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Something Wild: An email? Enjoy a poem about summer in NH instead

Saint-Gaudens National Park in Cornish, NH.
Jessica Hunt/NHPR
Saint-Gaudens National Park in Cornish, NH.

You never know when inspiration will strike!

The Something Wild team transformed a recent brainstorming email from host Dave Anderson of the Forest Society into a poem of sorts.

We recommend you listen to the episode to appreciate the sounds of summer in New Hampshire.

Easy Summer Sights and Sounds

Black bears - retreat from sight, from rites of courtship.

Trouble in town.

Two cubs and a bear in an orchard.
Dave Anderson
Glimpses of bears in an orchard from a wildlife cam.

Bespeckled, fleet-foot fawns now flee.
Singles, twins, triplets - no longer wobble on spindly legs.

Courtesy/Ellen Kenny

Whippoorwills, an uptick?

Orioles visit hummingbird feeders.

An oriole at a hummingbird feeder.
Dave Anderson
An oriole at a hummingbird feeder.

The most tolerant trees -
Deep shade, forest glade.

Lord of the flies - Insect maximum -
scourge of July: deer flies, green-heads.

“Firefly” or “lightning bug?”

“Pollywog” or “tadpole?”

A cluster of frog eggs.
Dave Anderson
A cluster of frog eggs.

“Newt” or “salamander?”

Fuzzy-headed fledglings, first flights.
Young of the year flying, feeding,
Begging, parents receding.

A carefully woven tapestry of songs and territories in tatters, unraveling.

Berries for birds.

Summer’s most persistent singers - ovenbirds, vireos.

The evening chorus: veeries duet.

A gray tree frog.
Dave Anderson
A gray tree frog.

The last of the amphibian chorus,
rain calls of gray tree frogs in summer humidity - conjuring a tropical rainforest.

Summer is something… Something WILD!

Now empty-nesters - all.

Too soon to say it? Fall.

Something Wild is a collaboration between NH Audubon, the Forest Society and NHPR.

Naturalist Dave Anderson is Senior Director of Education for The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, where he has worked for over 30 years. He is responsible for the design and delivery of conservation-related outreach education programs including field trips, tours and presentations to Forest Society members, conservation partners, and the general public.
Grace McCulloch is the host of Something Wild, and a passionate birder. She is the NH Audubon Community Science Project Leader and editor of The Joy of Birding eNews from New Hampshire Bird Records.

In addition to occasionally hosting Morning Edition or other programs, Jessica produces local programming like Homegrown NH, Something Wild, and Check This Out.
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