The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

These birds could be the poster-chick for songbirds. Common across much of the Western United States and across all seasons, they are usually found in thickets, marshes, and gardens. Their colors can vary across the continent, but in the Pacific Northwest they are generally reddish-brown with a white belly, and a spotted patterning. They eat mostly seeds and insects, and in coastal marshes they sometimes eat small crustaceans. They nest under or on low shrubs, or other vegetation close to the ground. Their song generally consists of three short notes and a trill.

The Dark Eyed Junco (Junco Hyemalis)

These birds are common all year throughout the Pacific Northwest, making them a staple of backyard bird songs. They can be seen in suburban areas as well as on the edges of woodland areas. They stay in semi-open areas with thick vegetation that also have clearings nearby. The most common plumage is grey and white, but they can also have various patterns that are reddish-brown. They eat mostly insects foraged on the ground, but they don’t turn their beak up at seeds or berries. Their nests are almost always on the ground hidden under foliage or rocks. Their song is a ringing trill, sometimes softer in flight.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

These birds like woodlands and streams, but then again, don’t we all? In the West they like to have their breeding season in coniferous, mountain forests. Their coloring is mostly white, black, and brown, but they get their name from the striking bits of yellow peeking out. They eat mostly insects and berries, helping with garden pests such as aphids, wasps, and gnats. They can sometimes be seen flying out of a tree to catch a bug in mid-air. They prefer to nest in trees, on branches or in the fork between a branch and the trunk of the tree. Their song, as the name might suggest, is a high pitched warble.

The American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

The robin is so familiar and widespread, that when we don’t see it in areas where humans live it can be a warning sign of environmental problems. From cities to rural farmlands, across a variety of climates, they are a constant companion in the outdoors. Mostly dark and light grey, they can be easily spotted by their orange belly. Their eggs are the iconic ‘robin’s-egg blue’, although they can vary slightly in paleness. They eat insects, fruit, and earthworms, as well as snails and slugs. They nest in trees and shrubs, but also on porches and windowsills, barns and bridges. Their song is caroling, with cheery notes that rise and fall.

The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

These birds are common across the Western United States. They are very active little birds, and can be seen and heard even in winter. They generally live in open woods or on the edges of forests, and they have a preference for deciduous trees. They can also sometimes be found in suburban areas. Their plumage is white, grey, and light brown, with the black and white pattern on the head giving them their ‘black-capped’ appearance. They eat mostly insects, fruit, and seeds, and are eager visitors to birdfeeders. They nest in small holes in trees, from a woodpecker or rotting wood, and will happily habitate a nesting box. Their song consists of 2-4 whistles, but they’re more easily recognised by their call which is said to sound like ‘chick-a-dee-dee-dee’, hence their name.

If these birds are around making music, they probably already like your backyard, but you can always attract more birds by making it an even better habitat! Take a look at this helpful guide from the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability on indigenous plants for the area. Portland Audubon Society and the Columbia Land Trust have also partnered on the Backyard Habitat Certification Program, which can help give detailed guidance for and acknowledgement of spaces that support local wildlife.

Happy Earth Day!

Kassia was born between 805-810 CE to a wealthy family in Constantinople. Chroniclers of the time period claim that her beauty, intellect, and social standing resulted in her being considered to marry the future Emperor Theophilos.

The story claims that Theophilos said to her: “Through a woman came forth the baser things,” in reference to Eve.

To which Kassia responded: “And through a woman came forth the better things,” in reference to Mary.

An example of 9th century Byzantine Art and Architecture.

Theophilos married someone else, and Kassia founded a convent. Kassia was outspoken against him during his reign as he caused the second iconoclastic period of the Byzantine Empire, which ended with his death in 842 CE.

Iconoclasm is a frequent feature of religious history, in which one group believes in art (specifically icons) of holy figures, while an opposing group believes that such icons and the veneration of them amount to idolatry. Iconoclasms (difference of belief aside) have resulted in the destruction of a great deal of art over the centuries. Icon veneration in Byzantine was officially restored by another notable woman, Theophilos’ widow Empress Theodora, a year after his death.

During this iconoclastic period, Kassiani is recorded as having said, “I hate silence when it is time to speak.” Outside of her religious compositions, she wrote some two hundred secular verses of poetry, some of which point out injustices or hypocrisies she saw in her contemporary world. Kassia traveled from Constantinople to Italy, before settling in Greece and dying sometime between 867-890 CE.

Kassia is recognized in the Orthodox Church for genuine religious devotion, many of her works being hymns and twenty-three being in the Church’s liturgical books. However, it’s also theorized that she may have joined the church and started her convent because it helped ensure the survival of her works. Depiction of Saint Kassiani in the style of a Byzantine icon, holding a quill and paper.

And survive they have. Her works have endured well relative to any single composer from medieval times, but especially for female composers from any time period. Women in the historical record are often excluded or downplayed, either through purposeful censorship or unthinking omission, and women in arts history are no exception. Even without prejudices in play, history is a filter and luck can decide what passes through. Despite not knowing exactly when she was born, having an almost thirty year period where it is thought that she could have died, we know what her songs sound like. We are over a thousand years removed from her, but we can listen to them still.

It is notable that she wrote in her own name at all. So often the obfuscation can start before anyone besides the artist interacts with the work, countless compositions and writings coming from pseudonyms or simply ‘anonymous.’ Yet, we have her name, in fact we have multiple names for her: Kassia, Cassia, Kassiani. We have pieces of her story. Not only is her name assigned authorship in her works but the most famous of them, a piece sung at matins on Holy Wednesday, is called the Hymn of Kassia. Many people make a point of coming to the service just to hear her music. It is beautiful and haunting, and you can listen to it below.

Sources:

Briscoe, J. (1987). Historical anthology of music by women. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Britannica, Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, September 4). Iconoclastic Controversy. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Iconoclastic-Controversy

Tripolitis, A. (1992). Kassia : The legend, the woman, and her work. New York: Garland Library of Medieval Literature.