The ethereal, upwardly spiraling song of the Swainson’s Thrush provides the sound track of west side forests in the Pacific Northwest. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmMYVeE9QJw
Coastal tribes referred to this thrush as the “Salmonberry Bird,” due to its annual arrival in May when Salmon Berries ripen.
I first became acquainted with the Salmonberry Bird, aka Swainson’s Thrush,
when Lori and I were composing our wedding vows some 37 years ago. While kayaking in Baker Lake in NW Washington we paused for a break along the lake shore. There we heard a lovely, mysterious song that seemed to be coming from within a dense shrub. It had a resonant and flute-like quality, as it echoed and faded out. We were enchanted — especially in the glorious setting of Baker Lake surrounded by Cascade Mountain peaks cloaked by an evergreen forest. 
Although we never saw the bird that day, I distinctly remembered its song. When I returned to work at The Nature Conservancy, I asked Fayette Krause, our staff bird expert and former president of Seattle Audubon, what song it was. Based on my whistled imitation, he knew it was a Swainson’s Thrush. This experience spurred me on to become a birder, bird guide and author. 
Named after British naturalist William Swainson, the Swainson’s Thrush winters in Central and South America, and breeds in the northern US, to Alaska, through Canada, dipping south into the Rockies and along the West Coast. Its preferred habitat is in moist forested areas with dense undergrowth. Swainson’s Thrushes are considered arboreal foragers, eating primarily berries and bugs. 
As Cornell Lab of Ornithology states, these thrushes are “more often heard than seen.” Part of the reason for this is that they forage deep within shrubs and leaf canopy, moving from perch to perch. At times they seem to possess a ventriloquist’s ability to throw their voice and create an echoing effect. This has to do with their constant movement, combined with their voice box, called a syrinx, that enable this and other bird species to vocalize several sounds simultaneously.
Fortunately, this haunting songster is not in short supply. Currently, its
population is rated “least concern,” however, it has been declining due to loss of habitat, and to frequent crashes into communications towers during migrations – especially in the upper Midwest.
To find the Salmonberry bird, look up at eye level next time you are in a Salmonberry or other berry patch in late spring to early summer. Listen for a distinct “whit” or “water drop” call, followed by a resonant, upwardly-spiraling, flute-like song.
The late, great folk-singer and songwriter, Linda Waterfall, was so moved by the song of the Salmonberry bird, that it inspired her to write the “Song for Erin” after hearing a Swainson’s Thrush sing its song repeatedly at a Pacific NW campground. Listen to her song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC78K3DxIpo
Once you become familiar with the Salmonberry Bird’s gorgeous song that it sings in gorgeous places, it might haunt you too, in a very good way.
