And The Birds Sing

  Dawn comes to the Bayou with all of the birds singing praises. As the sky begins to lighten in the east, one after another bird will join in the chorus of welcoming the day.  Ornithologists claim that the birds do not sing because they are joyful but rather as a means of communicating.  I beg to differ.  To my way of thinking, birds sing to express themselves (joy being an expression) and call to communicate.  If you listen carefully, these are two very distinct sounds.  The trilling, warbling and chortling cannot be just for telling other birds some important information such as where a food source is located or that the house cat is now on the loose.  The sing-songy sounds are not alarms that the hawk is in the area nor are they from a female begging her mate to come relieve her from nesting duties.  It is quite evident that there are different calls for different situations.  The threatening calls of territorial rights sound much different than the alarm for a snake warning.  The communicating calls usually consist of tweets, chirps, squawks and squeals.  Compared to the melodic trilling, calls seem sharp and abrupt.  But, never mind what I think by just listening to my critter friends every day.  Scientists always know best.  (Did you detect a bit of sarcasm there?)

  With the rising sun, all diurnal birds let loose with their own version of welcoming a new day.  They sing praises that they survived the night and all its perils.  Now, they can face the day with a new attitude and new vigor.  I hear all of this as I watch the sun rise up over the pines. Usually, the blackbirds start the harmonious blend of notes and are soon joined by the mockingbirds and thrushes.  If one listens carefully, the warblers, cardinals, towhees, wrens and thrashers can be heard adding their musical notes to the symphony.  Far off in the distance a couple of crows and blue jays attempt their lyrical input.  All of their vocal efforts blend into perfect harmony of welcoming dawn.  Good morning, Sunshine, the new day has come!  Note...turn up the volume and enjoy what I hear each morn!