Wrong Again

Even in deepest January with its unrelenting cold, if I listen, I can hear the calls of birds that overwinter here, especially, when the sky is clear and sunshine abundant. And that is enough to make me smile through these interminable layers of winter.



Wrong Again


Cardinals lift my spirits whether those feathered bits of pleasure sing summer or greet winter on branches blanketed with snow. Their enchanted call and response easily identified among avian scores. Or so I thought. Then I downloaded a birding app, discovered this refrain did not come from the throats of those resplendent songbirds. News almost as disturbing as the truth about Santa. Black-capped chickadees had copyrighted the three note melody, suddenly making the tune less delightful. Now I must reprogram my ears to hear the song sung by the scarlet warblers. A refrain almost as intricate as a Mozart passage. The intro to "Three Blind Mice" was so much easier to recognize.



Marilyn Aschoff Mellor