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

A little escape in the middle of your commute. If you're feeling shut in, shut down or shut out, let the birds carry you away. Return of the Birds is the long-form, serialized audiobook podcast of WAKE ROBIN by John Burroughs. First published in 1871, WAKE ROBIN is a detailed nature study of various birds’ northern migration in the spring. Paired with premier bird vocalizations from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology bird vocalizations, Return of the Birds delivers something something truly delightful and wholly unexpected.
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.
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.
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