Chuck-will's-widow
It was past midnight. I was on the phone with one of my brothers, Charley, and I heard a distant sound from outside that wasn’t human. I thought it was a bird but wasn’t sure because the sound was unfamiliar and strange.
I said, “Charley, I think I heard a weird bird. I’ll call you back,” and without waiting for his reply, I switched from the phone app to the Merlin ID app and pressed record. I prayed like a kid for the sound to happen again. I didn’t like leaving wildlife mysteries unsolved. I spent eight months perseverating on a mysterious, eerie whinnying from within the woods at my house upstate. Whenever I approached the sound, it stopped. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I secretly wondered if there was a ghost child out there. I finally located the source of the baffling sound: an Eastern screech owl. I was heartened when I read Cornell’s description:
If a mysterious trill catches your attention in the night, bear in mind the spooky sound may come from an owl no bigger than a pint glass.
I held my phone out as far as I could to give the mic a better chance. The Merlin ID app listens for bird sounds much like Shazam listens to music. Except the Merlin app displays a spectrogram: a visual representation of the signal it’s picking up.
From the distance the signal came: a quick chip note followed by two short whirly sounds, similar to the sound of that children’s musical toy, the slide whistle, where you blow through a tube while sliding a metal rod up and down.
Merlin revealed the mystery bird: the Chuck-will’s-widow. I have the bird checkmarked on my life list, but I don’t remember where or when I saw it. I know when I saw an Eastern whip-poor-will, a close relation to the Chuck-will’s-widow. They are both in the genus Antrostomus, the Nightjars: nocturnal birds, mostly active late evening and early morning, feeding primarily on insects. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek antron, meaning “cavern,” and stoma, meaning “mouth.” They fly through the night, mouth gaping open like a humpback whale’s, scooping up insects. By day, they often sleep on a branch, their mind-blowing camouflage making them nearly impossible to find. It took me over a half hour of hard looking to locate an Eastern whip-poor-will sleeping on a branch. Both birds are named onomatopoeically from their song. I didn’t hear “chuck-will-widow,” albeit maybe the first note sounded like “chuck,” but the second two did not sound like “will” or “widow.”
I stayed up each night so I could hear it, and I did, around midnight. I thought about him during the day—sleeping on a branch or on a bed of leaves on the ground.
When I read up on the Chuck-will’s-widow, I learned that it’s included in the list of Common Birds in Steep Decline. Information about this species is sorely lacking, mostly due to their unbelievable camouflage. But Cornell’s site, AllAboutBirds.org, offered this invitation to help:
Interested individuals can help count Nightjars, including the Chuck-will’s-widow, by joining the Nightjar Survey Network, organized by the Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary College.
I think it primarily lives in the South (I was visiting Florida when I heard it), but I could help count Eastern-whip-poor-will’s. When I discovered a newsletter by Jared Del Rosso, The Lonesome Whip-poor-will, that eye-welling-up thing happened. He doesn’t know me, but I could feel his hand welcoming me. Among his many gorgeous essays, this is the one that sealed the deal: How to Save Whip-poor-wills. He says, “Whip-poor-wills are declining. Here are four steps to take to support this much loved bird.”
I’m taking the first step.
For Your Consideration
Keep your eyes peeled for Jared Del Rosso’s book The Lonesome Whip-poor-will: A Cultural History of America’s Most Iconic Bird, forthcoming from NYU Press in 2027. In the interim, you can subscribe to his newsletter for updates and previews of the book.
Get your copy of Turning to Birds
A paperback edition of Turning to Birds will be released on May 5. The book is available for purchase in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats everywhere you find books.
Turning to Birds in the Wild
A list of my events and collaborations in the United States (Austin, TX; San Diego, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz, CA; Oregon, OH; Wellfleet and Provincetown, MA; Manhattan and Brooklyn, NY; Miami, FL) and Europe (Amsterdam, the Netherlands).
Save the date for a gathering on the eve of the paperback release of Turning to Birds. I’m partnering with Greenlight Books for a reading, conversation, and book signing at St. Joseph’s University in Clinton Hill, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (Registration details coming soon.)
Save the date for a special conversation with illustrator Walton Ford to celebrate the paperback release of Turning to Birds. The reading and book signing, hosted by Arader Galleries, begins at 6:00 p.m. (Registration details coming soon.)
I’m thrilled to be joining David Sedaris for a few evenings of readings and book signings. Join us at the San Diego Symphony at 8:00 p.m. Attendees who purchase a copy of Turning to Birds will be given priority in the queue for signatures. (To secure your tickets, click on the date heading.)
I’m thrilled to be joining David Sedaris for a few evenings of readings and book signings. Join us at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts at 8:00 p.m. Attendees who purchase a copy of Turning to Birds will be given priority in the queue for signatures. (To secure your tickets, click on the date heading.)
I’m thrilled to be joining David Sedaris for a few evenings of readings and book signings. Join us at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Attendees who purchase a copy of Turning to Birds will be given priority in the queue for signatures. (To secure your tickets, click on the date heading.)
Save the date for the Biggest Week in American Birding. I’ll be doing a Q&A session, a reading, book signing, guided excursion, and judging the tattoo contest. (To secure your tickets, click on the date heading. Onsite registration is available as well.)
June, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Suzanne Bocanegra’s Honor, an Artist Lecture will be travelling to The Holland Festival this June. (Full festival schedule and registration details coming soon.)
August 14, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Save the date! My good friend Victoria Redel and I will be reading and signing books at The North Kingstown Free Library, beginning at 6:00 p.m. (Event details coming soon.)
August 17, Wellfleet, Massachusetts
Save the date for a reading and book signing hosted by the Wellfleet Public Library, beginning at 7:00 p.m. (Registration details coming soon.)
August 18, Sandwich, Massachusetts
Save the date for a reading and book signing en plein air at Titcomb’s Bookshop, beginning at 6:30 p.m. (Registration details coming soon.)
August 19, Provincetown, Massachusetts
Save the date for a special reading and conversation with musician Billy Hough, followed by a book signing, at The Provincetown Bookshop, beginning at 4:00 p.m. (Registration details coming soon.)
It’s an honor to be joining the exceptional list of authors gathering for the 2026 Miami Book Fair. (Registration details coming soon.)
A Note on Graphics
I’d like to mention the delicately rendered illustrations used for our headers come to us from the immensely skilled artist Anna Koska, whose work is essential to the design of Turning to Birds. You can learn more about Anna’s work on her Instagram (@gremkoska).
Lili this post combines so many things I love about you: your beautiful spirit and steady curiosity; your vivid descriptions (and etymologies!), your patience (waiting and waiting) and the joy you so beautifully communicate to us all. Thank you!
delightful read