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Friday 4 June 2021

Songs for the ages

On our travels around our island home, I never tire of seeing these tiny birds, the Song Sparrows. While not on the beaches, they are in the woods nearby, the trees lining the trails and the boardwalk in Summerside, even among the hedges at home. You see them as you ride or walk along and everywhere, they sing their hearts out.





Their russet and grey back is not distinctive among sparrows. However the markings down the breast and the black mark in the centre make the breast of the Song Sparrow distinctive. 


For years Song Sparrows have nested among the hedges at the front of our house. Every morning, one stands on the balcony outside the bedroom and greets the rising sun with song. That brief interlude is my morning wake-up call. 


Earlier this spring, we had a feeder hung above our patio and our resident Song Sparrows visited regularly. The feeder is down now, so we don’t see the birds as often. However, if we work in the garden, they land on the house next door or the wires into our house and sing to distract us from the nest area.


The sight of such a sparrow in song is heart warming. The little birds often sing looking skyward, as if praising the heavens with all their might. They sing as if with emotion, loud and clear, recognizable songs from a repertoire only other Song Sparrows are party too, but people recognize. They inspire us with their performance and entertain us with their vocals. Our world would be a sadder place without these beautiful little birds.


In response:


Several people wondered about the reed grasses I featured on a recent post. I responded in that post but I am including the information here in case people didn’t see it.


The reed grasses were at the Cavendish Farms Wetland area. It is in an estuary which is under study to see the effect of farming on the waters in the area. I suspect the grasses are a native species, though an invasive species is on the island as well. The Wetland area is protected and it looks as if the grasses have been planted there as part of the on-going conservation project.




32 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Our lives are enriched beyond measure by birdsong!

The Padre said...

And Thank You So Much For Sharing Your Island With All Of Us - So Much To Appreciate And Admire - Enjoy Your Weekend

Cheers

Beside a babbling brook... said...

Wonder if Song Sparrows are different from regular Sparrows? I image they are...

🌺Oil rises to the top...Like Truth🌺

Martha said...

They are such sweet little birds. Have a great weekend Marie. :)

Bill said...

Birdsong is always nice to hear. Have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

They have a pretty son, great photo!
Have a happy day and a great weekend!

Linda said...

I googled the song sparrow and understand why you enjoy them. Their bird song is happy and varied. Twitters, chirps and screeches. Lovely.

photowannabe said...

Fantastic photo of that sweet Song Sparrow.
I love them and miss having them around our home. Where we used to live they were in abundance and sang their hearts out..Now we have mostly finches and robins.
Sue

DJan said...

I love birdsong, and my favorite around here are the wrens in the forests. Thanks for your delightful post.

Elephant's Child said...

A song sparrow would be a perfect alarm clock. A beautiful wake-up call.

Celia said...

I had some bird singing at dawn outside my window. Could never see it so I'm not sure what it was, but I always thought it was a sparrow. The complex I live in had several big old trees full of birds but they started dropped huge limbs on the place and had to be removed. Sadly the singing birdies went with them. Hopefully they'll coem back as the smaller trees grow tall and bushy.

Anvilcloud said...

Th early morning songs are the best. And I don't have to hear them in bed because my hearing aids are out.

William Kendall said...

They make very good company.

Lorrie said...

Birdsong is so lovely and your post is a wonderful tribute to the song sparrows. I love hearing them when I'm working in my garden, or out walking.

The Furry Gnome said...

What a wonderful post to honour the Song Sparrow! Lots of them here too.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Those little Song Sparrows sing with such enthusiasm. They may not be colorful, but their song makes up for that.

Red said...

Rather peaceful listening to a song sparrow.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Our sparrows are much less musical, but they do try. In their case that's worse than not trying! Music is supplied to my door at this time of year by our resident blackbird.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Song Sparrows are both appealing and interesting and their various subspecies, especially those in California, have been the subject of much study. It is interesting that they are singing to distract you from their nest. What king of breeding habitat are they using on PEI so close to humans? Is your house close to a coastal marsh perhaps?

Debbie said...

ooooh i could not agree more!! the sight of a song sparrow, in full song, is a joy to both the eyes and ears!! they are so beautiful and often overlooked by others, but not by us bird lovers!!

have a wonderful weekend!!

MARY G said...

We have them too. Hard to find in our bush to photograph, but I hear them. Lovely shot. Thanks.

Anita said...

Beautiful Marie! :)

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

I love to hear the birds singing especially of the morning. You have a great blog and I enjoyed visiting it.

Tanza Erlambang said...

sparrow song sounds so lovely...

have a wonderful weekend

Stewart M said...

Bird song is a cure for many things I think.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

baili said...

being a former villager makes me familiar with bird songs dear Marie ,and i feel so happy that those songs were added into my memory treasure.

this is heart warming post and i felt your deep love for bird songs ,it's been more than thirty years without those songs and i still miss them so much specially sparrow songs !
thank you for lovely sharing and filling my heart with more beauty and life !

PerthDailyPhoto said...

There's no nicer way to wake up than to the sound of birds singing, I love it Marie. Your sweet wee song sparrow is a delight to see and I'm sure to hear 💜

Helen said...

How beautiful their song and your words. Both uplifting.

John's Island said...

Hi Marie, I thought this to be a fascinating post. I wondered if I had ever heard a Song Sparrow singing. I mean, I may have heard the bird singing but didn't know what kind of bird it was. I did a Google search for "listen to song sparrow" and came up with this YouTube ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU9lkQEP8_g

As it turns out, I had never heard this one. Maybe they are not out here in the West? Anyway, now I can see why they are called a Song Sparrow. Thanks for a great post. John

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Such a lovely little bird with a beautiful little voice. I always love how you are able to get such good shots. Your photos are wonderful.

At Home In New Zealand said...

The songs of birds add so much enjoyment to our everyday life. I would hate to be without them :) xx

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Song sparrows are a delight to have around.