Stranger in a Strange Land – No. 6

Music wakes me every morning—and not from any electronic gadgetry.

Every sunrise cues an orchestral event: Aves of Kentucky and those migrating through whistle, trill, mew, chatter cry, and produce all manner of sounds in a range of octaves. Identification has proved a challenge (they should provide a concert program).

Back in the Land of Lincoln, where “birds” meant pigeon or sparrow, spotting a robin was a treat. We worked hard to attract a few cardinals to our block. In the Bluegrass State, however, cardinals are plentiful (little wonder, I guess, since they are the state bird)—as are hawks, catbirds, blue jays, and a host of other birds I can hear but never see.

Of course, the concerts aren’t restricted to daybreak. Birds add to the soundscape here throughout the day and then again in concentration in the evening. I appear to be the only person in my ’hood who stops to listen to them, though. I’ve asked a couple of passersby for help in identifying a call, but they not only couldn’t identify it, they hadn’t heard it in the first place.

Pity. Perhaps their lives are too full to notice what they deem peripheral. But the peripheral (i.e., nature) surrounds us wherever we are. We should make an effort not only to be aware of it, but also to savor it while we can.

Heard any good birds lately?

[Northern Cardinal pic from The Firefly Forest; Kentucky Warbler caught in song by the folks at Nutty Birder.]

This is part of an ongoing series regarding my transition from the Land of Lincoln to the Bluegrass State. For a list of previous articles in the series, type Stranger in a Strange Land into Lull’s search function on the right.