Sings So Sweet

I wake up early in the morning often these days - 3:00 AM - and I have found whether an upstairs window is open or not, I can hear the sounds of birds singing.

Right now it is 5:55 AM, and I have been browsing the morning news on the major city newspapers' Websites, and checking our youngest son's daily 100-day countdown blog. In the background from outside, I hear the coo, coo, coo of a mourning dove over the old-man ringing in my ears. There are other bird songs playing as well, but I am not all that good of a birder, because I don't know them: woo, woo, kaa, kaa, kaa.

On the front page of this morning's Washington Post, is an article all about the influences of urban sounds on bird songs - interesting.

The birds here on the East Coast are remarkable - they are remarkable also in the ways they adapt to their environments.

* Birds may be choosing to sing songs that contain higher notes, or are raising pitches to stand out above the noise.

* The regions of the birds' brains associated with song undergo partial renewal each spring, which may cement into the bird's head certain songs tailored for a noisy territory.

* Birds may learn modified songs, or may not be able to hear low notes, or they may simply drop low notes that aren't effective.

* Females may be more likely to choose males who sing in higher frequencies, and are known to select males that show a proficiency for learning.

* If birds sing more loudly in response to noise, they will use more energy, which could lead to either shorter, more efficient songs or diminished vigor.

Maybe it would be interesting to record how westerners from small college towns adapt to the hustle and bustle of the East Coast as well.