What Is My Song This Season?

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Anyone else feeling the timey-wimey-wibbly-wobblyness*** of the passing days? Hours seem like seconds. And if I don’t check my calendar, I lose track of days. (Feels like tomorrow already.) Anyway. . . .

Whenever we’re not bombarded with snow in my area (which has happened a few times lately), and the temperature is reasonably warm, I hear birdsong throughout the day. Lately, the various songs and sounds of birds have seemed so plentiful and joyous. Which got me to wondering , ..

Can you identify the bird based on each call? (Pretty sure you can.)

1.

2.

3.

(For answers, check the **** below.)

Some bird calls are more recognizable than others. I’ve enjoyed hearing the birds’ songs and conversations. Such normal, happy sounds. Maybe they’re happy, not only for spring and mating season, but because they don’t have to think about viruses or masks or long wait times at the grocery store.

But hearing them caused me to wonder what my song is in this season. Some days, it is the sound of irritation, frustration, and fear, like raucous notes banged on a piano. My inner territory is too narrowed by circumstances, my song too one note. I want to change the tune, even if circumstances don’t change anytime soon. The best way I know how is to pray and to look outward instead of inward, to lighten someone else’s load if I know how, or brighten someone’s day. One way I can do the latter is to give away stuff.

With that in mind, onto the winner of The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter. Go here for the interview.

       

And that winner, according to the random number generator is Nancy Hatch!

Nancy, please comment below to confirm. Thank you to all who commented.

Sparrow from Orange Free Sounds. Loon sound from Archive.org. Robin call from SoundBible.com. cloudcentrics.com. Bird silhouette from clipart-library.com. Other photo by L. Marie.

***If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, you recognize this.
**** The sounds are (in order) Robin, loon, sparrow

45 thoughts on “What Is My Song This Season?”

  1. Hahaha, that got Tuppence’s attention! She perked up excitedly at the robin, was totally kerflummoxed by the loon (we don’t get them), and when the sparrow started up she went into hunting pose and started stalking my laptop! 😂

  2. Working from home these past several weeks have allowed me to enjoy the birds more than I’m able to when going downtown where all I hear are sirens, horns honking, street cars rumbling, loud buses and people yelling. Despite the pandemic, I’ve been more at peace than I’ve been in years.

    • I know what you mean, Jill. And I’m glad you don’t have to fight traffic on a daily basis. And I’m glad the hummingbirds are back. 😀

    • I know what you mean! Winter has been very weird lately. Though we keep going back to it in my neck of the woods. I miss a genuine spring. We often go from winter straight to summer.

  5. In our area we’ve been hearing a lot of cardinals lately – singing even when it’s snowing. Their beautiful song makes it easier to endure the late spring snow when we are so anxious for weather that will let us be outdoors this year.

  6. I’m not very familiar with birds, so I really can’t identify any of the bird sounds. But a fun game 😂 That said, I do like listening to birds, be it the crows that crow in the morning or the smaller brown birds chirping and hopping away on the balcony. Here in Australia we get birds all year round, perhaps fewer in the upcoming winter months but we still see them all the time 😊 Hope you are doing well and find a song that suits you, one for each day 💕

    • Hi, Mabel! I’m no expert at bird call identification either. 😀 But I’ve heard a crow or two, though not recently. Robins are very common around here.

      Hope you’re doing well!

  7. I cannot identify bird calls. I know they’re making noise and appreciate it, but I like the mystery of not knowing who is doing it. I agree that after a certain amount of self-reflection, ’tis time to look outward.

    • I’m no expert. 😀 But I hear the same ones over and over due to how territorial they are. They keep other birds out of the yard!

      • Then we’re traitors together because I had to lay off for a bit myself although I’m farther along than you in the series (no, not goating, just stating a fact) 🙂
        I’m ready to plunge right in again, tho – however where I was at is now no longer free to view on Amazon Prime 😦
        So maybe I’ll wait a bit longer HA!
        hugs

  10. I can usually tell when I hear a cardinal. They like to perch in my neighbor’s tree, which is right next to our patio. I got the Robin right from your bird songs. There are lots of those around, but they were not in Florida at all. I never saw one there.

    Hope you’re doing okay, L. We’re okay here, but starting to feel a bit buggy (anxiety) from cabin fever and the fear mongering from media. Stay well.

    • I should have included the cardinals since they live in the neighborhood.
      Hope you’re staying well, too, Lori. Yes, the media is dangerous these days. The news is so wearisome. 😞

  11. How creative to include bird calls here. The one bird call I can always count on is the cardinal in our neighborhood. I’m aware of ducks and geese honking loudly too on or near the lake before they take off and land in another “patch” of water.

    Thank you for encouraging us to look outward and not inward – and especially not at our TV screens where there is often doom and gloom.

    Your mention of a sparrow reminded me of this lovely song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2RUdcku_w&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR10Ei6o-JodzOvcQscBFqZNO69AhEcleb374-7_FQ6378GppPFhbw2euFQ “His eye is on the sparrow”!

    Thank you for this unique post, L. Marie!

    • That’s a great song, Marian! Thank you for sharing! His eye is on the sparrow indeed!
      Now I wish I had included the cardinal! There are some who live here too.
      The geese ran the ducks away here unfortunately.

  12. Woo Hoo
    Woo Hoo
    Woo Hoo
    ~ The call of the goony bird who won a copy of Nora’s book, The Edge of Anything. Good thing I didn’t need to correctly identify all 3 bird calls in order to claim my prize! :mrgreen:

    You should have my address “on file,” L. Marie. I’d prefer a hard copy to digital (if that’s an option). THANKS for brightening my day!!!

  13. Congratulations, Nancy! You’ll love this book! I heard some birds passing through a couple of weeks ago, but they tend not to stick around in my neighborhood. We do have families of red-tail hawks in nearby parks, though. One of them became quite famous nationally due to a romantic triangle a few years ago.

    • Oooo, hawks! Wow. I hadn’t heard about the love triangle! Oh dear!
      Sometimes a hawk comes by here. One kept circling one summer. I wondered if he/she searched for rabbits.

  14. That was fun. I love hearing birds. Their songs make the world seem happy. But I must admit, I’ve never tried to identify them by their songs. When I hear a bird, I look out the window or go outside. I’ve heard that we’ve been having more birds because the air is cleaner, the sky clearer.

    • I know only a handful of bird calls, only because those birds have taken ownership of the trees in the yard. But I’m sure you’re right about the birds being more present (and probably happier) because of the cleaner air.

  15. Congratulations to Nancy! I hear you on not having a lot of birdsong within oneself. I’ve had to admit (and not just once) that I’m perpetually on edge and to be mindful before letting my temper get the better of me. I’m reflecting on that a lot, but I can’t say anything more without sounding like a whiner. Speaking of birds ( 😉 ), we’ve been hearing not just songbirds like cardinals, wrens, mockingbirds, chickadees, but also woodpeckers and owls and FROGS. Some storms came through the last several days and the frogs have gone crazy and loud. Like what I’d imagine snoring in a military barracks would sound like 😉

  16. I so resonate with these words, “My inner territory is too narrowed by circumstances, my song too one note. I want to change the tune, even if circumstances don’t change anytime soon.” Beautifully said! For me, gratitude helps add more notes to my song.

  17. Congratulations to Nancy.
    As with others, your words “My inner territory is too narrowed by circumstances, my song too one note. I want to change the tune, even if circumstances don’t change anytime soon.” Thank you.
    Isn’t the birdsong wonderful lately?

    • It has been great. All day yesterday I heard the birds. They sounded so joyful. Their songs made my grumbling stand out as harsh and grating. I’d like my sound to match theirs.

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