Bird Songs

Smells evoke memories or so they say, but don't sounds as well? There is an early morning sound that I associate with spring, and I heard it again today and was determined to figure out its source. I am speaking of course of an early bird's song. Being a tad old fashioned I first went to my book shelf for my copy of Judy Pelikan's The Music of Wild Birds: An illustrated, annotated, and opinionated guide to fifty birds and their songs adapted from the work of F. Schuyler Mathews. At first I thought it was the American Robin making the sound based on a line of poetry quoted, "Cheer up, Cheer up." That led me to technology and an on-line search for more information. I started by looking up F. Schyler Mathews and listening to the sound links there for the robin. That's not who I was hearing. Next search took me to eNature field guides and the real culprit the black capped chickadee.

I was confused. I was familiar with the chickadee's name sake call, but not its song. That's when I learned that there is a difference between a bird's song and its call. The call is used for communicating a warning or identifying a location. The song on the other hand is used for finding a mate. With it being spring, and mating season, the chickadee is using his song more than his call. Mystery solved. Now I know who to say good morning to when I'm out the door early and on my way.