Nature's lullaby

As the temperature drops at the end of these hot summer days, it’s nice to sit outside on a porch or deck and relax. Free from the sounds of the television or iPod, if you sit and listen you can hear the sounds of birds and other animals that typically continue to call late in the day right up to the onset of darkness.

The first obvious sound is that of the American robin (thrush family). Even as the temperature still seems oppressively hot, the robin sings its familiar series of musical whistles sounding like cheerily, cheeriup, cheerio, cheeriup.

Along with the robin, almost sounding like it is coming from the distance, is the beautiful sound of the wood thrush. It begins with several soft, almost inaudible notes and is followed by a beautiful sequence of flutelike whistles that rise and fall in pitch and usually end with a high, liquid trill: tut, tut, oh-lay-oh-leeeee. Each male has a repertoire of several slightly different songs, each equally as beautiful and soothing, a great complement to the relaxing end of a long day.

As light continues to fade, the song of the veery (another thrush) emanates from the shadows. The song is a haunting, resonating and ethereal da-vee-ur, vee-ur, veer, veer, descending slightly in pitch in a swirling pattern. Experiments on various thrushes show that the veery (Catharus fuscescens) has better shade or twilight vision than most birds.

Now as it is almost dark, the high-pitched chattering sound of chimney swifts is heard as they fly high overhead, catching small flying insects . Some people liken them to flying cigars, because of their dark, slender bodies.

Swifts are among the most aerial of birds, flying almost constantly except when at the nest in a chimney or roosting at night by clinging to the walls of chimneys and other vertical surfaces.

There are a number of great products and websites, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website (allaboutbirds.org) where you can hear actual recorded songs of these birds.

I also encourage you to take a break from the heat and sit outside just before dark and listen to the sounds of the myriad birds, insects, amphibians and other animals either ending their day like us or just beginning their nightly forays. What can be better than a lullaby from nature?

Scott Heth is the director of Audubon Sharon and can be reached at sheth@audubon.org, (subject line: Nature Notes).