A song sparrow sings his heart out in Golden Gate Park.
Even in the crowed city, nature can be found in many places.
Long before you see a bird, you can usually hear their songs.
Birds are all around, even if their music is drowned out by our own noise.

When you think about it, birdsongs are quite amazing,
learned at a young age by listening to others sing.
It's astounding that you can hear them from over a hundred feet away...
and from an animal smaller than the size of your fist!
Birds must be endowed with large lungs and powerful vocal cords.

The day when birds stop singing, something must be terribly wrong.
In the 1960's, Rachel Carson predicted it in her book "Silent Spring."
Back then the culprit was pesticides and chemicals such as DDT.
Today birds face habitat loss, global warming and even predation from our own pets.

Our lives are made fuller by birds, both in sight and sound.
With heads tilted and bills parted, they delight our senses.
The next time you hear birds sing, take a moment to appreciate
their glorious musical talents and listen to the sounds of Nature at her best.