First bird of 2013 is a loud one!

Many birders eagerly anticipate the first bird that they see in each New Year. Some even attach various omens or tidings to their inaugural New Year's Day sighting, to the degree that they will go out of their way to avoid having some "bad" bird be the first of the year. I, too, always make note of my first year-bird, but tend to just accept whatever it may be without undue superstition.

This morning - first day of 2013 - I must admit to being pleased to hear the rousing chorus of a Carolina Wren ringing from the backyard bushes. Normally I must settle for a European Starling, and I certainly rank these jaunty little wrens several notches above the starling on the avian social scale. Funny thing is, I haven't heard a Carolina Wren around here for months.