In birding there are, as we all know, wonderful moments. They happen all the
time. But sometimes there are multiple moments that accrete into a singular
experience that defies words. "Magical," perhaps? Cheese. But why bother
looking for words where none are needed?
Anyway, such an experience was had this morning in Knoxville as I sat in my car
at the end of a silent, forested road to listen for a whip-poor-will. It was
just before dawn. And while I sat there, glancing at a dark blue sky bordered
by black trees, I was lulled into a peaceful state of mind, my breath the only
sound for a million miles.... I was about to close my eyes when suddenly a pair
of Barred Owls began conversing in the woods to my left. The exchange was
brief, yet energetic. Owl romance? Maybe. But I won't speculate as to what they
were discussing; that is their business.
For a time things were quiet again after the owls stopped vocalizing (with the
exception of a cardinal, whose periodic yawning of a few notes sometimes broke
the silence). And then, something unexpected--a low, confident hooting. A Great
Horned Owl. I say "unexpected" because the Barred Owls were very close, and the
former have been known to kill the latter. I found myself scowling at the
bloody-feathered thought when suddenly a friend drove up and shut off her
lights. I quickly got out of my car, and together we listened for the
whip-poor-will.
By now all the owls were quiet, and the dawn chorus was rising: cardinals,
robins, a phoebe. I hated to check the time but I did anyway (I am what I am)
and saw that it was 7:09, nine minutes later than when the bird was reported
the previous morning.
We cupped our ears anyway, kept listening. Nothing.
And then, at the strike of 7:11, of which a nightjar knows nothing, we heard
him: That unmistakable churning out of "whip-poor-will whip-poor-will
whip-poor-will" into the purple air. It rose off the wooded slope and elbowed
its way through the dawn chorus to greet our ears.... The song only went on for
about a minute.
But it went on forever, too.
Jay Sturner
Knoxville
eBird report:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S28377954
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