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Bluebird

Return of the Birds

Bluebird

00:00 / 21:10

Chapter 7 of Wake-Robin, by naturalist John Burroughs.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at archive.org.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Rock Creek, Piney Branch, and Wilderness beyond the Capitol

Return of the Birds

Rock Creek, Piney Branch, and Wilderness beyond the Capitol

00:00 / 22:49

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Spring in the Capitol

Return of the Birds

Spring in the Capitol

00:00
/

34:47

Birds’ Nests, Part 2

Return of the Birds

Birds’ Nests, Part 2

00:00 / 30:35

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Birds’ Nests, Part 1

Return of the Birds

Birds’ Nests, Part 1

00:00 / 31:15

Beginning Chapter 4 of Wake-Robin, by naturalist John Burroughs. A detailed look at the nesting habits of Red-headed Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Woodpeckers, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Robins and Indigo Buntings. Burroughs marvels at the dirty jobs parent birds must endure to keep their nests clean for their young. Any parent who has changed a dirty diaper can relate.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

The Lower and Upper Ironworks and the Abandoned Town, Tahawus

Return of the Birds

The Lower and Upper Ironworks and the Abandoned Town, Tahawus

00:00 / 22:15

The second half of the third Chapter, the Adirondacks. Continuing with a timeless bit of bird therapy, Burroughs wakes from a nap in the woods to find himself under scrutiny of the wood birds. Visiting Lake Sanford, fishing in Nate’s Pond and a 12 mile hike to the Lower Ironworks with views of Mount Mercy, Mount Macinyre and Mount Golden, the monarchs of the Adirondacks. Exploring the Upper Ironworks town of Tahawus, and nearby Henderson Lake.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org.

The Adirondacks

Return of the Birds

The Adirondacks

00:00 / 26:19

The start of chapter three of Wake-Robin by naturalist, John Burroughs. Burroughs and a group of fishing companions depart for the Boreas Reach near Lake Placid, New York. Burroughs demonstrates his skill as a trout fisherman, earning the respect of their guide.

Hunting at night on an open lake, the starlight reflected in the center gave the dark timberline at the water’s edge a belt of utter blackness, a portal between the real and the imaginary, the land of shadows and specters.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel

Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at archive.org.

The Forenoon Chorus of Finches, Thrushes and Warblers

Return of the Birds

The Forenoon Chorus of Finches, Thrushes and Warblers

00:00 / 27:38

This episode concludes the second chapter of Wake-Robin, by John Burroughs. Lounging on a couch of moss in the shady woods, the gentleman rambler and naturalist allows his attention to wander from species to species. He points out the the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Scarlet Tanager. He marvels at the Purple Linnet’s song and chooses it to be the finest songster of the finches.

By a brook, Burroughs finds a cowbird nestling crowding out the resident Canada Warbler hatchlings, and decides to intervene on behalf of the Warblers. Moving on, he details the partridge’s drumming. He arrives at a reclaimed road and finds a pair of Mourning Warblers and their cousins, the Chestnut-sided Warbler. Leaving the Barkpeelings, Burroughs finds the Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler and Blue-headed Vireo mingling in the hemlock, beech and birch.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at archive.org.

Reverence for the Hermit Thrush, Disdain for the Kingbird and Pewee, and Banter with the Ovenbird

Return of the Birds

Reverence for the Hermit Thrush, Disdain for the Kingbird and Pewee, and Banter with the Ovenbird

00:00 / 19:06

Nineteenth-century naturalist and essayist, John Burroughs gives a detailed account of the Hermit Thrush’s song. For him, it is the finest sound in nature; the peace and deep solemn joy only the finest souls may know. Commentary about the cowardly Eastern Kingbird. The Wood Pewee’s plainness. Praise for the Ovenbird and the Louisiana Waterthrush.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Louisiana Waterthrush

Intro music: Kai Engel
Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at archive.org.

In the Hemlocks, a Guided Tour of a Primitive, Undisturbed Forest and the Avifauna Living There

Return of the Birds

In the Hemlocks, a Guided Tour of a Primitive, Undisturbed Forest and the Avifauna Living There

00:00 / 22:37

The start of chapter 2, In the Hemlocks. Author and gentleman rambler, John Burroughs, begins guided tour in the hemlocks. Years before, townsfolk, tanners, and lumbermen attempted in vain to tame and exploit the grove. But nature proved uncooperative and the effort abandoned. By his account, the spirit and energy of the wilderness repaired and rejuvenated the injuries and offer refuge to all. We meet the Red-eyed Vireo and hear his contented song. For Burroughs, the Bobolink’s song expresses hilarity; the Sparrow’s, faith; the Bluebird’s, love; the Catbird’s, pride, White-eyed Vireo, self-consciousness; Hermit Thrush, spiritual solemnity; the Robin’s, a military tone.

In-depth reviews of the Snow Bird and Winter Wren’s song and demeanor, the Veery’s mellow expression, the unfortunately named Blackburnian Warbler and the Northern Parula.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Return of the Birds - In the Hemlocks with the Red-eyed Vireo

Credits & Links:

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at archive.org.

The Scarlet Tanager and the Dog Days of August, and, Finally, the Silent End of the Season

Return of the Birds

The Scarlet Tanager and the Dog Days of August, and, Finally, the Silent End of the Season

00:00 / 13:24

Reaching the end of Chapter 1 in John Burroughs’s classic nature study, Wake-Robin, the gentleman rambler describes the birds of July, the Scarlet Tanager, compares the Peewee’s hunting prowess and efficiency on the wing to the Chipping Sparrow’s, or Socialis’s, fumbling pursuit of a month. The marvel and spectacle when the pigeon hawk, now known as a Merlin, unflinchingly chases a goldfinch. Concluding with the late season silence and August’s departures.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Credits & Links:

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at archive.org.

Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos, White-eyed Vireos, and a Side-by-Side Comparison of the Hermit Thrush and Wood Thrush Bird Songs

Return of the Birds

Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos, White-eyed Vireos, and a Side-by-Side Comparison of the Hermit Thrush and Wood Thrush Bird Songs

00:00 / 33:01

Naturalist John Burroughs quotes ‘To the Cuckoo’ by William Wordsworth. He considers in detail the White-eyed Vireo’s skilled mimicry in her mid-summer song and how it may rival the mockingbird’s own ability. Burroughs shares observations on how elevation might impact and effect the distribution of species in the Town of Highlands, New York. And concludes with a comparison of the vocal quality and musicianship between the hermit and the wood thrushes.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Return of the Birds - Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos, White-eyed Vireos, and a Side-by-Side Comparison of the Hermit Thrush and Wood Thrush Bird Songs

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at gutenberg.org or archive.org.

Credits & Links:

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

American Tree Sparrow

Great Crested Flycatcher

Blue-winged Warbler

Northern Mockingbird

Hermit Thrush

Welcoming the Birds of March, April and May

Return of the Birds

Welcoming the Birds of March, April and May

00:00 / 21:15

Credits & Links:

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at gutenberg.org or archive.org.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Barred Owl

Barn Owl

Chipping Sparrow

Snow Bunting

Brown-headed Cowbird

Downy Woodpecker

Song Sparrow

Baltimore Oriole

Wood Thrush

Introduction: Presenting Live Birds and not just Stuffed and Labeled Specimens

Return of the Birds

Introduction: Presenting Live Birds and not just Stuffed and Labeled Specimens

00:00 / 19:29

Return of the Birds - Audiobook Podcast - Introduction

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at archive.org.

Second Edition Trailer

Return of the Birds

Second Edition Trailer

00:00 / 3:20

It’s the best time of the year. The parade begins. As Winter retreats Spring leans in. The birds are returning. And so is our show.

Return of the birds is the serialized audiobook podcast of the nature study, Wake Robin, by John Burroughs. It’s the best story about birds I’ve ever read out loud.

The podcast combines Burroughs’s anticipation and delight that the birds bring to the changing seasons with field recordings of the bird songs he so accurately describes woven into the narration.

First published in 1871, Return of the Birds is a podcast 149 years in the making.

Come join the gentleman rambler on the shady trails of the Catskills, the Adirondacks and the fields and farms around the nation’s Capitol.

Return of the Birds is 18-episodes and appropriate for all ages. You can binge listen to the first edition now or enjoy the weekly episodes of this new, second edition as they’re released.

Episode 18: Epilogue – 149 Years Later

Return of the Birds

Episode 18: Epilogue – 149 Years Later

00:00 / 16:51

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Episode 17: In praise of John Audubon, with a couple backhanded compliments and a correction

Return of the Birds

Episode 17: In praise of John Audubon, with a couple backhanded compliments and a correction

00:00 / 25:50

John Burroughs praises Audubon’s life’s work, yet questions some of Audubon’s assertions about comparisons between the Louisiana Waterthrush’s song and the European Nightingale’s, the Bobolink’s and the Blue Grosbeak’s. Burroughs appreciates the volume of Audubon’s catalog, and offers two of his own to add to the collection.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Episode 16: An Invitation

Return of the Birds

Episode 16: An Invitation

00:00 / 26:59

Burroughs invites you to become a birder, describing the thrill of seeing the natural world around you through a new lens.

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Episode 15: The Bluebird

Return of the Birds

Episode 15: The Bluebird

00:00 / 21:05

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Episode 14: Strolling through Rock Creek and Piney Branch, Wilderness beyond the Capitol with the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat and Cardinal

Return of the Birds

Episode 14: Strolling through Rock Creek and Piney Branch, Wilderness beyond the Capitol with the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat and Cardinal

00:00 / 22:40

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Wood Thrush
Veery
Kentucky Warbler
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher
Northern Water Thrush
Yellow-breasted Chat
Cardinal Grosbeak
Red-headed Woodpecker

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass

Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org.

The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Wood Thrush

2018 Walk for the Woods Bacon Ridge Natural Area 446 Cropped

Veery

Kentucky Warbler

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Northern Water Thrush

Yellow-breasted Chat

Cardinal Grosbeak

Red-headed Woodpecker

Episode 13: Spring in the Capitol, the Sylvian Chorus, Bluebirds, Robins, Snowbirds, Meadowlarks, Sparrows and Crows

Return of the Birds

Episode 13: Spring in the Capitol, the Sylvian Chorus, Bluebirds, Robins, Snowbirds, Meadowlarks, Sparrows and Crows

00:00 / 34:49

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner) Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org. The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.

Episode 12: Snowbird nests, Grosbeak nests, Hummingbird nests, and the Baltimore Oriole builds the best nest of all

Return of the Birds

Episode 12: Snowbird nests, Grosbeak nests, Hummingbird nests, and the Baltimore Oriole builds the best nest of all

00:00 / 31:15

Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Intro music: Kai Engel Walking Barefoot on Grass Outro music: The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner) Download Wake-Robin by John Burroughs in e-reader format at or archive.org. The Creative Commons and public domain contains a wealth of images, music and more. The images used in these show notes link back to the contributors.