Spring Serenade

Normally I am an early riser, and I like to be about my business before the sun is up. During the last 2 weeks I have awakened to birds singing, a sure sign that Spring has arrived. There is a loudness and persistence to their melodies which is difficult to ignore, as if they are trying desperately to communicate something important. And, as it turns out, they are......these males are warbling for sex.

If you are hoping to determine what type of bird is doing their best American Idol impression outside your windowsill, you need a few items. One, most of what you hear in the spring at dawn and twilight are calls and not songs....they are the vocalizations which our feathered friends use to attract mates. Additionally, the quality and pattern of the call as well as intervals between calls can be distilled into types that make identification easier. Of course, you can just peek out your window if you would rather enjoy the melody than scientifically dissect chirping and twitters. For right now I am delighted to hear so many men serenading outside my window!

Today's MUCH: Someone went to the trouble to describe and record bird melodies.

Another MUCH: Evidently, robins are persistent little buggers.

Last MUCH: Besides the robins, wrens and cardinals near my residence, there is one owl that hoots in daylight which I would like to see.