Two years ago today, I had the incredible honor of officiating the wedding of two of the most wonderful people. There is so much I want to say, but for once, words fail me. Luckily, there is the poem. I found this piece by Greg Delanty in the anthology Bright Wings, and it just seemed the perfect piece for this bird-loving poet to read at their ceremony. I will be forever grateful to these two dear friends, for so many reasons, but especially for the chance to be part of their wedding day.

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I had considered recording this as a video with all the species from the poem, but that felt like overkill, on the verge of cheesy. It’s better to let the poem speak for itself, but for reference, below is the two part song of the Black-collared Barbet, “with the first part of the song sung / by one and the second by the mate.”

Below that, the song of the Red-eyed Vireo, which I, novice that I am, hadn’t even heard (well, I’d surely heard it, but I had never identified the bird by its call) until the spring after Joel and Tony’s wedding. But when I did, it was many of them singing from the tree branches along the wooded road. Having experienced that chorus makes this poem all the more meaningful to me now.

I wish you the happiest of celebrations today, Joel and Tony. Thank you for asking me to be part of that wonderful day.

And if you want to know how much Red-eyed Vireos sing, check this out!

Featured image of the Black-collared Barbet by
Taryn Scholtz from Pixabay