May 23, 2003 Does Haze Constitute Clouds?

A wonderful warm day. Temperature is in the 80’s and the sun is shining. In the woods the Wood Thrushes are singing beautifully in full song. A Wood Thrush can sing more than one not at once. I say this is polyphonic. I don’t know if this is technically true. If you have ever heard Mongolian or Tuvan throat singing, the Wood Thrush does the bird equivalent. As a result you hear multiple overtones as the bird sings. It really is beautiful. Perhaps the most lovely song in the woods.

I am surprised by the number of Blue-headed Vireos. As I circle the summit I count 4. the song of the Blue-headed is distinctly different from the Red-eyed Vireo. It is slower, more measured and has so high notes that are different from the Red-eyed. From my observation, Blue-headed Vireos are increasing in numbers here in Kirtland. I am finding them in more places than the past. The same seems to be holding true for Dark-eyed Juncos, and Eastern Bluebird as well.

I can hear the Juncos singing as I write, They are working the backyard and the males are visiting the feeders.

While the sun is shining today, the sky is almost white with haze. Downtown is visible, but the shoreline just 7 miles away not distinct. A hazy day. Detail is lost in just 4 or 5 miles. I wonder if today will be counted as a cloudy day? Probably. It is the sort of cloudy day that will give you a severe sunburn. The kind where the sun will sink in the lake like a piece of red hot burning charcoal.