I accompanied Jeff on an Audbon Christmas bird count. We walked along the edge of a golf course. I followed Jeff as his assistant noting identifications and numbers. Jeff often stopped to listen. He’d use a hand signal to say stop. We stood still and quiet and heard a slight “tshink, tshink” from a shrub. “Two song sparrows” he said. We rarely saw the bird, but twenty years later, I still remember that call. It takes me back to that cold, windy early morning bird watching.
A bird call is different from its song. Male song birds sing when they establish territory and try to attract a female. The call is much more sedate. It connects and warns. No need to sing in winter.
