Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Sound of Birds

One of the joys of living close to nature is identifying the sounds of birds. If you know their song or their voice, you become aware of the seasonal comings and goings of different birds in your area.

Even if you don't know which exact bird, surely you can tell baby birds this time of year by their "cheep, tweep, Mom, I'm hungry" sound from high in the treetops. Look up, and you might spot their nest. Be very still, and you might be lucky enough to see Mom or Dad swoop in for a feeding. (Trust me, it's a thrill.)

I blogged once about the joy of hearing the sound of a Swainson's Thrush (my overall favorite bird song.) http://lindabenson.blogspot.com/2010/06/song-of-swainsons-thrush.html

I identified a new bird last year, which has a different song - not as pretty, but I waited for the Yellow-Breasted Chat to show up again this year, and like clock-work, it arrived about May 2. I blogged about that chatterbox right here: http://lindabenson.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-chatterbox.html



And in the last couple of days, I spotted a fleeting swoosh of blue flying between trees. Yes, we have Western Bluebirds this year, and believe it or not, this is the first time I've actually seen this bird. They appear to be nesting here, and I can hardly wait to watch their babies arrive.


Spring brings lots of nature's delights, and I hope you take the time to watch and listen for them. You might be surprised what you'll learn!

3 comments:

Patricia said...

What gorgeous pictures. At certain times of the year I can hear lots of birds tweeting and I just love it. It's akin to meditation for me! We have big fat bluebirds most of the time and they don't seem to make much noise but I love watching them.

Linda Benson said...

I especially love Spring, Patti, because all the birds pull out their best songs to establish territories and attract mates. It's a lovely time of year.

Dreaming said...

The bird songs make me so happy! I used to love cleaning the paddock and listening to the birds in spring - it was always a great smile inducer!
The other night we enjoyed a glass of wine listening to Mr. Robin sing for his mate, and then Mr. Meadowlark came by to make us smile.