Nothing quite like an animated bird with Steve Martin’s head to make Friday even better, right? Of course, you’re also probably asking, “...Why?” Well, if you're a birder (and/or a movie-lover), a little chicky may have told you that the banjo-strumming actor/comedian is starring in a film adaptation of The Big Year, originally a book by Mark Obmascik, about three birders’ attempts to spy as many species as they can in one year. 
(Keep an eye out for more from The Perch on that topic). Apparently, filming in Vancouver inspired Martin to pen a little ditty called “Rare Bird Alert,” based on the hotline that birders can call when they score an awesome sighting. The song is part of Martin’s 2010 bluegrass album by the same name, which follows another bird-themed collection, The Crow.
The video above features “Jubilation Day,” also on the Rare Bird Alert album (note: the end of the video uses some language that might be a tad crass). It’s apparently about a relationship break-up, but I was too fixated on Martinbird and his fellow hybrid musicians to understand the lyrics. My colleague who shared the video mentioned that an avid birder friend was impressed by the avian illustrations. “I must admit, with mild embarrassment, that I was excited about all of the technically accurate bird-groupies dancing around," he wrote my colleague in an email, "That rockin' out Tufted Titmouse might have even made me LOL a bit.” What do you think? And what kind of bird do take Martin for?