There's a bird I like to listen to every day. It employs three clear, high-pitched whistles in descending tones, very close to the first notes of "Three Blind Mice," followed by a rhythmic reiteration of the final note, with some impish sliding effects. I have now briefly glanced at two "web" sites about birds and become a bird expert. So I believe my tuneful friend is a sparrow of some kind. If I am understanding correctly (and perhaps the Dear Bird Correspondent will do me the favor of setting me straight) each individual sparrow has its own personal and varied repertoire, which may account for what I could swear is the same bird occasionally going up the scale in a minor key (actually it starts with an interval of a minor third in those cases). So on a site called "Nature Bits" I heard this sparrow that someone recorded in Alaska. Pretty close, I guess, but the sparrow in our yard is a lot more talented in the melody department, and with a purer, slightly higher tone. Here is the other place I found on the "web" where you can listen to birdsong if that's your idea of a good time, which it should be. (Pictured, a golden-crowned sparrow, the kind that was singing in Alaska. Look at his golden crown! If I saw him in person I'd be like, "You've got a little golden crown, don't you? Yes you do! Yes you do!")
