I’ve finally found a way to identify all the lovely birdsong I hear around my garden; the singers aren’t always visible since they’re often hidden by bushes. A website, birdjam.com has fairly long selections of various bird songs. I found my avian friends by clicking on the picture that is labeled “City Birds”. The song I’ve often written of sounding like a swing screeching as it turns on its bar turns out to be the signature of the tiny black-capped chickadee. The “cheer-up” singer is the American Robin; robins also seem to have a “swing-screeching” call.
To some this may seem fundamental—why would a gardener and general lover of creation not know these things? We had cats while I was growing up. The more stalwart blue jays weren’t thwarted though and occasionally swooped down and pecked the cats’ heads just to make sure they knew who was boss.