For almost 40 years I’ve been observing birds.<\/p>\n
As a kid I lived on the east coast, often in rural areas. There, I was free to follow birds to observe them more closely. Here, the setting’s urban, so if I can’t see a bird, but can hear it, I can’t usually “go to where it is.”<\/p>\n
The last few years, the birds have developed an interesting relationship with me:\n
I tell you truly, this relationship is well established. See the bird watching<\/a> category of this blog for examples.<\/p>\n Lately a bird’s been outside, singing up a storm. Its song is beautiful, with lots of trills and liquid notes. Yet, what kind of bird is it?<\/p>\n Numerous times, after I’ve been at the computer for a few minutes, the singing starts. Maybe the bird warms up with a few short phrases, then launches into sonatas. The bird’s a virtuoso, embellishing and protracting its song at will. Eventually I walk out to look, but it’s hidden. It continues to sing.<\/p>\n \nI believe the bird knows this game. Yet, I’ve been determined to identify it, and now have: it’s a song sparrow.<\/p>\n I’ve had to identify the bird by its song rather than its appearance. What decides the identification is that its song typically begins with three separate repeating notes before elaborating.<\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n allaboutbirds.org<\/a><\/p>\nJack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane,<\/a> Campbell River, BC.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Self-tutoring about birds: the tutor notes a song sparrow. For almost 40 years I’ve been observing birds. As a kid I lived on the east coast, often in rural areas. There, I was free to follow birds to observe them …<\/p>\n