Sparrow Me the Details

It's officially the first day of Summer. Appropriate, I suppose, as a heat wave is hitting this area. Since it's going to be toasty upstairs and outside today, I may take advantage of the cooler temperatures in the basement to get a little Stampeaz work done. The packing area is a disaster and needs to be cleared out and I need to place a Speedball order, too. 

But first, I'm going to sing the praises of this little brown bird. A casual glance would only show you a plain sparrow without a lot of pizazz. That would be misleading.

Not only does it have some pretty interesting plumage, with stripes, speckles and a bold spot on its breast, when it fills that breast with air, something spectacular happens. 

  

The music! This tiny operatic performer will belt out its tune for hours, staking territory and charming all within hearing distance (which is quite some way). 

It's called a Song Sparrow for a very good reason. During my childhood, we always said that we could tell the song sparrow's tune because it ties a knot at the end. Listen for it and perhaps you'll hear the twist in the melody. 

Happy Summer!