First Chilly Morning

A cup from which I don't often drink is to sit outside in pre-dawn darkness to listen. I sipped of that cup this morning from 5:30-6:00 in an attempt to discover which bird is the earliest riser. I have often noticed, on my 6 a.m. walks with neighbors, a single robin's listmaking (to-do-today-to-do-today-to-do-today-check), and by 7:00 a full coucophony of birdsong tuning up, causing me to wonder who is first---or if there is a consistent pattern. In the absence of a rooster, is a robin the alarm clock?

I neglected to remember yesterday's wind, and that a wind usually brings a drop in temperature. This morning's "research" confirmed that pattern, at least, but revealed not the wake-up bird. The only sound was the drone and pulse of katydid---or was it cricket?

No birds by 6:00. Full chorus by 7:00. I got too sidetracked in walking conversation with good friends to pay attention to birdsong in the intervening hour. Quest to be continued. dkm, with yet another resolve to shorten these blog entries.