According to an online birding resource I just discovered (see link farther below), "the Song Sparrow will sing as many as 20 different melodies with as many as 1,000 improvised variations on his basic theme." Which finally explains why I can't always recognize a Song Sparrow when I hear one--they're always changing the tune on me. Ha!
But I do get good practice listening since every year several Song Sparrows nest in the large brush piles I provide them for exactly that purpose. You see, Song Sparrows like to build their nests on the ground but also out of sight (predators) and out of the weather. A tangled mess of dead tree branches and long grasses provide just the right mix for my birds.
The other day I heard this male singing his spring song in preparation for mating. And where do you think he perched? On a sapling walnut tree beside this this lovely nesting location. You see, he wants to show a would-be mate what a good provider he'd make. After all, didn't he find this brush pile?
So if you'd like some Song Sparrows to sing in your back yard, don't keep it too tidy. Leave a brush pile and a water source. And who knows? A Song Sparrow soon might be singing for you.
http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Song-Sparrow.html
Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!
Georgia Anne
1 comment:
I too sat outside recently, listening and marvelling at this little man's beautiful serenade. Amazing!
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