Summer is ending quickly. Even though the heat of summer remains in many places the trees are starting to drop leaves, butterflies are making their last push, and birds are starting to flock up and leave. Most notably, the migratory birds stop singing and the days get much quieter.
One of my favorite birds is the Wood Thrush. I love its rusty feathers and spotted chest — but above all, its song. It is one of the things I look forward to most in the summer time is hearing its song in the morning or evening. At home, I tend to hear it most in the evening, and it is wonderful to sit out quietly and listen to it in the distance while everything else quiets down for night. Even though the song is absent now until next spring, I like to hear it in my head on long, quiet winter days, and it gives me something to look forward to. I wrote a poem about the bird. Download it here.
While I am on the topic of birds, if you ever think of it, look up the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This bird has one of my favorite songs of early spring, but one of the hardest to hear and easy to miss. They only sing for a short time, but it is worth studying this fall and winter to see if you can catch it next spring. It is rare to see, but when they flash their red crown, they are also spectacular to see.
Semper Volans (Always Flying) 
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