Hear the Desert Come Alive with Birdsong During a Spring Shower

This audio story is brought to you by BirdNote, a partner of The National Audubon Society. BirdNote episodes air daily on public radio stations nationwide.

Transcript:

This is BirdNote.

A light April rain falls in the Anza-Borrego Desert, in southeast California. Cacti and wildflowers glisten with raindrops, and birds begin to sing.

The sweet, jumbled notes of a House Finch rise above the sound of the rain. A Bewick’s Wren buzzes then breaks into exuberant song.

A Cactus Wren joins the chorus, standing atop a barrel cactus, calling gruffly . . .

A Costa’s Hummingbird hovers at a cactus blossom, beating the air with thrumming wings. A Mourning Dove coos.

Spring rains rejuvenate the desert. 

Sounds for today’s BirdNote were recorded by Gordon Hempton of quietplanet.com. You’ll find a link to his work on birdnote.org. I’m Michael Stein.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Credits:

Written by Bob Sundstrom

Narrator: Michael Stein

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

Sounds of the desert recorded at Anza Borrego Desert State Park [California] by Gordon Hempton, soundtracker.com.  Featured call of Morning Dove provided by Macaulay Library at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, recorded by W.R. Fish.

© 2015 Tune In to Nature.org          May 2017