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Bluebird



































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



































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



































/
Birds’ Nests, Part 2



































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



































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:
- Cedar Waxwing
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- American Robin
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Indigo Bunting
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 Lower and Upper Ironworks and the Abandoned Town, Tahawus



































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:
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Cedar Waxwing
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Pine Siskin
- Vesper Sparrow
- Blackbird
- Solitary Sandpiper
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



































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
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



































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:
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Hermit Thrush
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Scarlet Tanager
- Purple Finch
- Canada Warbler
- Cowbird
- Ruffed Grouse
- Common Yellowthroat
- Mourning Warbler
- Chestnut-sided Warbler
- Black-throated Blue Warbler
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Blue-headed Vireo
- Black-and-white Warbler
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



































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:
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



































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.



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



































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:
- Scarlet Tanager
- Field Sparrow
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Barn Swallow
- Chipping Sparrow
- Vesper Swallow
- American Robin
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- White-eyed Vireo
- Bobolink
- Hermit Thrush
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



































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.



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:
Welcoming the Birds of March, April and May






































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 Robin
- Bluebird
- Phoebe bird
- Kingbird
- Northern Flicker 1
- Northern Flicker 2
- Tufted Titmouse
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Eastern Meadowlark
- Northern Bobwhite
- Ruffed Grouse
- Barn Swallow
- Greater Prairie Chicken
- Great Horned Owl
- Barred Owl
- Barn Owl
- Red Rooster
- Chipping Sparrow
- Snow Bunting
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Downy Woodpecker 1
- Downy Woodpecker 2
- Song Sparrow
- Baltimore Oriole
- Wood Thrush
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






































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



































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



































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



































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:
- Louisiana Waterthrush
- Nightingale
- Blue Grosbeak
- Bobolink
- Ovenbird
- Gray-cheeked Thrush
- Northern Waterthrush
- American Pipit
- Eastern Meadowlark
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



































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:
- Wood Duck
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Red-eyed Viero
- White-eyed Viero
- Eastern Wood Pewee
- American Robin
- Wood Thrush
- Hermit Thrush
- Song Sparrow
- Vesper Sparrow
- Savannah Sparrow
- Purple Finch
- Winter Wren
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
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



































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



































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



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



































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



































- Blue Grosbeak
- Black-and-White Warbler
- Blue-headed Vireo
- Mourning Warbler
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Baltimore Oriole
Blue Grosbeak



Black-and-white Warbler



Blue-headed Vireo



Mourning Warbler



Red-tailed Hawk



Baltimore Oriole



Red-eyed Vireo



Ruby-throated Hummingbird



Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher



Eastern Wood Peewee



Episode 11: Birds’ Nests and the Lengths Parent Birds Go to Keeping the Place Clean



































- Cedar Waxwing
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- American Robin
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Indigo Bunting
Cedar Waxwing




Red-headed Woodpecker



Yellow-bellied Sapsucker



American Robin



Black-capped Chickadee



Indigo Bunting



Episode 10: Hiking to the Upper Ironworks and Indian Pass, Taking the Pulse of Mother Nature



































Black-capped Chickadee



Cedar Waxwing




Ruby-throated Hummingbird



Episode 9: August in the Adirondacks, Deer Hunting at Night



































- Purple Finch
- Pine Siskin
- Vesper Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- American Robin
- White-breasted Nuthatch
Purple Finch



Pine Siskin



Vesper Sparrow



White-throated Sparrow



American Robin



White-breasted Nuthatch


