The poet was watching a skylark. It flew into the sky, still singing, then dropped to the cornfields in stillness, before rising far into the sky to sing once again. The poet's mood is to listen to birds and study nature. He begins writing about birds. Birds have been inspiring people with their songs for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians made paintings and statues to honor birds, and they also wrote poems about them. In Europe, poets such as Homer, Virgil, and Shakespeare sang about birds. In America, too, birds have been a major topic for poets. Today, people all over the world enjoy hearing birdsong close up or watching birds in flight on television or in movies. As humans become more aware of birds' beauty and song, we want to see them protected so that they can live out their lives in peace. Birds sing for many reasons. Some birds sing to defend their territories or attract females. Others may sing to keep cool during hot days or when it's cold outside. Still others may just be singing because they love to sound like birds. No matter why they sing, birds' songs are beautiful to hear. Skylarks usually start singing after dark when it's time to look for food in the fields. They use their strong legs to fly down to the ground and search for worms and other insects in the soil.