Waking up to the robins

Well before dawn, the robins in our neighborhood start singing. I don’t think they’re trying to wake me up or spur me to get out of bed, but in whatever message they’re conveying, they are persistent.

This morning, I listened to them for 5 or 10 minutes, and when I heard a cardinal start singing counterpoint in the distance, I decided it was time to rise.

After getting the coffee maker going, I settled into my easy chair that affords me a good view of our backyard feeders. A house sparrow was the first to appear, a little earlier than usual, I thought, figuring the cardinals would come next.

A moment later, a female cardinal appeared on the main feeder, and her mate soon followed, perching atop my smoker. Then, right on cue, a Carolina wren started singing. I couldn’t see the tubby little creature, but I could hear it, its usual outsized volume-to-size ratio readily apparent.

I could also hear some gentle rainfall tinkling on the metal topper on our chimney, a clue that I will have to delay my morning outing until after the showers stop and a reminder that it’s time to close the flue.

Now that the sun is up, I’m waiting for the goldfinches to start flocking to the nyjer feeder. The suet cakes need replacing in the little house that holds them, and I need to refill the main feeder. I don’t want to disappoint the those voracious sparrows or get side eye from the cardinals.