Thursday, September 1, 2011

Summer 13: From One Treehouse to Another (Or, The View from My Backyard)

Well, this has been the longest stretch I've gone between posts since the winter. Time to catch up!

I have been moving house, which has been a relatively all-consuming affair. Plus, living among boxes, without functioning internet turns out to be a real impediment to a audio editing and blogging. Today is my first day at my own desk in 3.5 weeks, and it feels great!

So much can happen in two weeks. New home. New neighbors - both human and birds. A hurricane downgraded to tropical storm downgraded to an excuse to stay in bed all day while the wind blew outside.

What's fun and exciting is that I moved from one great backyard in JP (the Arboretum) to another (Franklin Park), and that I somehow managed to keep my third-floor treehouse status. Lucky me!!!

Here is a brief run-down of the last two weeks:

TODAY
I thought it was a mystery bird - until he revealed himself. This guy is definitely one of the most fun of my new avian neighbors, and I hear him every day. While I no longer have a balcony on my bedroom, I was able to record him at my window.


True identity revealed:

How many times will it take me to recognize the Carolina Wren in his different voices?

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

7:15AM back porch of my new house
My new neighbor, whose song wakes me gently every morning (after the raucous alarms of the jays):

Did I mention a giant, five-house-long boulder runs behind my house?? This is the (sonic) view from my back porch.


Tuesday, August 30, 2011
7:20-7:45am, Franklin Park, Jamaica Plain, MA

Crickets and a cricket-like trilling bird.


Monday, August 29, 2011
7:20am-8:00am, Franklin Park, Jamaica Plain, MA

Post-storm survey of Franklin Park reveals lots of downed branches. Some of my favorite paths are strewn with large ones, and have been taken over by robins and squirrels. Reminds me of the book, The World Without Us, which argues that nature and the earth are much more powerful than human forces, and will eventually self-heal from human intrusions.

Couldn't find this bird, but tracked it all around the pond for quite a while:


Also, first peewee I've heard in Boston after a summer full of them in Ohio!


Sunday, August 28, 2011
7:15-7:40pm, Franklin Park, Jamaica Plain, MA

"Tropical Storm" Irene just doesn't have the same ring!
The would-be hurricane left a bit of destruction in its path, though not nearly as much as had been feared. I am grateful, truly, that there wasn't more damage to living beings nor their homes, but I was also disappointed to miss out on phenomenal high speed winds.

My original plan was to go out to a big empty field and rough out the elements (had they come) with my friend, though in hindsight I'm not sure I would have been brave enough.

Even walking into a calm Franklin Park at dusk made me a tad nervous.

There were branches here and there, nothing giant, but I couldn't help wondering at each one if it would have been big enough to fell me, had I been passing by at the wrong moment.



I recorded these sparrows by the open path, where I hesitated to enter the potentially dangerous woods. The jingle at the end is the tag of a dog with his owner, nonchalantly strolling out of the woods. Their casual attitude emboldened me to take a short walk in the woods myself.

Thursday, August 25, 2011
6:20am, Peters Hill, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, MA

Robin Central on Peters Hill seems relatively calm this time of year. Here is a snippet of overheard robin conversation, with the jays yammering away as always.



Wednesday, August 24, 2011
7:20am, Arnold Arboretum, JP

Jay playing hawk!


And today's bird, whom I suspect I know. I have been feeling rusty with my bird IDs. Just like any language, if you don't use it, you lose it:


Sunday, August 21, 2011
6:20am


Saturday, August 20, 2011
6:00am

Birds singing in Couplets...


Friday, August 19, 2011
11:53am, my balcony, Jamaica Plain, MA

My bird didn't sing when I hoped it would. Here is my version (one octave lower):