Nearing summer's end, we must again say goodbye to those cheery songbirds who earlier in the year migrated north to spend the spring and summer with us. Those who migrated north to breed in our woodlands of Pennsylvania (and elsewhere) now return to their southern "wintering homes," whether these be in the southern states, Central America, or South America. (Public Domain photo of a Hermit Thrush, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.)
Some of the birds gracing me this season with their songs included the...
Hermit Thrush
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hermit_Thrush/id
Black-and-White Green-throated Warbler
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-throated_Green_Warbler/id
Black-and-White Warbler
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-and-white_Warbler/id
Red-eyed Vireo
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-eyed_Vireo/id
Ovenbird
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ovenbird/id
While I often heard their songs, I did not post on this select group because I could not photograph them (this is a secretive bunch!), and because Public Domain photos were scant or non-existent. (Again, these birds like to hide from view.)
Still I couldn't let the season close without some tribute to their beauty (in form and song), strength, and stamina. And so I wish them well on their long journeys southward and am consoled in the knowledge I'll hear (if not see) them again in six months time.
Send your goodwill their way by investigating each bird at Cornell Lab of Ornithology's web site All About Birds. Be sure to listen to each bird's song. Read their descriptions and view the range maps that show where they spend their summers (breed), where they winter, and their migrating paths. Learn to love birds and then listen for them next spring.
Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!
Georgia Anne
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