For an unnarrated version with just the song ua-cam.com/video/FdQIlyuJYPk/v-deo.html If you liked the video the best way to support the channel is by SHARING it with other fellow birders. For anyone interested in official LesleytheBirdNerd merchandise www.lesleythebirdnerd.com/ I appreciate each and every one of your support and I hope you enjoyed the show!
I share these videos with my sister. Her house has a nice little forest area. She sees a Red Tailed Hawk sometimes. Glad he hasn't tried to catch one of her chickens.
Several years ago I was walking through the woods when a hermit thrush flew across the path ahead of me and perched on a branch about 10 feet from me. I stopped, and it stood there and observed me for a couple of minutes. Then it threw back its head and sang, and sang, and sang. I stood rooted to the spot, not even waving away the mosquitoes that swarmed around me, lest I scare the thrush. It sang a grand concert for me for probably 10 minutes before it moved on to a new perch a couple hundred feet away and began singing again. It was an experience I’ll never forget - being so greatly favored by that elegant little bird.
The first backpacking trip I took my daughter on she became enchanted with the sound of this bird and named them "crystal birds". It took a little longer for us to find its official name, but we still refer to it as the crystal bird
This is the state bird of Vermont, where it's heard frequently in the woods. I always stop to listen when I hear its song. It does have a magical, fairy-like quality that is hard to describe.
Birds and their beautiful songs add something special to our world. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and videos of these amazing creatures with us, Lesley.
I agree. I didn't drive for several years. Switched to a bike and started biking my local bike path through the woods alot. The birds had a huge effect on my happiness. And now I can whistle after trying to mimic them for so long. These days I still rather take a ride on my bike than get in the car. Better to be connected to the world than completely disconnected in a metal box.
Iiked and subbed. I heard the hermit thrush at dawn while camping in Colorado. I was captivated by the delicate fluid notes. I give thanks to God the Creator and Sustainer for His masterpiece birdsong symphony
This bird and it's song is what got me into birding some 4o years ago. I was hiking in the mountains of Colorado when this song caught my ear. After listening for several minutes, mesmerized, I decided that I wouldn't rest until I discovered what bird was singing that beautiful song. Thank you, Hermit Thrush. Thanks, Lesley for bringing that moment back for me.
I’ve heard them for 20 years living in the country side, but never saw one. We called them « l’oiseau tube » the tube bird, because of their echoey sound, like they were signing into a tube. 😊 I’m happy to now be able to put a visual image on this sound!
That's funny, I've always nicknamed the veery "flute bird" for the same reason. Sounds like someone playing a trill on flute, think Ian Anderson for example.
I remember playing with a long tube-like whistle when I was young. You could bend it as you blew, and the whistled note would bend and trill. This is what I always thought of when I would hear the hermit thrush. That doubled, trilled note is hauntingly beautiful. It took me years to figure out which bird made that sound. We have a lot of them on our property in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and I look forward every spring to their song.
This is my favorite bird, mostly because of its sound. There was one in the woods across the road from me, and I was so honored to hear it. I’d like to add that to me this bird sounds like a flute; a magical flute that takes you to a place of peace.
The flute of paradise itself fit for the quill of Keats, Shelly, Coleridge, and Wordsworth. There is no peace and beauty greater than the lingering twilight dawn and dusk shadows and the melancholy harmonious shrill that is magic itself . 🌎🌿🌳🐣
I think you've solved a mystery for me. In June of 2011, I went camping in New Hampshire and heard the most magical bird song while walking through the woods. I'm pretty sure it was a hermit thrush. And what a beautiful story!
I too heard a new bird while camping at Greenfield State Park (NH). The staff didn't recognize the bird sound I imitated. I had to write to an online bird forum. A member from *California* thought it might be an eastern wood peewee based on my clumsy bird sound rendering. And it was!
I have seen several Hermit and Swainson's Thrushes this migration. At my parents place I would seen they quite often. At a close creek, I loved to go by in the summer I would hear the Wood Thrush and only ever seen once. I have one image that I really cherish of the Swainson's Thrush. I had a metal bird bath with a bird figure that was part of it. The Thrush landed on the wing and I managed to get a few images. Brings back so many happy memories.
While walking through the woods, I suddenly heard this mystical, almost magical sounding birdsong come from the trees about 20 feet away. It stopped me dead in my tracks as if suddenly rooted to the Earth. As I stood and listened for several minutes, this sense of curiosity transformed into wonder, then joy, then into serenity before starting back at curiosity. I'm grateful I remembered to use Merlin (app) to identify the singer. Ever since that time, it's a special day whenever I hear a Hermit thrush and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one in awe of these little buggers. One day, I hope to see one put on a performance amongst the evergreens.
Leslie, your words have captured the mystical quality of this species' song. The Hermit Thrush's vespers at dusk always provided me a comforting bridge into night. Fifteen years ago I moved outside of this bird's breeding range and there is no birdsong I miss more.
I live in Tylertown MS and have 5acres of wooded property and in the morning when I feed my rescued animals I joyfully listen to the hermit thrush. I record it every spring so I can listen all year long. I have only seen the thrush twice in 18 years!! Marvelous!!
Absolutely beautiful! I don’t think I have ever heard a Hermit Thrush. I get to enjoy the sounds of Wood Thrush during the summer, which is ethereal and beautiful, in its own way.
We lived for years in the Pacific NW and had many Swainson's thrushes on the property. Thrushes are a blessing and have the most haunting vocals, truly a song from heaven.
@@kensims4086 Everyone holds stories, which they have adopted or concocted, that explain our origin, identity, and purpose. Do you hold yours up for scrutiny or do you just go on the internet and troll others'?
I spent a lot of time flyfishing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado when I was younger. In the summer months I would often hear the most beautiful bird song while fishing. It wasn't until many years later when I borrowed a set of cassette tapes on bird songs from my local library that I learned the name of this little musical meistro. To this day, the hermit thrush's song is my favorite song of any North American bird.
I awoke to this song, next to my long lost lover, in our tent, next to beaver ponds just below timberline in the Colorado Rockies. It was perfectly silent, save the gentle rumble of the water and this otherworldly birdsong. Words can't do experiences like thst justice. I will treasure it in my heart forever.
Let EVERYTHING that has breath praise the Lord 🙌🙌 I love ❤️ hearing the birds 🐦 in the mornings ....sweet to my ears and makes my heart happy ☝️💖 Texas Nana 🤠 Psalm 91
I never heard this bird before until my son passed away in the spring of 2021. I associate them with him. Someone asked me to describe the sound because I was searching for the name of the bird. I told them it was unique and otherworldly 🥰. I am so glad I know now and wait until spring to hear them every year. Thank you for the post. I used the BirdNet app.
We have a lot of Swainson's Thrush here in the Washington Cascades. Look forward every year for that unmistakable call most spring evenings, they will call until its fully dark long after all the other birds have gone quiet. Has to be heard in person to be fully appreciated. Love the little echo at the end. Great video.
Thank you! I feel like you'vr confirm for me about Swainson's. I love their song and I always wondered who made it. As I was watching this video I thought the hermit thrush was similar but not quite the same, and then was so glad to hear an example of this Swainson's, but I still wasn't totally sure. Your mentioning the Cascades was what makes me feel confident that that's my little friend.
I've been in total awe of the Swainson's call ever since a birdman boyfriend introduced me to it in Washington. This video has me asking is hermit to Swainson's as religion is to mysticism -- anyone else see it that way?
You create the loveliest videos. All of our dear, beautiful bird friends & you Leslie, who have also become a dear, beautiful friend... bring such joy & peace to my day & to my heart. Thank you. God bless you.🙏♥️🇺🇲✌
All Thrushes are awesome little birds...I grew up listening to the Wood Thrushes in the forest behind our house. This helped me remember those sweet times, & I miss them so much...these days I live in a tiny apartment in a busy(& LOUD!!!😵) city, w/o access to a wheeled vehicle of any sort (fortunately for all the drivers out there!!!🙏🏽👀😖), & the nearest park/woods/birdsongs are miles away. I really appreciate the opportunity to hear/see these dear little friends again...thank you, from my heart!!! 🥰
What a lovely presentation of one of my most beloved birdsongs! Nice job, Lesley! It is really cool that you managed to get pictures of our little friend in the act. I can’t imagine the number of hours and patience and diligence you had to invest to be able to gift us with these videos! And I love the stories and quotes that you shared as well.
Thank you so much, Martha. Your kind words are very appreciated. I'm lucky to have gotten that footage and I cherish them so much. I'm am so happy that you enjoyed the way we put this video together.
Hi Lesley! I lived for about two years near a glade in a suburban area and some type of thrush lived in there. The beauty of that song is what started my greater interest in birds and was so peaceful to hear in the evening or early morning. It became a goal of mine to never live away from that sound, but sadly, that is not a usual descriptor for real estate. I do hope to live where I can hear that sound again. Until then, I have been known to look it up online just to listen again. Thank you for your videos! They make such a difference!
Many of my song birds moved away when their tree homes were deemed to be diseased, then cut down. I have to leave my home to hear birds. Now the cacophony of traffic sounds dull out the lovely bird songs. This video was a treat to listen to. Thanks!🌷🌷
Waking these recent mornings here in Central Alaska I’ve been blessed to hear the ethereal song of a Hermit Thrush outside my window. Enjoying their melody but as of yet haven’t seen them. Thanks for sharing the wonderful stories and recordings.
As a little child, mom would put me to bed at dusk. The haunting and beautiful song of the hermit thrush through my open bedroom window is what lulled me to sleep. We were surrounded by forest, now long gone, and hearing this song now has put a song in my heart. Thank you.
What a blessing that I happened to see this video! I have wondered for years and years what bird makes this gorgeous sound. It’s hauntingly beautiful like the sound of a barred owl. 💕💕
Gorgeous birdsong!!! It's all I listen to while in the gardens. Another super pretty song is that of the house wren! New residents, as I hung a wren house this year... I enjoy them each & every day!
This has always been my favorite birdsong in the Midwestern woods but no one could tell me, other than it sounded like aThrush, what kind It was and I could never see it. FINALLY I got the skinny today through your video! It brought me to tears Lesley.. thank you so much!
Thank you so much! We are enjoying our friends in SW Washington. The birds we have visit are amazing. I didn't realize how many we had until we started watching and setting out feeders. We are blessed with God's creatures!
I didnt forget I just wanted to keep the time down on that section, there are so many thrush's I could have added. I have plans for doing a full Wood Thrush video soon though :)
Yeh I have to agree the Wood Thrush is one fantastic sounding bird. I have an amazing recording of one in Frontenac Provincial Park near Kingston, Ontario. So amazing, so heavenly.
These little guys are so loud in my backwoods! I love to sit and feel the joy I get from having them around. They don't stay long in my area of Western NY along lake Ontario, but I enjoy every moment of it.
There's blessed kismet in this video. The day after watching, I happened upon a Hermit Thrush for my very first time. He was so close, I could see his little beak open up with song. I would not have had the eyes and ears to perceive him if not for you. Thank you so much for this gift!
I've been hearing this song here in Washington State (my apartment backs up to a nature/animal reserve), and didn't know how to identify the bird as I have so many varied birds visiting my feeders. THANK YOU!!! I now know the little ones making that beautiful music!!!❤
Every spring I’m very happy for the arrival of the wood thrush. Their song is sooo mystical…and gives depth to the woods that you can’t see. I live along a river in Midwest, on the southern migratory range of the Hermit and do not believe I’ve heard one, but will be sure to listen. Great video! Thanks.
I love the Hermie's!! I live deep in the woods and am very fortunate to be able to watch these and other great birds! I love when they come to the birdbath! Such a joy!
Ohhh this reminds me of a gorgeous birdsong I heard a few weeks back. It was foggy and dim at 8am, a bird like this was chirping loudly, its calls echoing from nearby buildings in the most eerie, beautiful ways.
I have heard the Hermit Thrush here in northern Michigan! Amazing song. So cool they can produce 2 different tones simultaneously. Excellent video! Love the story also.
It is a bird song that I remember from my childhood (60+ years ago). I have to say, Leslie, your videos are lovely, calming (and informative) experiences. Thank you.
Thank you for another great video Leslie and for introducing me to this beautiful and gifted little bird. I live in the panhandle of Idaho and each Spring I have heard this little bird’s ethereal songs but didn’t know what kind of bird they came from. I love how birds fill us with joy and a sense of well being like nothing else can. I thank God for birds because they add beauty and a richness to our daily lives that only God could have known we needed! I love your videos because they’re enjoyable and educational!💕 Thank you for sharing your love of birds with us! God bless you dear one!🤍🙏🕊
When living on wooded acreage as a boy I recall hearing that beautiful song while working outside. I don't remember seeing the thrush--- haha! The native american story was appreciated!
I had a country house for a few years and was ecstatic to hear those beautyfull bird songs, like a chorus where bird answer to bird from everywhere in the woods around us. At dusk, specially, after a complete silence, the chorus started. It felt like paradise got closer!
So lovely! I have never even heard of the Hermit Thrush. Such a beautiful song voice. I hope one day to be able to see & hear one in person! Thank you for sharing this with us!! 👩🦳💕💕🥰🥰
And what a great story! Their song puts me ‘right’. I feel at home with myself and the world when i hear their song. Your explanation is spot on. Its like a nervous system massage. 💛
Loved it! I didn't know hermit thrushes migrated so far south in the winter. There is a similar sounding bird called the wood thrush where I live (Alabama) and its song sounds like a cross between a hermit thrush and an eastern towhee.
I live in a forest way up north and every spring I hear the beautiful song of the Hermit Thrush. It lifts my heart and let’s me know that spring is here. I never knew what bird sings such amazing songs until today when I watched this video. Thank you for a lovely lesson on birdsong.
3:19 Wow! God has created the most beautiful sights and sounds if we only take the time to see and listen. Thank you for recording them for us Lesley ❤️
@@earthangel8730 You insult God, but he loves you deeply anyway. I hope you can let go of your anger, humble yourself, and figure that out one day as He helped me do.
Totally agree that it is a spiritual experience! I’ve heard them in Mexico a lot and here in Quebec during spring and summer. But it’s the first time I learn who is responsible for this beauty! Thanks a lot for your content!
I am currently visiting your beautiful province. I’ve been blessed to see and hear many of Newfoundland’s boreal forest birds (and sea birds). Thank you for sharing your love and knowledge.
I love hearing these birds and have had some wonderful moments listening to a chorus of multiple hermits singing in an alpine meadow. I always look forward to hearing them every summer.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one obsessed with this call! My husband and I have been enchanted by this and the Swainson’s thrush since we were in our early 20’s. We came up with our own bird names before we learned what the birds were. We named the Hermit Thrush the “up-down bird”, as it’s alternating phrases seem to rise and fall. The Swainson’s Thrush will always be the “Superbird” to us, a similar ethereal call that is the harbinger of summer on the Pacific Coast. Both these bird calls bring us immense joy. We had the great fortune of sitting below a branch on which a Hermit Thrush sat singing for half an hour, on a mountain lake we had all to ourselves after a gruelling multi-day hike. Not only did we get to hear it, but watch it as well! Lovely video, thank you!
I love there singing!, sure sign of spring, that was a wonderful story Lesley, I never hardly see them, but feel so lucky they are close by filling the wood with song! Thanks
We are lucky to hear wood thrushes and veery, or silvery pipes birds as we have nicknamed them, but thanks to your clear description of their song, I will perhaps be more successful at identifying the hermit thrush's song. Love your channel!
- always look for them, never seen one ; figured they might be little & brown. I call ( called ) them 'the 7 o' clock bird', as that's around when I'd hear them, when I was wrapping up taking pictures. Leslie's right - there is something a little supernatural about their song. One evening I heard a little Hermit Thrush Bach, with an electric tinge to the tones - couldn't believe a bird was making those sounds !
Ive been looking for the name of this bird for over 13 years ...been hearing them every spring... the woods are enchanted whenever they sing thanks for this no other way to describe them
Last summer we had one or two, hermit thrushes living in the forest behind our house. The song they sang was absolutely incredible! I was completely gobsmacked every time I heard it, the sound stopped me in my tracks no matter what I was doing and I would just stand there and listen! It was otherworldly, absolutely, no other way to describe it. Things are behind this year because we had a very long winter, but I certainly hope they return, we listen for them every day. Thank you for this video, from North Western Ontario.
Hi Lesley. Thank you for this wonderful video. When I was a little boy growing up in Maryland, way back in the 70’s, I remember receiving a record album slid between the pages of a magazine - I believe it was National Geographic, and it was an album of bird songs. My absolute favorite was a recording of a hermit thrush singing in the north woods (I believe in Maine). I was childhood birder, and the song was enchanting. Fast forward several decades, and I live in my home in Arlington, VA, just outside DC. I’m still a birder and bird photographer. We live at the northern edge of the Hermit Thrush’s winter range. We moved into the house in the fall of 2016, and that year, a bird struck our picture window in the living room. My husband found him in the driveway, stunned. We put him in a cardboard box for several hours, to recover. It was the first Hermit Thrush I ever saw. After a few hours, he recovered, and flew away, and we were thrilled! (We have since treated all our large windows to help prevent bird strikes). The following spring, and every migration season since, we catch a glimpse of a Hermit Thrush in the backyard - I romantically like to think it is the same bird, stopping by to let me know he is ok. This last winter was extra special, we had a hermit thrush who spent about 2 months in the backyard and would even visit the seed and suet feeders. He was special guest, and it made my heart happy to see him in our yard. I hope he made his way north, to your neck of the woods and found a mate and is singing his heart out. One summer, I want to head north, maybe to Maine or Upstate New York, and I want to go on a hike just to listen to the song of the hermit thrush echoing across the north woods. All these years I thought I was the only person enchanted by this little bird. Now I know I’m not alone. Thank you so much for that!
Thanks for sharing this lovely little story, nice to hear that you have since treated your windows as well. I like to believe that it was the same Hermit Thrush too. Hope you get to go on your trip soon. Thanks for the lovely comment
OMG- this one of my favorite songs though I have only ever heard it in recordings ("Solitudes" by Dan Gibson). We have the Wood Thrush and Robins here in southern NH, in my area, as the thrush family goes. It's mystical! Ethereal. There may be Hermit Thrushes in NH but I just haven't heard them where I live.
So beautiful!! Thank you so much!! Many many years ago a teacher in my grade school would play a record of bird sounds and their names. At recess we would go outside and listen. By the end of the year we could name the bird when we heard one singing! I am now 71 and love to hear birds sing!! 🎶🎶
I've had one show up year after year during migration in the fall, staying the whole winter and leaving every April around the same time. It's been about 6 years now with this one, same part of the property, same 2 birdbaths out of the 9 on the property. He doesn't like sharing the birdbaths with the painted buntings or gray catbirds, when they are here though. We call him Herman. Over the decades I've planted over 500 native trees to this area and then the understory on 2 1/2 acres. Now I'm working more with the native grasses and wildflowers. So there is always something to learn. We've had over 136 bird species now seen on the property or from the property. Herman is one special bird for us though and we miss him when he leaves for the summer. Herman flies to birdbath after we run out to refresh close to sunset. And he is comfortable with us watching him from the window on the other side about 30 feet away. In April he becomes much more active in the middle part of the day and at the birdbaths like he's getting ready for his flight north. I managed to get some photos of him through the glass. Thanks for posting. I've never heard him sing, but I'm guessing he sings when he gets to his summer home. We get the Swainson's, Wood and Northern water thrush during migration.
For an unnarrated version with just the song ua-cam.com/video/FdQIlyuJYPk/v-deo.html
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I share these videos with my sister. Her house has a nice little forest area. She sees a Red Tailed Hawk sometimes. Glad he hasn't tried to catch one of her chickens.
@@penny_the_wiser413 Thanks
@The Guns N' Glory Show Sorry If you knew the colors I maybe could help you
@@LesleytheBirdNerd you are very welcome. Thank you for teaching me some really cool stuff about birds.
@The Guns N' Glory Show me neither, not even bugs except for ticks. They scare me
Several years ago I was walking through the woods when a hermit thrush flew across the path ahead of me and perched on a branch about 10 feet from me. I stopped, and it stood there and observed me for a couple of minutes. Then it threw back its head and sang, and sang, and sang. I stood rooted to the spot, not even waving away the mosquitoes that swarmed around me, lest I scare the thrush. It sang a grand concert for me for probably 10 minutes before it moved on to a new perch a couple hundred feet away and began singing again. It was an experience I’ll never forget - being so greatly favored by that elegant little bird.
This totally made me cry! That's so beautiful and unforgettable!!!
What a gift! Thanks for sharing. 😊
My favourite birdsong.
Beautiful description of your experience. Thank you for sharing this with us.
The first backpacking trip I took my daughter on she became enchanted with the sound of this bird and named them "crystal birds". It took a little longer for us to find its official name, but we still refer to it as the crystal bird
What a lovely and perfect way to describe them!
I have used the word crystal to describe the song too. crystalline/metallic/computerized
That's what I thought!!! They sound like crystal chimes!!!!!!
This is a beautiful little story, I love it. Crystal birds. Wonderful!
We called them "penny whistlers" as kids. Like the little whistles we bought at the fair.😊
This is the state bird of Vermont, where it's heard frequently in the woods. I always stop to listen when I hear its song. It does have a magical, fairy-like quality that is hard to describe.
Birds and their beautiful songs add something special to our world. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and videos of these amazing creatures with us, Lesley.
So true.
Thank you
@@LesleytheBirdNerd thank you Lesley 😊
@@LesleytheBirdNerd how to tell from female hermit thrush question ❓🤔
I agree. I didn't drive for several years. Switched to a bike and started biking my local bike path through the woods alot. The birds had a huge effect on my happiness. And now I can whistle after trying to mimic them for so long. These days I still rather take a ride on my bike than get in the car. Better to be connected to the world than completely disconnected in a metal box.
Iiked and subbed. I heard the hermit thrush at dawn while camping in Colorado. I was captivated by the delicate fluid notes. I give thanks to God the Creator and Sustainer for His masterpiece birdsong symphony
I am always amazed at the LOUD sounds that come out of those tiny creatures! Thanks for sharing Lesley!!
You and me both!
Yep.... some of the smallest creatures can make the loudest and most piercing of sounds.
You should hear the noise from a tiny Growley Grass Frog, they're as big as your little finger fingernail and sound as big as a very large dog😃
Hearing this dear little bird makes me happy to be alive to hear it! God didn't want us to be lonely and so we have birds and their beautiful songs.
This bird and it's song is what got me into birding some 4o years ago. I was hiking in the mountains of Colorado when this song caught my ear. After listening for several minutes, mesmerized, I decided that I wouldn't rest until I discovered what bird was singing that beautiful song. Thank you, Hermit Thrush. Thanks, Lesley for bringing that moment back for me.
ah thats nice. glad it brought you back
Thanks, nice little story.
What a lovely spark bird!! 😁
I’ve heard them for 20 years living in the country side, but never saw one. We called them « l’oiseau tube » the tube bird, because of their echoey sound, like they were signing into a tube. 😊 I’m happy to now be able to put a visual image on this sound!
Yes! My spouse and I always say it sounds like someone blowing over a straw
That's funny, I've always nicknamed the veery
"flute bird" for the same reason. Sounds like someone playing a trill on flute, think Ian Anderson for example.
I remember playing with a long tube-like whistle when I was young. You could bend it as you blew, and the whistled note would bend and trill. This is what I always thought of when I would hear the hermit thrush. That doubled, trilled note is hauntingly beautiful. It took me years to figure out which bird made that sound. We have a lot of them on our property in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and I look forward every spring to their song.
This is the precise description I have been trying to find the words for! Thank you🧡
Same hear, I swear I've heard those calls here on the Oregon coast, but I've never seen the bird that makes them!
Around here in the northeast US, the wood thrush sounds like magic in the woods.
The most thoughtful, beautiful calls in my new england woods, the wood thrush
laser beam song
I love the song of the white-throated sparrow. Hearing it while camping in the woods is calming.
Wood Thrush songs seem to amp up just before and during a gentle rain.
I love the song of the Wood Thrush. It has a different tonal song than the Hermit Thrush, but the same crystal clear voice.
This is my favorite bird, mostly because of its sound. There was one in the woods across the road from me, and I was so honored to hear it. I’d like to add that to me this bird sounds like a flute; a magical flute that takes you to a place of peace.
Indeed. Very peaceful.
Right?! I always tried to describe it as a the sound of many flutes playing at once
The flute of paradise itself fit for the quill
of Keats, Shelly, Coleridge, and Wordsworth. There is no peace and beauty greater than the lingering twilight dawn and dusk shadows and the melancholy harmonious shrill that is magic itself . 🌎🌿🌳🐣
Pure magic
I think you've solved a mystery for me. In June of 2011, I went camping in New Hampshire and heard the most magical bird song while walking through the woods. I'm pretty sure it was a hermit thrush. And what a beautiful story!
That's so cool. Always nice to match the sounds to a bird
Yes, I loved the story as well..
I too heard a new bird while camping at Greenfield State Park (NH). The staff didn't recognize the bird sound I imitated. I had to write to an online bird forum. A member from *California* thought it might be an eastern wood peewee based on my clumsy bird sound rendering. And it was!
@@LesleytheBirdNerd I see brown thrush were I live great Birds☺️
I have seen several Hermit and Swainson's Thrushes this migration. At my parents place I would seen they quite often. At a close creek, I loved to go by in the summer I would hear the Wood Thrush and only ever seen once. I have one image that I really cherish of the Swainson's Thrush. I had a metal bird bath with a bird figure that was part of it. The Thrush landed on the wing and I managed to get a few images. Brings back so many happy memories.
While walking through the woods, I suddenly heard this mystical, almost magical sounding birdsong come from the trees about 20 feet away. It stopped me dead in my tracks as if suddenly rooted to the Earth. As I stood and listened for several minutes, this sense of curiosity transformed into wonder, then joy, then into serenity before starting back at curiosity. I'm grateful I remembered to use Merlin (app) to identify the singer.
Ever since that time, it's a special day whenever I hear a Hermit thrush and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one in awe of these little buggers. One day, I hope to see one put on a performance amongst the evergreens.
Leslie, your words have captured the mystical quality of this species' song. The Hermit Thrush's vespers at dusk always provided me a comforting bridge into night. Fifteen years ago I moved outside of this bird's breeding range and there is no birdsong I miss more.
I live in Tylertown MS and have 5acres of wooded property and in the morning when I feed my rescued animals I joyfully listen to the hermit thrush. I record it every spring so I can listen all year long. I have only seen the thrush twice in 18 years!! Marvelous!!
Absolutely beautiful! I don’t think I have ever heard a Hermit Thrush. I get to enjoy the sounds of Wood Thrush during the summer, which is ethereal and beautiful, in its own way.
Very similar birds
@@LesleytheBirdNerd I would hear American robins all day in spring singing cheerliy cheer up🎶😊
I don’t know if anyone else said this, but your voice is very pleasant and soothing as well!
We lived for years in the Pacific NW and had many Swainson's thrushes on the property. Thrushes are a blessing and have the most haunting vocals, truly a song from heaven.
Yes, I love the Swainson’s song too. They always arrive the first of June around here (PNW) and the woods are filled with them!
I had to let you know I frequently revisit this video. It’s informative and the sound of the Hermit Thrush is wonderful. ❤thank you.
I'm so happy that you like this video. :) They are such wonderful singers
Ten hours of this would be heavenly, honestly, this makes me feel like God is by my side physically
Is the comments working?
God’s music. 🥰
gods are myths according to my dictionary
@@kensims4086 yet what these birds sing and declare the Holiness of God and how beautiful it sounds!
@@kensims4086 Everyone holds stories, which they have adopted or concocted, that explain our origin, identity, and purpose. Do you hold yours up for scrutiny or do you just go on the internet and troll others'?
I spent a lot of time flyfishing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado when I was younger. In the summer months I would often hear the most beautiful bird song while fishing. It wasn't until many years later when I borrowed a set of cassette tapes on bird songs from my local library that I learned the name of this little musical meistro. To this day, the hermit thrush's song is my favorite song of any North American bird.
I awoke to this song, next to my long lost lover, in our tent, next to beaver ponds just below timberline in the Colorado Rockies. It was perfectly silent, save the gentle rumble of the water and this otherworldly birdsong. Words can't do experiences like thst justice. I will treasure it in my heart forever.
Let EVERYTHING that has breath praise the Lord 🙌🙌
I love ❤️ hearing the birds 🐦 in the mornings ....sweet to my ears and makes my heart happy ☝️💖
Texas Nana 🤠
Psalm 91
Amen! 😃🙌
Ontario Nana
What a little sweetheart!
Thank you so much! Your videos are good for the heart and the soul
Thank you Edward glad you enjoy them
Such a sweet lovable bird . We love hearing them to sing. It is spiritual.☺️😊🤗🙏🌻❤️
They are wonderful birds. I love hearing them
One of the most ethereal and enchanting songs of all time.
I never heard this bird before until my son passed away in the spring of 2021. I associate them with him. Someone asked me to describe the sound because I was searching for the name of the bird. I told them it was unique and otherworldly 🥰. I am so glad I know now and wait until spring to hear them every year. Thank you for the post. I used the BirdNet app.
So fascinating to learn how the hermit thrush produces harmony in its notes. Beautiful and comprehensive info.
This is the BEST channel I've newly stumbled on!! Thank you for the bird facts.
Thank you glad you enjoyed
We have a lot of Swainson's Thrush here in the Washington Cascades. Look forward every year for that unmistakable call most spring evenings, they will call until its fully dark long after all the other birds have gone quiet. Has to be heard in person to be fully appreciated. Love the little echo at the end. Great video.
Beautiful Birds.. I can hear that now
Thank you! I feel like you'vr confirm for me about Swainson's. I love their song and I always wondered who made it. As I was watching this video I thought the hermit thrush was similar but not quite the same, and then was so glad to hear an example of this Swainson's, but I still wasn't totally sure. Your mentioning the Cascades was what makes me feel confident that that's my little friend.
I've been in total awe of the Swainson's call ever since a birdman boyfriend introduced me to it in Washington. This video has me asking is hermit to Swainson's as religion is to mysticism -- anyone else see it that way?
You create the loveliest videos. All of our dear, beautiful bird friends & you Leslie, who have also become a dear, beautiful friend... bring such joy & peace to my day & to my heart. Thank you. God bless you.🙏♥️🇺🇲✌
What a sweet comment. Thank you. ❤
This is my favorite bird song in the entire world. You described it well, ethereal. So beautiful.
All Thrushes are awesome little birds...I grew up listening to the Wood Thrushes in the forest behind our house. This helped me remember those sweet times, & I miss them so much...these days I live in a tiny apartment in a busy(& LOUD!!!😵) city, w/o access to a wheeled vehicle of any sort (fortunately for all the drivers out
there!!!🙏🏽👀😖), & the nearest park/woods/birdsongs are miles away. I really appreciate the opportunity to hear/see these dear little friends again...thank you, from my heart!!!
🥰
What a lovely presentation of one of my most beloved birdsongs! Nice job, Lesley! It is really cool that you managed to get pictures of our little friend in the act. I can’t imagine the number of hours and patience and diligence you had to invest to be able to gift us with these videos! And I love the stories and quotes that you shared as well.
Thank you so much, Martha. Your kind words are very appreciated. I'm lucky to have gotten that footage and I cherish them so much. I'm am so happy that you enjoyed the way we put this video together.
In my area (Pacific Northwest) I wait every year for the first haunting calls of Swainson's Thrush. Glorious!
Hi Lesley! I lived for about two years near a glade in a suburban area and some type of thrush lived in there. The beauty of that song is what started my greater interest in birds and was so peaceful to hear in the evening or early morning. It became a goal of mine to never live away from that sound, but sadly, that is not a usual descriptor for real estate. I do hope to live where I can hear that sound again. Until then, I have been known to look it up online just to listen again. Thank you for your videos! They make such a difference!
I hope you get your wish
You have to live near a wooded creek
@@LesleytheBirdNerd What a sweet thing to say!
@@John-Nada Thanks for the tip! Perhaps there was a creek back in that glade?
Gods wonderful blessings!❤️ Thank you Lesley
I love hermit thrushes, they are one of my favorite birds because they are awesome and beautiful.
Beautiful! ~ You Helped Me Identity This Bird Singing In The Morning ~ Which I Have Never Seen ~ & Yes It Is June ~
So Beautiful, their singing is amazing. Love this! Thank you so much for posting, Lesley. ♥️♥️♥️
Thanks Vicki glad you enjoyed
Many of my song birds moved away when their tree homes were deemed to be diseased, then cut down. I have to leave my home to hear birds. Now the cacophony of traffic sounds dull out the lovely bird songs. This video was a treat to listen to. Thanks!🌷🌷
Most beautiful bird song ever. I have been lucky enough to photograph a few of them.
Spectacular.....
Love the 🕊️ birds.....
Waking these recent mornings here in Central Alaska I’ve been blessed to hear the ethereal song of a Hermit Thrush outside my window. Enjoying their melody but as of yet haven’t seen them. Thanks for sharing the wonderful stories and recordings.
They are there just hid away maybe, hopefully one day you'll get to see one
@@LesleytheBirdNerd I never hear one ever 😏
@@LesleytheBirdNerd really thank you ☺️ for the cofdinece
As a little child, mom would put me to bed at dusk. The haunting and beautiful song of the hermit thrush through my open bedroom window is what lulled me to sleep. We were surrounded by forest, now long gone, and hearing this song now has put a song in my heart. Thank you.
What a blessing that I happened to see this video! I have wondered for years and years what bird makes this gorgeous sound. It’s hauntingly beautiful like the sound of a barred owl. 💕💕
Gorgeous birdsong!!! It's all I listen to while in the gardens. Another super pretty song is that of the house wren! New residents, as I hung a wren house this year... I enjoy them each & every day!
Magnificent... ethereal... transcendent... wild... exquisite.. magical... such beautiful enchanting songs!
I am intrigued by their ability to sing 2 notes at once! Singers all over the world would envy them if they knew!
This has always been my favorite birdsong in the Midwestern woods but no one could tell me, other than it sounded like aThrush, what kind It was and I could never see it. FINALLY I got the skinny today through your video! It brought me to tears Lesley.. thank you so much!
You are welcome. :) I am so happy that you learned about your mystery bird through this video, and that you enjoyed it. Thank you 💗
Exquisite 💓 🐦 pure joy thank you for sharing your bird nerdiness
Thank you so much! We are enjoying our friends in SW Washington. The birds we have visit are amazing. I didn't realize how many we had until we started watching and setting out feeders. We are blessed with God's creatures!
You forgot about the Wood Thrush! They are my favorite of the thrushes, their song is just so beautiful
I didnt forget I just wanted to keep the time down on that section, there are so many thrush's I could have added. I have plans for doing a full Wood Thrush video soon though :)
@@LesleytheBirdNerd I see, thanks for the video though, I really enjoyed it! The thrushes are really great :)
Yeh I have to agree the Wood Thrush is one fantastic sounding bird. I have an amazing recording of one in Frontenac Provincial Park near Kingston, Ontario. So amazing, so heavenly.
These little guys are so loud in my backwoods! I love to sit and feel the joy I get from having them around. They don't stay long in my area of Western NY along lake Ontario, but I enjoy every moment of it.
So many good bird songs everywhere, thank you.
There's blessed kismet in this video. The day after watching, I happened upon a Hermit Thrush for my very first time. He was so close, I could see his little beak open up with song. I would not have had the eyes and ears to perceive him if not for you. Thank you so much for this gift!
I've been hearing this song here in Washington State (my apartment backs up to a nature/animal reserve), and didn't know how to identify the bird as I have so many varied birds visiting my feeders. THANK YOU!!! I now know the little ones making that beautiful music!!!❤
That is great, Beverly. I'm glad you now know :)
Lesley, you are a blessing upon our Earth! Thank you for all of your efforts and energy that you invest into your videos 🙏
Every spring I’m very happy for the arrival of the wood thrush. Their song is sooo mystical…and gives depth to the woods that you can’t see.
I live along a river in Midwest, on the southern migratory range of the Hermit and do not believe I’ve heard one, but will be sure to listen.
Great video!
Thanks.
I love the Hermie's!! I live deep in the woods and am very fortunate to be able to watch these and other great birds! I love when they come to the birdbath! Such a joy!
Ohhh this reminds me of a gorgeous birdsong I heard a few weeks back. It was foggy and dim at 8am, a bird like this was chirping loudly, its calls echoing from nearby buildings in the most eerie, beautiful ways.
Thank you much for sharing your videos! They bring such joy to my heart. ❤
I have heard the Hermit Thrush here in northern Michigan! Amazing song. So cool they can produce 2 different tones simultaneously. Excellent video! Love the story also.
Thanks, glad you liked it
It is a bird song that I remember from my childhood (60+ years ago). I have to say, Leslie, your videos are lovely, calming (and informative) experiences. Thank you.
This is what i needed right now in my life, thanks for sharing this video, this really sparked my interest in birdwatching. Many thanks ☺️
Glad you enjoyed it and it sparked an interest! Thank you
Thank you for another great video Leslie and for introducing me to this beautiful and gifted little bird. I live in the panhandle of Idaho and each Spring I have heard this little bird’s ethereal songs but didn’t know what kind of bird they came from. I love how birds fill us with joy and a sense of well being like nothing else can. I thank God for birds because they add beauty and a richness to our daily lives that only God could have known we needed! I love your videos because they’re enjoyable and educational!💕 Thank you for sharing your love of birds with us! God bless you dear one!🤍🙏🕊
When living on wooded acreage as a boy I recall hearing that beautiful song while working outside. I don't remember seeing the thrush--- haha! The native american story was appreciated!
Thanks Lesley, love all your videos. Very informative and great coverage. Thanks for your time and research sister.
You are so kind and thoughtful, Keith. Thank you 🐦
Imagine how awesome God is to create something that way to make such beautiful sound. The hermit thrush ha seen here. So awesome
Hello 👋how are you doing?
allaho akbar
I had a country house for a few years and was ecstatic to hear those beautyfull bird songs, like a chorus where bird answer to bird from everywhere in the woods around us. At dusk, specially, after a complete silence, the chorus started. It felt like paradise got closer!
So lovely! I have never even heard of the Hermit Thrush. Such a beautiful song voice. I hope one day to be able to see & hear one in person! Thank you for sharing this with us!! 👩🦳💕💕🥰🥰
Maybe one day!
This was a lovely calming video. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome 😊
And what a great story! Their song puts me ‘right’. I feel at home with myself and the world when i hear their song. Your explanation is spot on. Its like a nervous system massage. 💛
Oh my gosh, I am so glad this popped up in my recommends, because my entire life (57 years) I have wondered which bird sang that song!
Loved it! I didn't know hermit thrushes migrated so far south in the winter. There is a similar sounding bird called the wood thrush where I live (Alabama) and its song sounds like a cross between a hermit thrush and an eastern towhee.
I live in a forest way up north and every spring I hear the beautiful song of the Hermit Thrush. It lifts my heart and let’s me know that spring is here. I never knew what bird sings such amazing songs until today when I watched this video. Thank you for a lovely lesson on birdsong.
I'm so happy that this video helped you identify the bird behind the beautiful song.
3:19 Wow! God has created the most beautiful sights and sounds if we only take the time to see and listen. Thank you for recording them for us Lesley ❤️
@@earthangel8730 You insult God, but he loves you deeply anyway. I hope you can let go of your anger, humble yourself, and figure that out one day as He helped me do.
Only an Intelligent Designer could provide us with these songbirds ❤️
@@FooFighter4774 boy, will you be surprised!
Sooo beautiful. ❤️ 💞
Totally agree that it is a spiritual experience! I’ve heard them in Mexico a lot and here in Quebec during spring and summer. But it’s the first time I learn who is responsible for this beauty! Thanks a lot for your content!
I am currently visiting your beautiful province. I’ve been blessed to see and hear many of Newfoundland’s boreal forest birds (and sea birds). Thank you for sharing your love and knowledge.
I love hearing these birds and have had some wonderful moments listening to a chorus of multiple hermits singing in an alpine meadow. I always look forward to hearing them every summer.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one obsessed with this call! My husband and I have been enchanted by this and the Swainson’s thrush since we were in our early 20’s. We came up with our own bird names before we learned what the birds were. We named the Hermit Thrush the “up-down bird”, as it’s alternating phrases seem to rise and fall. The Swainson’s Thrush will always be the “Superbird” to us, a similar ethereal call that is the harbinger of summer on the Pacific Coast. Both these bird calls bring us immense joy. We had the great fortune of sitting below a branch on which a Hermit Thrush sat singing for half an hour, on a mountain lake we had all to ourselves after a gruelling multi-day hike. Not only did we get to hear it, but watch it as well! Lovely video, thank you!
I love there singing!, sure sign of spring, that was a wonderful story Lesley, I never hardly see them, but feel so lucky they are close by filling the wood with song! Thanks
Glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by
Amazing, Leslie. Thank you as always!
We are lucky to hear wood thrushes and veery, or silvery pipes birds as we have nicknamed them, but thanks to your clear description of their song, I will perhaps be more successful at identifying the hermit thrush's song. Love your channel!
Thank you, Alison. I hope you hear the incredible song.
Thank you Lesley! I enjoyed the song bird so much!
Thank you for the beautiful story.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello 👋how are you doing?
I have been wondering what that song is for a while! I was calling it the "slide whistle" song in my head.
No wonder I never spot them, they hide :)
Same
Same! I've been trying to record them, but no matter how close I try to get, they are always at a healthy distance away.
- always look for them, never seen one ; figured they might be little & brown. I call ( called ) them 'the 7 o' clock bird', as that's around when I'd hear them, when I was wrapping up taking pictures. Leslie's right - there is something a little supernatural about their song. One evening I heard a little Hermit Thrush Bach, with an electric tinge to the tones - couldn't believe a bird was making those sounds !
Ive been looking for the name of this bird for over 13 years ...been hearing them every spring... the woods are enchanted whenever they sing thanks for this no other way to describe them
Only God can make a bird that sounds this beautiful, All praise goes to him that gives us life.
Last summer we had one or two, hermit thrushes living in the forest behind our house. The song they sang was absolutely incredible! I was completely gobsmacked every time I heard it, the sound stopped me in my tracks no matter what I was doing and I would just stand there and listen! It was otherworldly, absolutely, no other way to describe it. Things are behind this year because we had a very long winter, but I certainly hope they return, we listen for them every day.
Thank you for this video, from North Western Ontario.
Absolutely mystified me the first time I heard it as a teen. Instantly became my favorite singer! Wish they sang in the Deep South...
Hi Lesley. Thank you for this wonderful video. When I was a little boy growing up in Maryland, way back in the 70’s, I remember receiving a record album slid between the pages of a magazine - I believe it was National Geographic, and it was an album of bird songs. My absolute favorite was a recording of a hermit thrush singing in the north woods (I believe in Maine). I was childhood birder, and the song was enchanting. Fast forward several decades, and I live in my home in Arlington, VA, just outside DC. I’m still a birder and bird photographer. We live at the northern edge of the Hermit Thrush’s winter range. We moved into the house in the fall of 2016, and that year, a bird struck our picture window in the living room. My husband found him in the driveway, stunned. We put him in a cardboard box for several hours, to recover. It was the first Hermit Thrush I ever saw. After a few hours, he recovered, and flew away, and we were thrilled! (We have since treated all our large windows to help prevent bird strikes). The following spring, and every migration season since, we catch a glimpse of a Hermit Thrush in the backyard - I romantically like to think it is the same bird, stopping by to let me know he is ok. This last winter was extra special, we had a hermit thrush who spent about 2 months in the backyard and would even visit the seed and suet feeders. He was special guest, and it made my heart happy to see him in our yard. I hope he made his way north, to your neck of the woods and found a mate and is singing his heart out.
One summer, I want to head north, maybe to Maine or Upstate New York, and I want to go on a hike just to listen to the song of the hermit thrush echoing across the north woods. All these years I thought I was the only person enchanted by this little bird. Now I know I’m not alone. Thank you so much for that!
Thanks for sharing this lovely little story, nice to hear that you have since treated your windows as well. I like to believe that it was the same Hermit Thrush too. Hope you get to go on your trip soon. Thanks for the lovely comment
OMG- this one of my favorite songs though I have only ever heard it in recordings ("Solitudes" by Dan Gibson). We have the Wood Thrush and Robins here in southern NH, in my area, as the thrush family goes. It's mystical! Ethereal. There may be Hermit Thrushes in NH but I just haven't heard them where I live.
So beautiful!! Thank you so much!! Many many years ago a teacher in my grade school would play a record of bird sounds and their names. At recess we would go outside and listen. By the end of the year we could name the bird when we heard one singing! I am now 71 and love to hear birds sing!! 🎶🎶
Oh my how wonderful that teacher was to do that! Wow. It obviously made an impact on you for you to remember it to this day. Beautiful
Yes! We feel this. Our spirit song is the white throated sparrow. That's what got us into birding (and your videos!).
🤗 how wonderful
Thank you for this wonderful episode💕
You are welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it
A very nice video Leslie.
thank you
I've had one show up year after year during migration in the fall, staying the whole winter and leaving every April around the same time. It's been about 6 years now with this one, same part of the property, same 2 birdbaths out of the 9 on the property. He doesn't like sharing the birdbaths with the painted buntings or gray catbirds, when they are here though. We call him Herman. Over the decades I've planted over 500 native trees to this area and then the understory on 2 1/2 acres. Now I'm working more with the native grasses and wildflowers. So there is always something to learn. We've had over 136 bird species now seen on the property or from the property. Herman is one special bird for us though and we miss him when he leaves for the summer. Herman flies to birdbath after we run out to refresh close to sunset. And he is comfortable with us watching him from the window on the other side about 30 feet away. In April he becomes much more active in the middle part of the day and at the birdbaths like he's getting ready for his flight north. I managed to get some photos of him through the glass. Thanks for posting. I've never heard him sing, but I'm guessing he sings when he gets to his summer home. We get the Swainson's, Wood and Northern water thrush during migration.