As a child, I spent a good deal of time with my grandfather. He was a lover of birds an I do, I believe derive my affection for our feathered friends from him. I recollect a nesting box attached to the garden shed, and my feeling of excitement when BlueTits where born. I also remember the bird table which attracted a great variety of birds. 

Of course birdsong acts as a means of attracting a mate or warning off other birds who might trespass on the teritory of the songster. Nonetheless we humans find in the song of the birds an answering call within our own hearts. Their singing can bring joy to mind, or they may speak to us of sadness. A wonderful instance of the latter, can be found in Robert Frost’s poem “A Late Walk”:  

“And when I come to the garden ground, 

The…