Ode to the Land: Orchestral Arrangements

By Kristine Karpinski

The red-winged blackbirds have arrived. They’ve begun their yearly gather around the water cooler (old well) to chat about the winter and debrief about plans for the coming days. Not far away, the mourning doves are doing their thing in the parking lot, picking at the grit and offering their murmurings to the collective. In keeping with last month's activity, the woodpeckers hold down the beat, with the downy’s, hairy’s, and pileated sharing percussion.

Cardinals, blue jays, juncos, grackles, chickadees, finches, and more recently robins, are working in the melodies. The occasional hawk, eagle and raven send in their solo numbers to the whole sound. Geese support the cacophony with the motion of their wings in the wind and their voices calling.

It’s a serious arrangement going on over here - and a clear indication we are definitely in another wave of the season.

A month ago, we felt the radio station tune in to the possibility, but this great bird-land orchestra seems to be arriving with an ongoing festival for the recognition of the great melt in earnest.

All this acoustic action brings forward those sleepy critters who are also making their movements with the music. Skunks and bear are out-and-about. Racoons are getting wily as their confidence grows in welcome of the warmer weather. Chipmunks are doing the dash. The deer are dancing from winterlands to summerlands.

The trees are budding, and some green bits are poking through last year's leaves. Tiny quivers in the bigger plants let us know we're close. If we hadn't noticed, we couldn't miss it now.

Spring Is Here. The way nature greets it offers a suggestion...

Perhaps we can join in with our own song in harmony with the orchestral motion of the turning tide of the seasonal wheel. Perhaps it's the collective of sound itself that moves things along. Is the celebration in response to Spring, or is Spring the response to the celebration? Either way, enjoy it!

Kristine hosts a variety of offerings - Sound Nidra, Mystery in Motion, etc. Check them out on our website.