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

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.

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Credits & Links:


Click the links below for details about the bird vocalizations used in this episode from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:


Scarlet Tanager
Field Sparrow
Great Crested Flycatcher
Barn Swallow
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Swallow
American Robin
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
White-eyed Vireo
Bobolink
Hermit Thrush

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.