Praising the Morning

Down in the marsh this time of year, I can always find a few little sparrows.  They are busy little things that are always foraging for a meal.  I am not sure just what type sparrow they are but Pop always called them "Swamp Sparrows" so that is my name for them as well.   I like to watch the Swamp Sparrows as they search through the mud flats for anything that they deem to be edible.  These little birds will shake the tall grasses to knock the seeds to the ground then peck away in the mud.  I have also seen them literally poke their heads underwater to snatch some tiny speck of food.  I like the Swamp Sparrows simply because they let nothing go to waste.  Anything and everything is food!

When you think about it, the Swamp Sparrow is pretty smart.  During the cold of winter, they spend the night deep down under layers of matted marsh grass.  The north wind blows the tide far out and leaves nothing but mudflats.  Heat generated by the decaying mulch provides warmth while the matting provides protection from the biting winds.  Under their "house" of thatching, the birds are also protected from a lot of predators that might attack from above.  They do, however, have to be on constant watch for otters, coons, bobcats and fox.  Any of these could very easily venture under the thatching as well.  I often wonder how something so tiny can survive amongst all the potential perils that also reside in the marsh.

For the longest time, I did not connect the tiny bird with the song that I would hear trilling from the marsh.  Every dawn during winter, I could hear what I described a "squeaky wheel" tune coming from deep under the marsh thicket.  Then one day, I decided just to brave the cold and wait until the noisemaker made an appearance.  Imagine my surprise when I saw the tiny little bird that was behind that quite loud song!  Since then, the Swamp Sparrow has become my hero!  This is the brave little bird that greets the morning with the loudest song it can muster!  To me, it almost sounds like the bird is praising the morning and the fact that it has survived to see another day!  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all awoke with that attitude?