Readers, I am hopeful that there are some among you who are knowledgeable in the ways of birds.  Specifically, sing-song-y birds.  Specifically, sing-song-y birds that sing multiple melodies.  Specifically, sing-song-y birds that sing multiple melodies late, late at night.

Last night and the night before, I woke up at 1 a.m. to the sound of birds singing.  They weren’t pigeons, crows, or doves, and I don’t think they were bluejays because I would recognize their distinctive cry.  So what the heck are they?  For over an hour–I even heard them after I shut my window–they sang and sang.

Their singing caused some of my synapses to misfire, leaving me completely weirded out–not to mention completely awake.  First of all, I felt like I was taking part in a sleep-lab experiment.  Bird songs like that are an unmistakable cue of morning, but it was only morning in the technical “after midnight” sense. 

Second of all, the singing quickly became incredibly disruptive and even upsetting, and my mind–and heartbeat–started racing.  Was the singing a sign of a baby bird in trouble?  A male looking for love?  Was it a permanent addition to the neighborhood?  Would I ever get back to sleep?

For so long, a birds’ lilting song symbolized two positive things for me: a Snow White-esque “good-morning” feeling, plus the happy relaxation that comes whenever I hear any natural sounds.  By 2 a.m., though, I was starting to feel robbed of those feelings.  Everything in its season, everything in its hour, I thought.  This is not right. 

Now, in the light of day–a sunny day at that–I am pleased to report that I have forgiven the birds and am even craning my ears to catch a chirp or a peep through my re-opened windows.  Everything in its hour, true, but sometimes we eat dessert before dinner, wear pajamas during the day, and sometimes we too even sing our morning songs in the middle of the night.
  
Still and all, I would like to know what I’ll be listening to tonight.  Is there a birder in the house?

(image via: http://www.solarnavigator.net/binoculars.htm)