This is Bird Note.

The month of April inspires poets, sometimes with contradictory results.

T.S. Eliot describes April as the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land.

Shakespeare strikes an upbeat note, noting April hath put a spirit of youth dead land. Shakespeare strikes an upbeat note, noting,

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.

Let's allow April, through the voice of nature,

to speak for itself.

Step outside and listen to the birds.

In southeastern Alaska, the exuberant voice of a ruby-crowned kinglet rings from a streamside willow.

In a Washington State marsh, a common yellow throat perches atop a cat-tail as it belts out its galloping tune.

In South Texas, the intricate musical phrasing of a long-billed thrasher rambles forth from a thicket.

In a dense Midwestern shrub, a brown thrasher holds forth.

The slender secret of thrasher prefers singing from the shadows.

From a nearby evergreen come the pure whistled notes of a white-throated sparrow.

This sweet music will ring through many northern forests all across the continent.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.