The Songbirds of Winter

Nicola here. It’s December 28^th and day four of the twelve days of Christmas. These days when I wake up in the mornings it’s usually still dark so I doze for a bit before getting up to make the morning tea and let the dogs out. One of the first sounds I often hear, as dawn is breaking, is birdsong.

In the well-known song, on the fourth day of Christmas, my true loves gives to me “four calling birds” as well as the three French hens, two turtle doves and the partridge in the pear tree. Originally, however the words were “four colly birds,” which in 1780 when the song was written meant four blackbirds. These were the European blackbirds that are the colour of coal dust. The words were changed to “calling birds” in some versions at the start of the 20^th century as so many people didn’t know that “colly bird” was a northern dialect word for a black bird.

In another old nursery rhyme four and twenty blackbirds are baked in a pie and “when the pie was opened the birds began to sing”. This isn’t quite as bad as it sounds (although bad enough); in medieval cuisine, the live birds were only put under the pie crust at the last minute to give everyone a surprise when it was served. It certainly would have given you a surprise, I imagine, to find what the blackbirds might have deposited in your pie! (The picture of the blackbird is by Cornelius Nozeman from the collections of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, part of which is available on Wikimedia Commons.)

This brings me back to waking up in the early morning hearing birdsong. I had thought it was a blackbird in the garden but it turns out that they don’t start singing until the end of January when the male blackbirds start to claim their territories. No, it is the bright and beautiful little European Robin that is perched on our weeping pear tree, singing away as the dawn breaks. Happy Fourth Day of Christmas!

What do you wake up to in the mornings?  Music, a news programme, an alarm, birdsong or like me a nice up of tea? If you would like to listen to the dawn chorus there is a link here.

Comments

[Christina Courtenay]

I love the robins in our garden and they do sing beautifully! We are so lucky to have them. In general the birds seem to be a lot quieter this time of year though and I'm not as aware of them as in the summer when they often start as early as 4 am. At the moment I've been sleeping late each day (after staying up very late too) so I usually wake to silence which can be nice too :-)

[theo]

This time of year for me means no birdsong in the morning. This is Michigan. The sun doesn't even come up until 8am thanks to DST which is its own curse and needs to go away. Plus, most of them migrate for the winter because right now, there's a couple inches of snow on the ground and more due tonight. Once the weather warms, there's a cacophony by 5am though and way too many birds to try and name them all. So I wake to my husband getting ready for work at 4am and then, in the warmer weather, once he's left take my coffee on the front porch and watch the day rise. It's a wonderful thing.

[Donna H.]

I wake up to the furnace kicking in, snow plows going by and darkness til almost 9 a.m. Looking forward to my first cup of coffee. My Callie Cat purring on the back of the chair across the room. Winter in Ontario, Canada.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Nicola, I wake up most mornings with a cat politely suggesting that it's time for breakfast--purrs, not birdsong!

I love the European robins--they're so much cuter than the American version, which I think are a variety of thrush. Larger and much less cute!

[Pamela DG]

Birdsong wakes me, bundle up for a hike. I take my binoculars, a latte, and an easy to carry camp stool. I'll be in place at my favorite Metro Park to start the Christmas bird count with other birders. We quietly tally the birds we see and hear and report them to Cornell University's Ornithology Department. When we are done, we compare notes and share news at breakfast loaded with more hot beverages. Occasionally, we see, or hear, birds we hadn't logged earlier in the year.

[Kareni]

I hadn't known about the blackbirds being added to the pie at the last minute, but I agree that the surprises they might leave could be decidedly unappealing. Thanks for a fun and educational post, Nicola!

[Nicola Cornick]

Yes that's true! The birds can be so loud in summer that a lovely peaceful lie in is a blessing sometimes!

[Nicola Cornick]

Theo, that sounds a lovely, mindful way to greet the day! I'm not surprised those birds are keeping their heads down in the snow right now though!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks for sharing, Donna. You paint a lovely picture! Having a purring cat would probably send me back to sleep...

[Nicola Cornick]

I love the idea of a polite cat reminding you it's time to get up, Mary Jo! Yes, the European and American robins are quite different in size, aren't they. I love the American ones though - they look so exotic to those of us used to the smaller version!

[Nicola Cornick]

How fantastic, Pamela! My mother used to have a Christmas flower count. I love the idea of a Christmas bird count!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Kareni, I'm so glad you liked it! Sometimes I think our ancestors were like us in many things - and then I read about the blackbirds in the pie and think of them as completely different!

[Anne Gracie]

Nicola, I love the dawn chorus, and because of our "Mediterranean" style climate, we get it all year round. Mainly I hear rainbow lorikeets chittering and screeching happily in the big gum tree outside my window— especially when it's in flower — and magpies carolling —there's really no other word for it, it's so joyful.

It sounds very like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYEYc8Ge3nw
And the chittering and screeching in the background or the video are, I think, lorikeets.

Here's an Australian dawn chorus from a less urban environment: https://soundcloud.com/listeningearth/australian-bush-summer-dawn

[Lil]

No birdsongs for me at this time of year. Everybody's gone South for the winter. Now come May, they'll be waking me up at 4 am. I'm kind of glad I can sleep in, under my cozy blankets, until the sun gets around to peeking through my window at 7:30 or so.

Actually, 7:30 is when I had to get up as a child so everybody could get a chance at the bathroom before we all headed out to school or work. I still think of it as the appropriate time to get up in the morning. Earlier I feel virtuous, later I feel lazy.

[Vicki L]

Here in Georgia I have many North American birds that are "snow birding" in the sunny south for the winter. Of course, many of our summer residents have gone even further south for the winter. There is quite the dawn/early morning chorus going on here in the mornings.

Usually I wake up to my alarm unless I've managed to go to bed early enough to wake up naturally. No kitties or doggies to wake me up. Plus I've learned to sleep through my husband's alarm. Grin.

European robins look more like a female Eastern Bluebird size and color wise. Yes, the American Robin is a bright bold fellow. Very cheerful and fun to watch. They live here (in GA) year round but I think they are only summer residents further north.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you for sharing the Australian dawn chorus, Anne! I love how different it sounds. One of my favourite things when I visit other countries is listening to the birdsong; it really helps you realise that you are in a different environment although with similar elements. Beautiful!

[Nicola Cornick]

Isn't it interesting how the rhythms of our childhood stay with us, Lil! A cosy lie in in the winter is lovely but when the light comes it feels right to get up. These days I wonder how I was able to lie in so much when I was younger. But I guess we all have a natural rhythm and some people are owls, others are larks and some are in between!

[Nicola Cornick]

I love the idea of the "snow birds" travelling south to winter with you, Vicki! How lovely to have that variety during the year.I'm thinking of the warm south with longing myself at the moment!

[Kathy in Texas]

Thanks so much for those links. They made me miss camping, when I used to wake early and go for walks in new surroundings.