Why do we love bird-song?

Bird-song entrances us. Why?

It is well on into July when I would expect bird-song to have ebbed somewhat from the full-on chorus you can hear in late spring and early summer.  Still, though, I hear at first light, a song thrush making its presence loudly felt.  This makes my day. Why is it so entrancing?

The sheer beauty of bird-song in terms of its ringing purity and subtle variety of tone may be enough to lift the spirits but there are some birds, of course, that make grating, rasping and croaking sounds which have less of an immediate appeal.

Even then, you may well be stirred by the sound with a joyful tingle because it is made by a creature that links you to a world of wild nature that is so near and yet so far from everyday life. It speaks of a life force that transcends the moment and will be there long after we have left.

There may be an added mystery, too, because you hear the bird but cannot see it.  It is announcing its proximity yet keeping out of reach. The curiosity that this can awake may be irresistible especially when you may not know what kind of bird it is.  What does it look like in the fullness of its being?   To find answers, it is worth the effort to go out, stop and listen with binoculars at the ready…