April 5 An Old Friend

The first place I heard hermit thrushes (Catharus guttatus) sing was in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. The summer I lived there I would take regular summer walks around Hallockville Pond and hear their mysterious flute music in the maples and birches. The hermit thrush sings a two part upward spiral of a trill that dissipates into the forest at the end. Today I saw this one and a few others in northern Illinois at an Izaak Walton Preserve. According to the Hopkins Law, spring travels northward at a pace of about 17 miles per day plus one day for each 100 feet of altitude gain. Madison is about 150 miles away from the spot of this photograph and 200 feet higher in elevation, so we can expect to see hermit thrushes in about 11 days. Of course, they may already be in Beloit or Janesville and I don't know it. Since they are a northwoods breeding species, only a few may stick around Madison to nest. Maybe we'll hear some singing their magic flute song in the Arboretum come summer time.