In Chapter 31 we happen upon Peter at the time of dusk, listening to the birds sing themselves to sleep. He hears one voice after the others have stopped, very clearly in the wood,
from a tree just back of him, there poured fourth a song so clear, so sweet, so wonderfully suited to that peaceful hour, that Peter held his breath until it was finished. He knew that singer and loved him. It was Melody the Wood Thrush.
Burgess, Thornton W., The Burgess Bird Book for Children, Living Books Press, p.157.
I love imagining Peter Rabbit sitting quietly and listening to Melody. It makes me yearn for the bird songs that take place during dawn and dusk because I know they do calm and give spirit to the heart.
Wood Thrushes are found mostly in the MidWest to the eastern part of North America all the way down to the Panama Canal and as their name suggests, they love the forest. Here is a good sound clip of their sweet melody: Allaboutbirds.org.
Wood Thrushes are in decline in their range, which scientists believe could be the result of the taxing effects of cowbird parasitism (cowbirds do not raise their young, but instead lay their eggs in the nest of other birds, crowding out what the other baby birds could eat once hatched) and the effect of acid rain which has killed much of the invertebrates that they eat (source).
Here is what we gathered about Melody:
Until next time, keep birding <3 Kate
For more, check out The Burgess Bird Book Coloring & Writing Pages and The Burgess Birds in Detail.
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