Birdsong Before the Blizzard

So here we are with 34 days until the first day of spring. We in Boston have had three, or is it four, big snowstorms, and we are waiting for another one to start after midnight tonight. It will be a blizzard until the morning.

One of my favorite rituals at this time of year is to start listening to birdsong recordings. Having lost my favorite cassette from the 1990's, I found this beauty on Youtube. It runs for four hours and includes the calls of a wood thrush, my favorite birdsong in the world. I posted about the Wood Thrush last year in fact. How wonderful that folks are posting such beautiful things on Youtube.

So as I wait for the blizzard, with large cooking pots filled with water in case we lose power, I can dream of spring.

Wood Thrush Serenade

Readers of this blog know I'm a bird-call fanatic. I can name them all, like the instruments in an orchestra. But there is one bird's call that is above the rest; the call of the Wood Thrush. This summer we have one in our neighborhood. He or she sings in the evening and in the early morning. In the mornings it has been blissful to wake up to the serenade. I can scarcely believe we are being treated to these concerts each day. We have our windows open and the song begins even as we are sleeping. It is so special to me to hear this song; one of nature's most amazing gifts.

Henry David Thoreau wrote this about the Wood Thrush, in 1853, "This is the only bird whose note affects me like music. It lifts and exhilarates me. It is inspiring. It changes all hours to an eternal morning." In his journals he wrote, "The wood thrush is a preacher who "makes a sabbath out of a week day." I agree completely.

Here is a Wood Thrush singing at the Mount Auburn Cemetery near Boston.