Here's my hint for the day. I've been looking at MiniDisk players to record whistles... The recorders have really come down in price (Sony has one for $149), but I just made a discovery today that might hold me off for a little while longer.
I can use the mic jack on my video camera and then port the sound (via audio-out) to my computer. It's not quite as compact for taking places, but it certainly works for around the house. I have been using the computer directly, which works, but you need to push the record button for each take (plus you get background fan noise). With the camera, I can just turn it on and record an entire 'session'.
I haven't experimented with sound quality, yet, but we'll see...
Peace,
Erik