Maybe it has something to do with the fact I've had extra time on my hands this spring while I recuperated from surgery. For whatever reason, I'm hearing songbirds belting it out all around my yard like I never remember hearing; it's like they're vying for a top five finish on American Idol.

As I'm sure my readers have concluded after reading my columns for nearly four decades, I'm a hunter and fisherman but I also enjoy watching and identifying songbirds that visit my little plot of ground. This spring, the birds have put on a command performance.