On my morning walk a couple days ago I came upon an Eastern Towhee singing in some cedar trees. Same again this morning but a different song. I took a few minutes to listen to the other songs in Merlin Bird ID and am reminded, yet again, that learning about my feathered neighbors is a never ending process. For every bird song I learn there are so many others that I do not know. And of course, as I learn some I sometimes forget along the way. I’ll only ever know a tiny fraction and even then I’m not learning what the song is about.

Acknowledging the depth and complexity of the natural world is truly humbling.