Rock Wren, singing from a... rock! (google images)
Have you any idea how many bird vocalizations contain a trill? A whistle? A buzzy note? Just try memorizing several dozen. The nuances that differentiate them are minimal, but the more I listen to them the more unique their finer distinctions become. I can start to detect things like the increasing volume as the song of the Black-Throated Gray Warbler goes on, or the breezy nasal quality of the Mountain Bluebird. Today in my Breeding Bird Census many things did not go as I had hoped, but I will concentrate on the positives — e.g., I correctly identified a Rock Wren’s song! Thank goodness for small victories.
A trying day can often be redeemed in the kitchen. In the vegetarian spirit of House 3, a big bowl of salty edamame was shamelessly enjoyed as an appetizer before I concocted some avocado-and-mozzarella quesadillas for our main dish. I’m rather enjoying the culinary stretching.
Here’s something I’ll bet youo didn’t know about a bir song . . .
We were having our driver’s licences renewed yesterday and I happened to notice a large bird poster in the offfice. I asked one lady which was the Arkansas state bird and she replied the Mockingbird. She then mentioned that last night she had heard the first ship-poor-will of the season.
The other lady (also a native Arkansan judging from her accent) immediately piped up, “Was it facin’ uphill or down?” There was a distinct pause as we all grappled with the apparent incongruity of the question and then I asked, “why would that be important to know?” to which the reply came, “Well, if it were facin’ uphill that would mean Good Luck ‘n’ iffn it were facin’ doen hill thet would be bad.”
The things you learn . . .
Amazed in the Ouachitas
Comment by leroque — April 15, 2011 @ 12:06 pm |