The song of cardinals is a constant presence in our garden. Yesterday, I heard the distinctive cardinal tweeeeeet-tweet-tweet-tweet, but it sounded scratchy, as if the cardinal had a sore throat. Could this be a mockingbird imitating a cardinal?

could be a young bird learning the song, could be a bird that just has the equivalent of a frog in the throat. We used to have a quail around here that would have his voice crack every time he did the usual "bob-WHITE" call. Each time he got to the last part it would be all screechy and off-sounding. I wonder if some birds just have impaired ability to reproduce their usual calls, or if it's an injury or something.

It never occurred to me to actually observe birds as individuals before. Used to be that all cardinals sounded the same to me. How neat that each can have its own timbre and tone to its singing. I'll have to listen more closely.

WHat we need now is a Professor Higgins from "My Fair Lady"

or think Cardinal with a hick redneck twang.

and by the way, we are so hicked-up here that our barred owls say "who-cooks-for-you-uns"
just kidding (really I'm not but the neighbors will figure out I'm talking about them)