I heard the call coming from a small wood, and there the bird was perched on top of a cypress tree.

Goldfinches sing a tinkling song, often on the pinnacle of a cypress tree; greenfinches have a rollicking, plummy song, a wheezing note and a hard twitter when they fly.

Also, water was a fundamental element, as was the cypress tree.

The stems are branched and covered in overlapping leaves giving the impression of a cypress tree.

Captivated by the landscape, he planted a cypress tree on the hill.