problem: We've got Bret Whitney. Two tape recorders are strapped across Whitney's shoulders; pouches on his belt are stuffed with audiocassettes, a digital camera and a third cassette player, this one pocket-size. A directional microphone half as long as his arm is tucked into a homemade leather holster. Yes, Whitney's got the gear, but it seems incidental, almost an afterthought, when you know about his ...

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