Familiar bird in parks and, particularly, gardens. Very vocal with a chattery song, invariably singing by the time you wake up. Quite content in your front yard, it often uses nest boxes, hanging flower baskets, or other manmade structures. Sits in the open to sing but is very small so you still have to squint to see it. When quiet, is very hard to find. Likes to keep low in dense vegetation in fields or woods. Song a descending series of rolling notes. Gives annoyed ‘chek’ note when disturbed. ID: Small and pallid with a narrow medium-length tail that is sometimes held cocked. Besides size and shape, look for overall pale coloration with bland face pattern. Bold eyering and pale throat —little else is of contrast. Subtle barring just about everywhere else.