Thursday, April 23, 2009

Heartened by the Chorus

Photo by Lang Elliott

"And where the shadows deepest fell,
the wood thrush rang his silver bell."

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

I saw a Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelin) in a thicket near my study the other day, and hearing its song heartened me. Whittier was inspired by the wood thrush and the abundant natural beauty that surrounded his rural homestead in Haverhill, MA.

Listen to the chorus of birds in the morning and evening. Some have traveled far from their wintering grounds in boreal forests near the Arctic Circle to set up house again here with us. As this is nesting time, help by hanging bits of thin strips of cotton rag over your clothesline or on tree branches, and leave dried grasses where they stand a while longer.

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