The year is but a succession of days,
and I see that I could assign some office to each day
which, summed up, would be the history of the year.
Henry Thoreau, August 24, 1852
White-headed eagle
edgewise like a black ripple
concealed in the sky.
April 23, 2015
The first April showers are even fuller of promise and a certain moist serenity than the sunny days. How thickly the green blades are starting up amid the russet! The tinge of green is gradually increasing in the face of the russet earth. April 23, 1854
Rain yesterday and to-day; yet this morning the robin sings and the blackbirds and, in the yard, the tree sparrow, hyemalis, and song sparrow. A rain is sure to bring the tree sparrow and hyemalis to the gardens. Aprll 23, 1854
Rain, rain. Hear seringo, by chance the first, and while it rains April 23, 1859
The tree sparrows abundant and singing in the yard, but I have not noticed a hyemalis of late. April 23, 1859
The field sparrow sings in our yard in the rain April 23, 1859
The lark sings morning and evening. April 23, 1854
Hear the yellow redpoll sing on the maples below Dove Rock, —a peculiar though not very interesting strain, or jingle. April 23, 1856
Along the shore by Dove Rock I hear a faint tseep like a fox colored sparrow, and, looking sharp, detect upon a maple a white-throated sparrow. April 23, 1856
It soon flies to the ground amid the birches two or three rods distant, a plump-looking bird and, with its bright white and yellow marks on the head distinctly separated from the slate-color, methinks the most brilliant of the sparrows. April 23, 1856
Think I hear bay-wings. April 23, 1861
A kingfisher with his crack, — cr-r-r-rack. Aorll 23, 1854
The toads ring now by day, but not very loud nor generally. April 23, 1858
Toads ring. April 23, 1861
The red maple did not shed pollen on the 19th and could not on the 20th, 21st, or 22d, on account of rain; so this must be the first day, — the 23d. April 23, 1856
Saw a Viola blanda in a girl's hand. April 23, 1858
All nature is my bride. April 23, 1857
We who live this plodding life here below never know how many eagles fly over us. April 23, 1854
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Violets
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Red Maple
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau: The Ring of Toads
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, the Bay-Wing Sparrow
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Savannah Sparrow (Fringilla savanna)
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, the Lark in Early Spring
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The White-headed Eagle
A Book of the Seasons by Henry Thoreau, Birds in the Rain
*****
April 1, 1854 ("The birds sing this warm, showery day after a fortnight's cold with a universal burst and flood of melody. The tree sparrows, hyemalis, and song sparrows are particularly lively and musical in the yard this rainy and truly April day. The air rings with them.")
April 12, 1857 ("I think I hear the bay-wing here")
April 15, 1859 ("The bay-wing now sings — the first I have been able to hear . . .When the laborer rests on his spade to-day,. . . he can hardly fail to hear the pleasing and encouraging notes of some newly arrived bird. The strain of the grass finch is very likely to fall on his ear and convince him, whether he is conscious of it or not, that the world is beautiful and life a fair enterprise to engage in.")
April 17, 1854 ("There are but few F. hyemalis about now; they appear to have gone north mostly on the advent of warmer weather.")
April 17, 1855 ("I believe I see a tree sparrow still, but I do not remember an F. hyemalis for two days.")
April 18, 1855 ("See and hear tree sparrows, and hear hyemalis still.")
April 19, 1860 ("Hear the field sparrow sing on his dry upland, it being a warm day, and see the small blue butterfly hovering over the dry leaves.")
April 21, 1855 ("I see yellow redpolls on the bushes near the water, — handsome birds, -— but hear no note")
April 22, 1856 ("The seringo also sits on a post, with a very distinct yellow line over the eye, and the rhythm of its strain is ker chick | ker che | ker-char—r-r-r-r | chick,")
April 22, 1859 ("When setting the pines at Walden the last three days, I was sung to by the field sparrow.")
April 24, 1855 ("Have not seen the F. hyemalis for a week.")
April 25, 1855("Hear a faint cheep and at length detect the white throated sparrow, the handsome and well-marked bird . . . with a yellow spot on each side of the front“) April 25, 1855 ("Many sparrows have a similar faint metallic cheep, —the tree sparrow and field sparrow, for instance. I first saw the white-throated sparrow at this date last year.")
April 25, 1856 ("The voice of the toad, the herald of warmer weather")
April 25, 1859 ("The Viola blanda are numerously open, say two days at least.")
April 26, 1855 ("We see and hear more birds than usual this mizzling and still day,")
April 27, 1852 ("Heard the field or rush sparrow this morning (Fringilla juncorum), George Minott's "huckleberry-bird." It sits on a birch and sings at short intervals,. . .; sounding like phe, phe, phe, pher-pher-tw-tw-tw-t-t-t-t, — the first three slow and loud, the next two syllables quicker, and the last part quicker and quicker, becoming a clear, sonorous trill or rattle, like a spoon in a saucer"). April 27, 1854 ("The yellow redpolls still numerous; sing chill lill lill lill lill lill.")
April 27, 1859 ("Hear and see the seringo in fields next the shore. ")
April 28, 1855 ("There are a great many myrtle-birds here, — they have been quite common for a week, — also yellow redpolls, and some song sparrows, tree sparrows, field sparrows, and one F. hyemalis")
April 30, 1855 (" Many new birds should have arrived about the 21st. There were plenty of myrtle-birds and yellow redpolls . . .Hear a short, rasping note, somewhat tweezer-bird like, I think from a yellow redpoll.")
May 5, 1853 ("The Emerson children found blue and white violets May 1st at Hubbard's Close, probably Viola ovata and blanda; but I have not been able to find any yet.”)
April 23, 2022
If you make the least correct
observation of nature this year,
you will have occasion to repeat it
with illustrations the next,
and the season and life itself is prolonged.
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, April 23
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau
"A book, each page written in its own season,
out-of-doors, in its own locality."
~edited, assembled and rewritten by zphx © 2009-2023
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