The middle of June in the northern hemisphere - the start of an ornithological graveyard for a few weeks, as birds vanish, either hidden behind leaves or looking after young. Although in Britain, June can also be the time when something viciously rare turns up, usually something small, very attractive and from the east. Like a Cretzschmar's Bunting on Bardsey Island in Wales.
But on the whole, June ain't too great for birds. Unless you're interested in annoying birds at their nest, which you shouldn't be, because it's illegal.
Frederick Delius (1862-1934) wrote a great piece about nesting Mockingbirds, Sea Drift, which he finished in 1904. It's a setting of Walt Whitman's poem Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking, from Whitman's collection Leaves of Grass. It's about a boy walking along the beach at Paumanok, in Long Island, New York. He finds a Mockingbird nest and starts to study it, until one day the female vanishes. There's a great analysis of the poem HERE.
The performance below is from the opening night of the BBC Proms in 2012. Enjoy.
*
But on the whole, June ain't too great for birds. Unless you're interested in annoying birds at their nest, which you shouldn't be, because it's illegal.
Frederick Delius (1862-1934) wrote a great piece about nesting Mockingbirds, Sea Drift, which he finished in 1904. It's a setting of Walt Whitman's poem Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking, from Whitman's collection Leaves of Grass. It's about a boy walking along the beach at Paumanok, in Long Island, New York. He finds a Mockingbird nest and starts to study it, until one day the female vanishes. There's a great analysis of the poem HERE.
The performance below is from the opening night of the BBC Proms in 2012. Enjoy.
*
*
No comments:
Post a Comment