The Common Poorwill
The whip-o-will remains a symbol of summer nights in
eastern North American forests, celebrated in folklore, poetry and music for
its haunting, continuous call.
Certain things bring comfort to your soul. Mother often
called certain meals “comfort food”, food that is known as southern comfort. I
think there are sounds that are comfort sounds, especially if they have been a
part of your world for a long period of time.
Such is the sound of the whip-o-will for me.
Over 40 years ago, when my husband and I purchased nearly an
acre of land and built a home on the outskirts of Austin in the Hill Country
(we have since been overrun with development). It was a beautiful piece of
land, surrounded by much wooded area; however, the large space of land behind
us was used as Felder’s Follies. We were lucky enough to back up to a beloved
piece of land that was owned by the builder, L.A. Felder, and he used it to graze
cattle sometimes or just to keep it naturally mowed. He fed the wild turkey,
and he loved and tended to this property.
When we moved in, there was already a fence across the back
to keep the new homeowners from his property. Being that it was a wire fence,
we have an open view across the field and beyond to the wooded area on the
other side where there is a dry creek bed with natural cool water some of the
time. This makes for great wildlife viewing.
The first summer we were here we put up a wooden fence
around the other part of the property to keep our dogs on our land. Our helper
for that project was my husband’s younger brother, and after a long day of
digging post holes, I prepared our dinner and afterwards, we sat on the porch
overlooking the land as twilight set in. Then I heard a sound for the first
time, which I said from the beginning sounded like a whip o will. Each and
every following spring, I looked forward to the return of the comfort sound, as
I knew the summer months were not far away. It was a sound that represented our
comfort zone, a place filled with peace and a time to slow down from the busy
work schedule. This bird never failed us as it came year after year.
I never knew what it really was, until we purchased property
at Possum Kingdom lake. I began to hear the sound there, as well. Our beloved neighbor,
Skip Cox, told me it was most likely a poorwill, as that is what we have in that
area. He was correct, as always. Sadly, with development now out there, I no longer hear
their song at night. They survived two fires, but they can’t survive man’s
bulldozers.
We are lucky enough to still hear them at our Hill Country
home, though development is closing in. Felder passed away close to 30 years
ago and donated his land to his church, the First Baptist Church in Austin. The
church kept the land until recently, keeping the tradition of mowing it once a
year. Then the property went up for sale. I held my breath daily, praying that
it would not sale to someone who would rape the land and develop it into a
nasty backyard neighbor. God answers prayer. A wealthy lady who owns Whole Foods
purchased it for nostalgic reasons as she used to ride horses there and now,
she wanted to bring her grandchildren closer in, to enjoy space together.
I am fortunate, as the comfort sound of the poorwill
continues and I still find peace in my own backyard. It never fails to take me back to the moment
in time when I first heard the now familiar Poorwill and remember our precious
baby brother, who passed away in 2019.
NOTES
Populations have declined in parts of their range, likely due to habitat loss and reductions in large moth and beetle populations. Conservation efforts focus on preserving open forest habitats and monitoring population trends.
Often heard but rarely seen due to its camouflage
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