Birdsong

Island birds have been singing their melodies all spring. What sweet sounds! The other day a mockingbird on Howard Street was even mimicking the ring of a cell phone. 

This is what Pat Garber has to say in her book, Ocracoke Wild: "Among all the wondrous joys of springtime, probably my favorite is the chorus of birdsong that fills the air and the industrious activity that accompanies it. Male robins, house wrens, and warblers, newly arrived from their wintering grounds to the south, stake out territories with a variety of calls, whistles, and songs. Soon, as their potential mates arrive, they pair off and begin building nests. And what more thrilling sight exists than a newly leafed tree that wears, to quote Joyce Kilmer, "a nest of robins in its hair?"

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is a tribute to a wonderful man who did much for Ocracoke Island, Marvin Wyche Howard (1897-1969). You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052113.htm.