The Brown Creeper

BirdNote®

Hazel Wolf and the Brown Creeper

Written by Chris Peterson

This is BirdNote.
[Bird sound in mature forest with stream]
Today, we’re in a mature forest. The Brown Creeper lives here, a slim little bird that’s hard to spot as it creeps up a trunk searching for insects. 
[Repeat sound]
For Hazel Wolf, a long-time activist for social justice, the Brown Creeper became a symbol. At age 64, on her first birding trip, she saw one and was so inspired she became an advocate for the environment as well.
“I saw it work its way up the trunk, moving quickly, always up, up, up—then fly back to the base of the tree only to start over again,” Hazel said. “I realized how hard he worked for a living, just like me.” From then on, to the age of 101, she worked to protect the gifts of nature. She would say, “Yes! I’m a birdwatcher, because there are some birds in Washington, DC, that need careful watching!”
Brown Creepers are in a major park or forest near you. Listen for their song, [song] or stand very still and watch carefully for movement along the trunks of big trees. With luck, you’ll spot the Brown Creeper, the favorite bird of a remarkable woman.
[Repeat song of Brown Creeper with forest and stream]
You’ll find more information about the Brown Creeper and about Hazel Wolf on our website, BirdNote.org. I’m Frank Corrado. 
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Call of the Brown Creeper provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Recorded by G.A. Keller
Ambient sounds recorded by C. Peterson
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org     Narrator: Frank Corrado

ID#080305BRCRKPLU    BRCR-01