The American Golden Plover is a beautiful and uncommon visitor to our shores. The adults travel a spectacularly long distance, on average 20,000 miles each year. This one is really practically a baby, only several months old. She migrated from Arctic breeding grounds, stopping to rest and forage on Cape Ann for four days before resuming her journey to southern South America. While the Plover is sleeping in the sun, in the last clip you can see her golden spangled feathers.
I was reminded of this recording of ‘Simple Gifts,’ made by our daughter Liv and dear friend Kathleen Adams, by a posting of Yo Yo Ma’s “calming music.”
Liv Hauck, vocals; Kathleen Adams, pipe organ. Recorded on the Jeremy Adams organ at the Annisquam Village Church.
“Simple Gifts” is an American Shaker dance song written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett. The song has been widely adapted. Perhaps the best known example is “Lord of the Dance.”
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
- ‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain’d,
- To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
- Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.
American Golden Plover range map, courtesy Cornell
Orange = breeding range
Yellow = migration
Blue = wintering range
