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| Charles River Peninsula, Needham, MA |
Being chair of an academic department is time-consuming and the first sacrifice has been regular outings into the outdoors (of course the cold and snow don't help). But it is now spring break and while there is still work to be done, I do have a little more room for adventure. Starting today.
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| Wood ducks, Charles River Peninsula, Needham, MA |
Now that the Charles River is losing its ice cover, wood ducks are beginning to filter in (and mergansers, hooded and common moving through).
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| Singing song sparrow, Charles River Peninsula, Needham, Ma |
And birdsong is back. I recorded some particularly delightful moments, embedded below:
A loud Carolina wren, in chorus with a song sparrow and a red-winged blackbird.
A woods of echoing tufted titmouse whistles.
My favorite early spring sound: black-capped chickadees sing-songing.
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| Tunnel, Cutler Park, Needham, MA |
And then in the afternoon (this is where the relatively free schedule comes in) I shuffled through the snowy trails of lower Cutler. I love the barren wintery scene there, particularly of Pine Island across the wetland and its skeletal birches.
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| Pine Island, Dedham, MA |
Bird activity was limited (it was mid-day after all) but I did hang with a noisy golden-crowned kinglet for a while (embedded below).
If you listen to the end you'll get a surprise. Spring must truly be here.
5 comments:
I enjoyed this post, including the bonus bird sounds at the end of the final clip. The Green Season is indeed near.
--Josh (http://joshfecteau.com)
Thanks. Wasn't looking for killdeer but there it was.
I hear reports that woodcocks have already started displaying, yet more proof that it is no longer winter.
Indeed, last Tuesday evening I heard both American Woodcocks and Killdeer vocalizing near my home.
--Josh
I enjoyed the gc kinglet recording! Sounded like a little snippet of song mixed into mostly call notes.
Yes! it would do a little songish phrase every ten utterances or so.
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