Here are the birds that sing in the spring. Robins are joining the blue jays – and other birds that I can only identify as Big Birds and Little Birds. Sunday the temperature reached a high of 46 degrees, and gentle breezes are wafting across the hill.
Birds have been flying in and out of the staghorn sumac grove across the lawn. The snow is still deep in spite of warmer temperatures these last few days. Birds are finding meals pretty hard to find. In fact, Tom over at the Mon@rchs Nature Blog says that robins and other birds will only eat the sumac fruits if there is really nothing else to eat. I knew that crushed dried sumac fruit was edible because I once bought some at a very complete spice shop in Cambridge, Mass. I never did do anything with that packet of sumac; unfortunately I hadn’t yet acquired middle eastern cookbooks like those written by the fabulous chef Yotam Ottolenghi
My husband said he was listening to birdsong the other day and thought it sounded, and felt, like spring. I watch these birds and and hear a snatch of song. Spring is coming, so these must be the birds that sing in the spring. With a small apology to Gilbert and Sullivan.
Spring is trying to come forth. The birds can feel it.
Since we seem to be on something of a Mikado streak here, the wonderful, woebegone song from the Mikado has to be:
On a tree by a river a little tom-tit
Sang “Willow, titwillow, titwillow”
And I said to him, “Dicky-bird, why do you sit
Singing ‘Willow, titwillow, titwillow'”
“Is it weakness of intellect, birdie?” I cried
“Or a rather tough worm in your little inside”
With a shake of his poor little head, he replied
“Oh, willow, titwillow, titwillow!”
Lisa – I can feel it too.
Flaneur – Oh if only we could have a G&S festival around the piano!