Tag Archives: beautiful song

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Ron Bolander was at the right place - right outside his home - when he spotted this Hermit Thrush. And the little thrush was headed straight for a ripe berry with his or her beak wide open.

What great timing by Ron to catch this Hermit Thrush stepping forward for a meal!

Hermit Thrushes have a beautiful song. I always listen for the first trills early in the morning as we get closer to spring. You can hear the song at this link at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hermit_Thrush/sounds

Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

It rained hard Sunday morning but it cleared up for the afternoon. It was then sunny and cool. Clouds began piling in in the late afternoon as more rain is headed our way!

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I hear these little wrens singing in the forest, but I rarely see them. It looks like this Pacific Wren posed for Craig Tooley, singing his beautiful, complex call.

Perhaps the wren didn't like being disturbed by the camera action, because he looks rather miffed in this photo!

To hear the call of a Pacific Wren, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific_Wren/sounds

This website advises looking - and listening - for these birds in the early morning for your best chance to see them. I just enjoy hearing their singing as I walk along a forest path.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

Our mini heatwave is over; fog rolled in overnight. But it pulled back to the ocean, revealing a beautiful, cool day. More wildflowers are appearing, including a group of Gnome Plants that grow on our property. I will be sharing some photos of them soon.

Spring doesn't know...

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Pacific Wren's are hard to photograph. Mike Reinhart heard one singing, played the song on his iPhone, and the little bird flew over to check it out. Once there, Mike got some lovely shots of this songbird with the upright tail.

To listen to this bird's beautiful call, here is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific_Wren/sounds

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photos with  you here.

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It's called fledging when the chicks leave their nest, testing their wings for the first time. Sometimes the beginning flying lessons can go awry. But in the case of a group of young Pacific Wrens, according to John Batchelder, they were hopping around in several bushes, doing just fine.

John commented that this fledgling's beak looks too big for its head. I agree! But we know he or she will grow into that big break. Here's a photo of an adult singing, taken by Craig Tooley.

We loved this photo so much, we included it in our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year. This bird used to be called a Winter Wren. They have the most lovely song, which echoes through the forest in the spring and early summer. You can hear it here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific_Wren/sounds

Thanks to John and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with  you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

 

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I rarely see these birds because they are hidden away in a tall tree, so you might ask why it is one of my favorites. The answer is its beautiful song. Swainson's are a medium-size thrush and they are found in forests. Richard Kuehn was lucky enough to capture one singing recently.

Swainson's Thrushes overwinter in Mexico and South America. Their arrival on the Mendonoma Coast signifies spring to me. When they pair up, you can hear them calling to each other during the day, keeping in touch with their beautiful song.

Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to hear their call: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swainsons_Thrush/sounds. But you will have to imagine a series of these calls, with the thrill going upwards on the scale, sometimes almost too high to hear - at least by human ear.

Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see a Swainson's Thrush nest, along with an American Goldfinch nest, here is the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/07/26/swainsons-thrush-and-american-goldfinch-i-have-two-nests-to-show-you/