Date: 6/28/25 4:29 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Costa Rica Trip 2026
*Costa Rica Natural History and Birding Adventure:*
* April 13 – 23, 2026*
*Arenal Extension April 23 - 26, 2026*
*Leaders:*
*1) Ted Levin—*Ted is a lifelong naturalist, whose work has appeared in *The
New York Times*, *The *Guardian, *Audubon Magazine*, *Sports Illustrated*, *The
Boston Globe Magazine*, *National Geographic Traveler*, *OnEarth* among
many other publications. He is the author of six books and five for
children, including *Liquid Land: A Journey Through the Florida Everglades*,
which was awarded the Burroughs Medal, the highest honor given to an
American nature writer. *Forbes* chose *America’s Snake: The Rise and Fall
of the Timber *Rattlesnake, one of the ten finest conservation books of
2016. His most recent book, *The Promise of Sunrise: Finding Solace in a
Broken World*, was published this past March. This will be Ted’s nineth
trip to Costa Rica, including hosting Vermont Public’s Citizens of the
World Tour, in 2010.
*Email: <tedlevin1966...> <tedlevin1966...>*
*cellphone: 802 399 9398*
*2) Gil Calvo— *A naturalist and Neotropical birder extraordinaire, Gil has
created & led custom natural-history tours throughout Costa Rica for 30
years, including four for Hanover High School, Hanover, NH. In 2000,
inspired by a lifelong passion for his native country, Gil created Tropical
Advisors Costa Rica, Inc. (formerly Tropical Angel Travel). Today, Tropic
Advisors has evolved into one of Mesoamerica’s premier natural history tour
companies.
For our itinerary and cost please get in touch with Ted.
Date: 6/24/25 9:23 am From: FlyAway Birding <flyawaybirding...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] A bird song question
I once tracked down what sounded exactly like a Clay-colored Sparrow in
Middlesex, VT, and it turned out to be a Chipping Sparrow! They're close
relatives and, according to Birds of the World (Cornell Lab of
Ornithology), there "is 1 record of a Chipping Sparrow, or a
morphologically similar hybrid, singing song of Clay-colored Sparrow at
Toronto, ON; not clear if this was result of learning or of hybridization".
I wish I had gotten a recording of that Chipping Sparrow in Middlesex!
Chip Darmstadt
FlyAway Birding
On Mon, Jun 23, 2025 at 8:03 PM Martha & Bill McClintock <
<mbmcclintock...> wrote:
> I was kayaking at Green River Reservoir today. At one point, I heard a
> bird song that I did not recognize. I turned on Merlin and it immediately
> came back with Clay Colored Sparrow. My husband's phone did the same.
> The habitat makes the CCSP seem unlikely to me so I am wondering, are there
> any other birds that sound similar? Unfortunately, the banks of the
> reservoir did not allow me to get out in an attempt to see the bird so all
> I have is Merlin.
>
> Don't worry, I will not eBird the CCSP as I use Merlin as
> confirmation rather than primary identifier. Just wondering if there is a
> bird that sounds similar that would be more likely.
>
> Thanks, Martha McClintock
> (usually birding in) Westford
>
Date: 6/24/25 6:15 am From: Robert Provost <ropro222...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Winter Wren
Same. It’s one of the most beautiful bird songs. Listening to a Wood Thrush on one side of the path and a Winter Wren on the other is heaven
> On Jun 24, 2025, at 8:19 AM, Mundi Smithers <amen1farm...> wrote:
>
> Singing his heart at the moment. Such a beautiful song!!
>
> Mundi
> North Pownal
> Mundi Smithers
>
>
> The greatest tragedy in mankind's enitire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion.
> Arthur C Clarke (1917-2008)
Date: 6/23/25 5:03 pm From: Martha & Bill McClintock <mbmcclintock...> Subject: [VTBIRD] A bird song question
I was kayaking at Green River Reservoir today. At one point, I heard a bird song that I did not recognize. I turned on Merlin and it immediately came back with Clay Colored Sparrow. My husband's phone did the same. The habitat makes the CCSP seem unlikely to me so I am wondering, are there any other birds that sound similar? Unfortunately, the banks of the reservoir did not allow me to get out in an attempt to see the bird so all I have is Merlin.
Don't worry, I will not eBird the CCSP as I use Merlin as confirmation rather than primary identifier. Just wondering if there is a bird that sounds similar that would be more likely.
Date: 6/15/25 6:36 pm From: Ken Copenhaver <copenhvr...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Missisquoi NWR Bird Monitoring Walk
Please join us for our monthly bird monitoring walks on the refuge. Ken Copenhaver and Julie Filiberti lead the walks on various refuge trails on the 3rd Saturday of each month (except December when it is on the 2nd Saturday). The purpose of the walks is to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Observations are entered into the Vermont eBird database where the Cornell Lab of Ornithology stores the data. These walks are appropriate for birders of all skill levels and provide a wonderful opportunity to learn about birds throughout the seasons. After 182 months of walks, we have recorded 166 species of birds.
This month's walk will be on *Saturday, June 21, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM a**t the Black/Maquam Creek Trail*. Meet at the parking lot on Rt 78, about 2.5 miles west of Swanton village.
*Trail Description**: *The walk starts at a gravel parking lot and proceeds on a grassy path. It then goes up a short but fairly steep bank to cross the railroad tracks, and back down a similar bank. The rest of the trail through the floodplain forest is level with trail surfaces varying from gravel, to a long boardwalk, to a somewhat rougher trail near the far end. There are three benches along the trail, including one at the end. Total distance, out and back, is about 2.25 miles.
Trail conditions: The trail could be wet in places, so waterproof shoes are recommended.
If you have any questions, contact me at <copenhvr...>
Date: 6/12/25 6:15 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 12 June 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
4:08 a.m. Awoke to robins crooning in the maples. Phoebe nesting in the
garage, still in shade, tongue-tied and fixed to nest as a barnacle to a
rock.
5:02 a.m. (five minutes before sunrise). 64 degrees, wind Southwest five
miles per hour, gusting to twelve; holds down mosquitoes. Aspen leaves,
like flowing water, a constant sound that presides over a small portion of
the road, rivulets of agitated leaves. Elsewhere, an aspen background
accompanies an ensemble of energetic songbirds. Pastel peach across the
sky, east to west, brushstrokes of color. A line of high, round, purplish
clouds scuds east. Sun, a shade of red-eft orange not yet recognized by
Crayola, screened by a tissue-thin mist, holds color high into the sky,
turning the purple flowers of a rhododendron lucent. Inside the
rhododendron, a catbird gives voice to a wall of flowers the size of
softballs.
First dragonfly of the year. Tiger swallowtails, yellow shards, sunlight
bright, flit along the roadside, pollinating raspberries, cherries, and
phlox.
Chipmunk in a stonewall, clucks ... the sound of indigestion.
*Among the Birds: *Thirty-five species: eight warblers (parula, ovenbird,
black and white, black-throated green, yellow, yellowthroat,
chestnut-sided, blackburnian), three vireos (red-eyed—no surprise here or
anywhere else—blue-headed, warbling), two flycatchers (great crested,
eastern phoebe), two *corvids* (blue jay noisy and crows silent; raven
absent), one raptor (red-shouldered hawk—heard but not seen), one
woodpecker (yellow-bellied sapsucker, a dithering percussionist). Mourning
dove. The usual suspects: chickadees, titmice, nuthatches (both), three
sparrows (chipping, song, junco), two finches (purple, house). Cedar
waxwing and brown creeper and hermit thrush, the sweetest voice on the
Hill. Ruby-throated hummingbird, throat on fire, bill a remarkable tool
with remarkable adaptations: a jousting weapon, a straw, a tweaser, an
instrument of pollination and thermoregulation.
Northern house wren, much noise from so small a bird. Looks like a knot on
a loop of an electric line. Dark-eyed junco flies by with a bill full of
aspen fluff, nest lining ... a soft bedding for tiny eggs. American
goldfinches, colors in agreement with swallowtails, undulate over the
meadow, dispensing songs.
*Department of Persistence: *5:20 a.m.: Indigo bunting, a bird of hedgerows
and wood margins and blackberry tangles, on the tip of a spruce full of
verve. Issues hurried couplets, warbly notes (with
variable transliterations: *fire-fire, where-where, here-here; *zay-zay,
*zreet-zreet*, *zeah-zeah*). Arthur Cleveland Bent, author of the
twenty-one-volume *Life Histories of North American Birds *(1910 - 1968),
wrote, "The remarkable thing about this is that the rhythm [of the indigo
bunting's song] is exactly that of a well-known human jingle, *Bean
porridge hot, bean porridge cold. Bean porridge in the pot, nine days old."*
I can't say I hear the "bean diddy" ... but this is an energetic songbird.
Turns head while singing. Realigns several feathers under each wing.
Resumes singing. Repeats the process several more times, always turns head
mid-song. Prominently colored (shades of turquoise, ultramarine, purple)
and prominently perched. Even the bill is pale blue.
Sings all day, though much more at dawn, all summer. Two hundred or more
times an hour at sunrise. Sixty or fewer times an hour later in the
afternoon. "Throws his notes out for all he's worth," wrote another
mid-twentieth-century naturalist.
Somewhere in the shade of a brier patch, a dun-color female assesses the
male's output, quantifies his couplets. Appraises his color.
Eventually, makes a life-altering decision. If the female prefers his
territory over the neighbor's, she builds the nest alone. Incubates alone.
Feeds the chicks alone. He might (or might not) help feed the fledglings
... but she can't count on him for much more than advantageous property and
vigorous territorial defense.
In the sexually dimorphic world of indigo buntings, color and song mean
everything. The ultramarine males arrive first. The brightest male secures
the best territory. If she likes what she sees (and hears), there's a
union. When there are two broods, as there sometimes are in Vermont, the
male may nest with another female—the female, with another male.
Date: 6/11/25 5:51 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Costa Rica 2026
*Costa Rica Natural History and Birding Adventure:*
* April 13 – 23, 2026*
*Arenal Extension April 23 - 26, 2026*
*Leaders:*
*1) Ted Levin—*Ted is a lifelong naturalist, whose work has appeared in *The
New York Times*, *The Guardian*, *Audubon Magazine*, *Sports Illustrated*, *The
Boston Globe Magazine*, *National Geographic Traveler*, and *OnEarth,* among
many other publications. He is the author of eleven books, five of which
are for children, including *Liquid Land: A Journey Through the Florida
Everglades*, which was awarded the Burroughs Medal, the highest honor given
to an American nature writer. *Forbes* chose *America’s Snake: The Rise and
Fall of the Timber *Rattlesnake, one of the ten finest conservation books
of 2016. His most recent book, *The Promise of Sunrise: Finding Solace in a
Broken World*, was published this past March. This will be Ted’s ninth trip
to Costa Rica, including hosting Vermont Public’s Citizens of the World
Tour in 2010.
*Email: <tedlevin1966...> <tedlevin1966...>*
*cellphone: 802 399 9398*
*2) Gil Calvo— *A naturalist and Neotropical birder extraordinaire, Gil has
created & led custom natural-history tours throughout Costa Rica for 30
years, including four for Hanover High School, Hanover, NH. In 2000,
inspired by a lifelong passion for his native country, Gil created Tropical
Advisors Costa Rica, Inc. (formerly Tropical Angel Travel). Today, Tropic
Advisors has evolved into one of Mesoamerica’s premier natural history tour
companies.
For our itinerary and costs, please don't hesitate to contact Ted.
Date: 6/9/25 5:58 am From: <kj813...> <0000002d57029402-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] birding the rockbound coast of Maine
Oh Maeve, what a wonderful list. The coast of Maine is so rich in shorebirds and others.Envious! Hope to see some photos sometime. Best, Kay in Hinesburg
On Friday, June 6, 2025 at 09:01:50 AM EDT, Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> wrote:
Date: 6/8/25 5:02 am From: alison wagner <alikatofvt...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] List
wow! add these species to the other report with extremely rare birds and folks doing a big year will flock to Vermont! Keep using Merlin as an identifier instead of a tool and our economy will flourish!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sally Laughlin" <sblaughlininvt...>
To: "Vermont Birds" <VTBIRD...>
Sent: Saturday, June 7, 2025 8:31:13 PM
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] List
Yesterday on a Birdwalk here on the Krusch Preserve in Cambridge Merlin
went off the deep end and claimed a Cetti’s Warbler(southern Europe and
Africa) and an Oak Titmouse (California). First time it has hallucinated a
European species for me but just reinforces that it is a useful app and has
pretty sharp hearing but cannot be blindly believed. Must be hard on
begining birders who take it for gospel!
On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 2:22 PM Donald Clark <sapsbks...> wrote:
> Looks like they were using Merlin.
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jun 7, 2025, at 2:00 PM, Victoria Arthur <singtolive57...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, I'm also wondering why these birds from Mexico, Central and S
> America
> > are showing up in the rare bird alert as being in S Burlington. . Is that
> > real? Submitted by a Beth Coleman
> >
> >> On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 11:01 AM Sue Wetmore <
> >> <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> >>
> >> Why did the rare bird alert not flag the birds listed that are not seen
> >> here in Vermont?
> >> Sue Wetmore
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPod
>
Yesterday on a Birdwalk here on the Krusch Preserve in Cambridge Merlin
went off the deep end and claimed a Cetti’s Warbler(southern Europe and
Africa) and an Oak Titmouse (California). First time it has hallucinated a
European species for me but just reinforces that it is a useful app and has
pretty sharp hearing but cannot be blindly believed. Must be hard on
begining birders who take it for gospel!
On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 2:22 PM Donald Clark <sapsbks...> wrote:
> Looks like they were using Merlin.
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jun 7, 2025, at 2:00 PM, Victoria Arthur <singtolive57...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, I'm also wondering why these birds from Mexico, Central and S
> America
> > are showing up in the rare bird alert as being in S Burlington. . Is that
> > real? Submitted by a Beth Coleman
> >
> >> On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 11:01 AM Sue Wetmore <
> >> <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> >>
> >> Why did the rare bird alert not flag the birds listed that are not seen
> >> here in Vermont?
> >> Sue Wetmore
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPod
>
Date: 6/7/25 11:22 am From: Donald Clark <sapsbks...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] List
Looks like they were using Merlin.
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jun 7, 2025, at 2:00 PM, Victoria Arthur <singtolive57...> wrote:
>
> Yes, I'm also wondering why these birds from Mexico, Central and S America
> are showing up in the rare bird alert as being in S Burlington. . Is that
> real? Submitted by a Beth Coleman
>
>> On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 11:01 AM Sue Wetmore <
>> <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>> Why did the rare bird alert not flag the birds listed that are not seen
>> here in Vermont?
>> Sue Wetmore
>>
>> Sent from my iPod
Date: 6/7/25 11:00 am From: Victoria Arthur <singtolive57...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] List
Yes, I'm also wondering why these birds from Mexico, Central and S America
are showing up in the rare bird alert as being in S Burlington. . Is that
real? Submitted by a Beth Coleman
On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 11:01 AM Sue Wetmore <
<000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Why did the rare bird alert not flag the birds listed that are not seen
> here in Vermont?
> Sue Wetmore
>
> Sent from my iPod
Date: 6/7/25 8:26 am From: Martha Adams <martha.adams60...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] List
They did show up on my rare bird alert, if that’s what you mean.
Sent from my iPad
> On Jun 7, 2025, at 11:01 AM, Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> Why did the rare bird alert not flag the birds listed that are not seen here in Vermont?
> Sue Wetmore
>
> Sent from my iPod
Date: 6/6/25 1:24 pm From: Ian Clark <ian...> Subject: [VTBIRD] New blog photo - Shorebirds courting, nesting and the first chicks
A little change of pace with my latest blog post. I ventured down to the coast to photograph the shorebirds courting, nesting and the first chicks of the season. There are lots of photos including several of day-old piping plover chicks and lots of least terns and a few more. Take a look at: https://tinyurl.com/3vdj2kxt
Date: 6/5/25 6:15 pm From: pam voss <pkroutvoss2...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] VTBIRD Digest - 30 May 2025 to 31 May 2025 (#2025-102)
Enjoyed the images and story line!
On Thu, Jun 5, 2025 at 12:06 PM Phyllis Utigard <prutigard...> wrote:
> Thanks. 😊
>
> On Sun, Jun 1, 2025 at 8:30 AM turtlefeathers <turtlefeathers4...>
> wrote:
>
> > What a beautiful collection of images! Thank you, Ian.
> >
> > "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." M.
> L.
> > King
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > >
> > > Date: Sat, 31 May 2025 10:15:29 -0400
> > > From: Ian Clark <ian...>
> > > Subject: New blog post with update on the loon families and some cute
> fox
> > > kits
> > >
> > > There's an update - with lots of pix - on the three loon families I
> > follow
> > > as well as some other feathered friends and lots of cute fox kits up on
> > my
> > > blog. Have a look:
> > >
> > > https://tinyurl.com/brxvjd5r > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
Date: 6/5/25 5:16 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 05 June 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
4:47 a.m. (twenty-two minutes before sunrise). Fifty-nine degrees, wind
South two miles per hour, gusting to four (not enough to hold down
mosquitoes, which are everywhere and annoying). Clear but hazy sky, end to
end. Soft peach sunrise, colors enhanced and prolonged by Canadian wildfire
smoke. The sun itself, a bright orange orb, holds color well into the sky.
Though far from as intense, I am reminded of Los Angeles, circa 1965, when
the air was dull brown, a mix of car exhaust and industrial chemicals,
smelled like burnt toast, and often obscured the Coast Range from
backyard North Hollywood. No smell of smoke this morning, no hills
obscured, but there's a profound visual effect on the landscape as
if looking at the world through gauze.
Starflower and false Solomon's seal in bloom. Red columbine, still in
flower. The meadow flowers begin to light up—bees have more to work with.
*Morning total*: twenty-seven species (some noisier than others).
Awoke to chatty eastern phoebes, not the American robins, sobered by smoke
or family matters. Hermit thrush and veery pull their weight, voices
emerging from behind the green veil. Great crested flycatchers. Blackburian
warblers, song subtle as the breeze. Ovenbird screams. Tufted titmouse,
clipped version *pet-ter, pet-ter*; now *here, here, here* as though
calling a meeting order*.*
Both nuthatches. Chestnut-sided and yellow warblers. Brown-headed cowbird
and red-winged blackbird.
Both neighborhood vireos, red-eyed and blue-headed, sing from either side
of the road—motor-mouth red-eyed releases four phrases for every one
blue-headed. Eventually, blue-headed stops. Red-eyed doesn't know when to
quit. Can't quit. Compelled to sing, sunrise to sunset, fifteen to twenty
thousand repetitions a day. Even the sun grows weary.
Raven heads east, through the smoky haze, croaks. Deer bounds cross the
road, into the heart of a tick infestation.
*Early Summer Proclamations: *gray treefrog calls among the aspen leaves.
Green frog, the edge of the pond.
*Ensemble of Trillers*: chipping sparrow, dark-eyed junco, pine warbler.
*Department of Pianissos: *cedar waxwing, Blackburnian warbler, and brown
creeper.
*Department of Fortissimos: *northern house wren, American crow, blue jay,
and ovenbird.
Chickadee in lilac, quietly whistling, as though auditioning for next
spring.
Barred owls have been silent for more than a month. Nest box up and empty.
I have five weeks to find them before my grandkids arrive ... and request
an owl.
Date: 6/2/25 3:57 pm From: Glenn Etter <glennetterjr...> Subject: [VTBIRD] birding tomorrow, Red Rocks Park
If anyone is looking to bird tomorrow morning (not that early), I'll be at the entrance of Red Rocks Park at 8 am, heading out to bird for an hour or so. I'll be in a pink and black Innova Disc Golf hat. A few days ago I had good views of a Bay-breasted warbler, so I'll probably return to that location in the park - Glenn
Date: 6/1/25 6:39 am From: Phyllis Utigard <prutigard...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] VTBIRD Digest - 30 May 2025 to 31 May 2025 (#2025-102)
Thanks. 😊
On Sun, Jun 1, 2025 at 8:30 AM turtlefeathers <turtlefeathers4...>
wrote:
> What a beautiful collection of images! Thank you, Ian.
>
> "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." M. L.
> King
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > Date: Sat, 31 May 2025 10:15:29 -0400
> > From: Ian Clark <ian...>
> > Subject: New blog post with update on the loon families and some cute fox
> > kits
> >
> > There's an update - with lots of pix - on the three loon families I
> follow
> > as well as some other feathered friends and lots of cute fox kits up on
> my
> > blog. Have a look:
> >
> > https://tinyurl.com/brxvjd5r > >
> >
> >
>
Date: 6/1/25 5:31 am From: turtlefeathers <turtlefeathers4...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] VTBIRD Digest - 30 May 2025 to 31 May 2025 (#2025-102)
What a beautiful collection of images! Thank you, Ian.
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." M. L. King ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Date: Sat, 31 May 2025 10:15:29 -0400 > From: Ian Clark <ian...> > Subject: New blog post with update on the loon families and some cute fox > kits > > There's an update - with lots of pix - on the three loon families I follow > as well as some other feathered friends and lots of cute fox kits up on my > blog. Have a look: > > https://tinyurl.com/brxvjd5r > > >
Date: 5/31/25 7:21 am From: Ian Clark <ian...> Subject: [VTBIRD] New blog post with update on the loon families and some cute fox kits
There's an update - with lots of pix - on the three loon families I follow as well as some other feathered friends and lots of cute fox kits up on my blog. Have a look:
Date: 5/30/25 5:52 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 30 May 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
4:47 a.m. (twenty-four minutes before sunrise). Beyond the open windows,
robins (4:32 a.m.), like howler monkeys in Costa Rica, assure my place on
the road. Fifty-two degrees, wind South-southwest three miles per hour,
gusting to eight. Not strong enough to hold back mosquitoes, but enough for
aspen leaves to confer among themselves. The sun rises into an
enflamed corner of the sky between Smarts Mountain and Moose Mountain,
lightly rubbled with hints of pink, sixty degrees East-northeast. As the
sun ascends, clouds condense. River fog, thick as whipped cream, disperses,
hiding the northern ridgeline above the White River—Jericho Hill and Dothan
Hill vanish; then rolls up the southern ridgeline, the contours of
Hurricane Hill softening but not erased.
Starflower in bloom. Aspen seeds adrift. The last lilac flowers have spent;
purple fading to brown, but the shrub is still a fortress for catbirds and
northern house wrens, who sing nonstop and loudly, the jazz
set—extemporizing, flourishing, fabricating music out of the moisture.
Two pairs of bald eagles nest in Hartford (I live between them), one on an
island in the Connecticut River, the other along the Ottaquechee in Dewey's
Mill. They'd need infrared goggles to see through the scattering river fog.
Their fishing? Postponed.
A junco on an electric line buzzes, his lower bill keeps pace, vibrating to
the beat. Upper bill, immobile. Turns around and buzzes in the opposite
direction for reasons only the junco knows. Bird on a wire, my dog,
indifferent. I stand directly below, mesmerized. Warm lemon light spreading.
Further uphill, an indigo bunting on the tip of a red spruce sings. Too far
and too steep to pursue. And bunting is too timid to permit a closer
encounter. I watch from a distance, ethereal blue on sunlit green. Dog
zigzags around the road, lost in thought and last night's aromas.
Twenty-eight species of birds, including six warblers (black-throated
green, black-throated blue, black and white, chestnut-sided, yellow, and
common yellowthroat) and two woodpeckers (downy and hairy) on the feeder,
dumping sunflower seeds on the deck. FOY: great-crested flycatchers (at
least four) and eastern wood pewees. I last saw both in Costa Rica, where
they hawked moths along the Caribbean above the bleached remains of a green
sea turtle, a jaguar kill.
As the fog thins, veery sings, its voice spiraling out of the damp woods.
Raven above what's left of Dothan Hill, its husky voice trailing behind ...
the aftermath of visibility.
