Bicky

This chapter describes the author's experience while trekking up Slide Mountain with one of the leaders from the John Burroughs Natural History Society. The goal was to hear the Bicknell's Thrush sing its morning song. For a time, the bird was considered a sub-species of the Gray-cheeked Thrush, but now stands alone. Bicknell's is one of the “least known breeding birds in North America.” It is a bird that confounds researchers with its mating habits; both males and females have multiple partners, multiple paternity is common, and more than one male often feeds young at a nest site. The chapter then looks at the naturalist John Burroughs, who spent his life exploring the hills and valleys, the birds and porcupines of the woods. Through the course of twenty-three books, the Catskills are central both geographically and emotionally to Burroughs's work. The chapter also considers the author's reflections on habitat loss and destruction.