Birdsong in the Morning

If you were sleeping with the windows open I suppose birdsong in the morning could be annoying since the birds start singing very early. However, birdsong is a lovely accompaniment when Sable and I are out walking.

Today was a beautiful, crisp Spring morning filled with sunshine, blue skies, budding trees, and wonderful birdsong. Even though all of this beauty is lost on Sable, it makes me smile. The birds are so busy flying around, searching for food, chatting away. I can recognize the Robin's song and the orange-shouldered Blackbird call pierces through all the other sounds. But it is the distinctive trills of the Cardinal that makes me pick up my head and search for nature's black-masked red marvel.

Cardinals are my Mom's favorite bird and she taught me when I was young to recognize the male's call. This morning was filled with Cardinal song, calling to each other, perhaps saying this tree is mine, my territory. As we paused on a corner so Sable could sniff around, I heard a Cardinal call out and I immediately looked up to the tops of the trees (Mom instructed me that they like to be up high). There at very top of a tree that was just starting to leaf out was my little showman, beautifully bright red among the light green leaves and back dropped by an azure sky. He continued to sing out as I watched him and was answered by an unseen Cardinal somewhere across the road.

Sable and I were serenaded throughout our walk, such a joyous way to start the day.