{"id":14703,"date":"2020-09-28T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-28T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14703"},"modified":"2020-09-24T15:23:19","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T19:23:19","slug":"take-5-a-song-in-your-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-a-song-in-your-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: A Song in Your Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cA bird doesn\u2019t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.\u201d<\/em><\/p>Maya Angelou<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Song Sparrow is a welcome visitor to fields, farms, parks, and gardens throughout Massachusetts. One of the first birds that many novice birders learn to identify by sound, the aptly named Song Sparrow may be heard singing its bright and cheery song from sunup to sundown from spring to fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Song Sparrow took home the title of “most widely distributed bird” in Massachusetts in both of our Breeding Bird Atlas surveys<\/a>. While many sparrow species are struggling to maintain their numbers<\/a>, the irrepressible Song Sparrow seems to be holding its own. Its massive breeding range, adaptability, and ready use of almost any open or semi-open habitat have helped the species remain practically ubiquitous even in the face of suburbanization and other major landscape changes. Still, despite the stability of its breeding footprint, the Song Sparrow has demonstrated significant declines in overall abundance over the last half-century, suggesting a need for continued monitoring and conservation efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Song Sparrows can be found in Massachusetts year-round, you may see an uptick in their numbers in the fall as migrants pass through from their northern breeding grounds on their way to warmer places to over-winter. Look for a streaky sparrow perched on low shrubs in open, scrubby, often wet areas, pumping its tail in flight as it flits from bush to bush, and listen for the clear, crisp notes of the colorful repertoire of songs for which it is named.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is your last chance to enter the 2020 Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest! The deadline for entries is September 30, so enjoy these five submissions from past years and send us your own nature photography today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Song
Song Sparrow \u00a9 Amanda Altena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Song
Song Sparrow at Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary \u00a9 Charlene Gaboriault<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Song
Song Sparrow \u00a9 Thomas Kilian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Song
Song Sparrow \u00a9 Lucy Allen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Song
Song Sparrow \u00a9 Cristina Hartshorn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cA bird doesn\u2019t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.\u201d Maya Angelou The Song Sparrow is a welcome visitor to fields, farms, parks, and gardens throughout Massachusetts. One of the first birds that many novice birders learn to identify by sound, the aptly named Song Sparrow may be heard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":14707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[28,83,84,365,297],"class_list":["post-14703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-birds","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography","tag-song-sparrow","tag-sparrows"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/4363Thomas_Kilian19043.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3P9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12020,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-so-many-sparrows\/","url_meta":{"origin":14703,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: So Many Sparrows","author":"Ryan D.","date":"December 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Sparrows have a reputation for being a bit tricky for beginning birders to identify. Thankfully, the colder months are a good time to get some practice in, with several common species overwintering here in Massachusetts, including American Tree Sparrows, White-Throated Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos (yes, they belong to the sparrow\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dark-eyed Junco \u00a9 Andy Eckerson","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/2970Andy_Eckerson10724.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/2970Andy_Eckerson10724.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/2970Andy_Eckerson10724.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/2970Andy_Eckerson10724.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16405,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-sorting-out-sparrows\/","url_meta":{"origin":14703,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Sorting Out Sparrows","author":"Ryan D.","date":"September 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"There are some birds that scream for attention, like Northern Cardinals or (more literally) Blue Jays. Sparrows are not that kind of bird. Sparrows are subtle, nuanced, and notoriously tricky to tell apart from one species to another. Commonly referred to as \"Little Brown Jobs\" (LBJs for short), sparrows mostly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds & Birding"","block_context":{"text":"Birds & Birding","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/birds-birding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Savannah Sparrow \u00a9 Phil Doyle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/3063Phil_Doyle16673-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/3063Phil_Doyle16673-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/3063Phil_Doyle16673-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/3063Phil_Doyle16673-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15583,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/10-common-bird-sounds\/","url_meta":{"origin":14703,"position":2},"title":"10 Common Bird Sounds","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"April 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Do you wonder what you\u2019re hearing outside? Is it the Northern Cardinal you see flitting about? Or maybe it\u2019s something more cryptic? We\u2019ve pulled together 10 sounds and songs of birds that you may commonly hear when you are out and about in your yard or neighborhood, particularly in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Phoebe copyright Anthony Lischio","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4128Anthony_Lischio29592-750x500-22af1663-9241-47c8-b73b-c6480df017f0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4128Anthony_Lischio29592-750x500-22af1663-9241-47c8-b73b-c6480df017f0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4128Anthony_Lischio29592-750x500-22af1663-9241-47c8-b73b-c6480df017f0.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4128Anthony_Lischio29592-750x500-22af1663-9241-47c8-b73b-c6480df017f0.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12611,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-sing-for-spring\/","url_meta":{"origin":14703,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Sing for Spring!","author":"Ryan D.","date":"April 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Spring is finally here! The days are getting longer and warmer, the trees are leafing out and budding left and right, and spring bird migration is picking up steam. Doesn't it just make you want to sing? Here are five birds that agree with that sentiment and are singing their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Prothonotary Warbler \u00a9 Terri Nickerson","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/2664Terri_Nickerson18961.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/2664Terri_Nickerson18961.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/2664Terri_Nickerson18961.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/2664Terri_Nickerson18961.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7584,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/100-great-wildlife-sanctuary-birding-spots\/","url_meta":{"origin":14703,"position":4},"title":"100 Great Wildlife Sanctuary Birding Spots","author":"Hillary T.","date":"May 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Bird-a-thon, Mass Audubon\u2019s annual birding competition takes place on May 13-14. Teams of birders will attempt to see (or hear) the most species in a 24-hour time span. At the same time, birders and \u201cBird-a-thon\u00a0Boosters\u201d are raising money to support wildlife sanctuaries and programs. To kick-off Bird-a-thon and celebrate 100\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Involved"","block_context":{"text":"Get Involved","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-involved\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":335,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/if-you-re-build-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":14703,"position":5},"title":"If You Re-Build It…","author":"Hillary T.","date":"July 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s a story we unfortunately hear all too often. 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