This Morning Outside

by Diane Porter

May 9, 2013
Birdwatching Dot Com
Fairfield, Iowa

At the faint hint of dawn, a song sparrow wakes up the thick yew at the corner of my house and lets out his first song of the day. It's loud and long and full of zest.

Each male song sparrow has a repertoire of a few songs (half a dozen or more). He sings one song over and over, maybe 20 times, with a pause of several seconds between each rendition. Then he switches to another of his songs. Songs vary from one song sparrow to another, but there is something instantly recognizable in all of them.

Copyright 2013 Michael and Diane Porter

—Diane Porter

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