I’m blessed to live adjacent to a protected area of wetland and Oak Savannah, in what’s commonly known as Sonoma County, California. More accurately, it’s territory that’s been lovingly stewarded for centuries by the Coastal Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes of peoples indigenous to Turtle Island (North America).
This land is rich with wildlife - from fish and frogs (in the rainy season), to coyotes and foxes, and, perhaps most abundant all year round, are the countless species of birds, including wonderous waterfowl.
The attached audio clips were recorded from my side deck this evening, where I sat and practiced my guitar (in my best attempt to reciprocate to the birds and other critters a gift of pleasant melody).
The tweets, chirps, beeps, flutters, etc, are complements of a chorus of House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, Doves (European-collared and Mourning), California Quail, Acorn Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, Song and White-throated Sparrows, White-breasted Nuthatches, Western Bluebirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Hooded Oriole, California Towhee, Beswick’s wren, and others.
I’m fortunate to be serenaded by them every day. I understand that not all of us live in environments with such natural abundance. So, I often feel compelled to share this gift with others, because we all need and deserve nature’s sounds and sights.
This memo is me acting on that feeling. I invite you to press play, close your eyes, and envision the winged ones flying and hopping about, feeding on the seed I’ve spread for them, as the sun sets on another glorious day here on our shared home, Mother Earth. I hope you enjoy, through the marvel of technology, as much as I have - here sitting and taking in their calls and caws.
PS - if you want to identify the birds in your area, I recommend the Merlin Bird ID app, from Cornell University’s ornithology department. Simply give it access to your phone’s mic, let it listen, and watch the bird names roll in… The app also lets you identify them by their visual appearance.
Image 📸: a flock of pigeons that visited us recently … We don’t often see pigeons ‘round these parts, so this pigeon party was very exciting!