Friday, June 3, 2022

Who's Playing a Flute?

A dear friend, Julie Albertalli, spoke of a fond recollection about the arrival each spring of the Wood Thrushes on the family farm's hillside woods.   Here's one I discovered lurking in the shaded woods of the nearby Newtown Battlefield State Park.  That's just up the hill from her homestead.  This is often all you get to see of a thrush among the trees.


Julie's joy centered on the Wood Thrush song that drifts down from the tall hardwood trees with the sweetness of a solo flute.  Here's the sound from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's collection:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Thrush/sounds

It's a rare situation where I actually see an entire bird singing on a sunny perch.  Note the rich color displayed: 


 
Today, I was back in a woods near to where Julie grew up hearing their song.  There was a bird foraging in the lower levels (mostly for caterpillars).  It's spreading its wings to take flight.


On very close examination, I can see a small insect in its beak.  That's probably an indication that they are feeding young, so I expect the singing will decline as territorial protection is reduced.  I will have to wait until 2023 to easily hear the flute's melody.

Paul Schmitt

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