The Big Day

05/07/2024

Team Blue,

You'll be happy to know that the notes have been noted.

As of the Fifth of May, the blueberries are blooming from ten to sixty percent, the black walnuts have finally shown an inch of leaf, and the rye stands a foot and a half tall. The elm seeds are ripening, the blackcaps have not yet shown their bloom, and the creekside dogwoods have had their tops burned off by recent fire.

Everything is afoot.

The birds, too, are back, with half-remembered calls burbling forth from hill and dale. The sweet mantra of the warbler and the spontaneous eruptive doublets of the thrasher, the jazz inflected (and inspiring?) syncopation of the sapsucker and the mournful dirge, several octaves too high, of the white throated sparrow, poor sam peabody, peabody, peabody.

Need I remind you that The Big Day is soon at hand?!

Saturday, May 11th, the date, Twin Crix, the place. Spring, the season, Birds the reason.

And 5:40 am, the dawn. I'm committed here, folks, I'll be out the front door at 5am. I want to be overwhelmed by the cacophony of the dawn chorus, note the first cardinal jeering from a treetop to awaken the neighborhood, hear the tuning of the orchestra of ruffled feathers as they preen and perch and prepare for the undeniability of a coming day.

You are, of course, welcome to join. However, for the saner among us, those with more of a passing interest than a purist's zeal, those with more going on that day than hosting this very event, there are additional scheduled departures. For no reason greater than the passing fancy of a mathematician, farm walks will commence on the primes. Need I remind you, these are:

5:00am

7:00am

11:00am

2:00pm

3:00pm

5:00pm

7:00pm

11:00pm

Each walk goes off to check one or more sections of the farm, and note the birds that are present. At the end of the day, we'll have a total and thorough bird list. I bet we'll hear some owls on the 11:00pm walk.

Binoculars encouraged, apps permitted, presence anticipated.

Address is:

6679 State Road 23

Spring Green, WI 53588

RSVP not required, but observed with interest.

Heed the Call of the Bird,

Twin Crix