4 AM Bird Song

There were a few things during the time of COVID that were better than either before or after. No traffic on the road. Hours of puzzle time guilt-free. Maybe, for some, ready-made cocktail delivery! And the sound of birds chirping each morning, unobstructed by the grinding noise of delivery trucks and early commuters. I loved it. Laying in bed being woken by the sounds of Mother Nature— like being a kid at camp in the North Woods or something.

My bedroom room here in Blantyre has a window that looks out into a small yard with a few sprawling

trees. (Yes, there is a screen to keep the mosquitoes out… but there is a hole in the screen, so there’s that. But I do sleep ensconced in netting as a second layer of protection and slathered in bug repellant as a third!) Anyhow, at exactly 4:00 AM, the birds of Malawi commence their song. It’s bold, and it’s unabashed. They call to one another, and they respond. They pause and wait for a reply, and then they answer in return. I can’t imagine shouting my early-morning innermost thoughts out into the universe. (I’d likely be put into some sort of padded room! Ha!) But these sopranos of the sky are putting it all out there. An early alarm, that’s for sure.

I’ve downloaded an app in an attempt to figure out who is calling me to rise so very early in the morning. But I haven’t quite figured it out. Maybe a whippoorwill?  But I’m no ornithologist. I’ve asked a few of the folks who live here, and they think it’s funny that I wonder about such a thing. To them, it’s just the sound of the morning; I don’t think they even notice the morning sonata. They are just getting up and getting ready for work!

Click here to hear!