Myco Rising LLC

Vanishing Voices of the Night Pt.1

The Eastern Whip-poor-will

Some habitat restoration stories are measured in plant counts, bird surveys, and species lists.

This one is measured in a sound.

Growing up, I spent countless summer nights listening to whip-poor-wills call at dusk. Sitting on the porch of the house I grew up in, their voices were part of the landscape. Part of home.

When I moved back to my family's property years later, they were gone.

Night after night, silence.

As I learned more about habitat restoration, I began managing the property differently. Native plants were established. Invasive species were removed. Woodland edges were improved. Habitat was created with wildlife in mind rather than appearance alone.

I hoped it would make a difference.

Then one evening, I heard it.

"Whip-poor-will... whip-poor-will... whip-poor-will..."

For the first time in years, a whip-poor-will was calling from the property again.

That moment reinforced something I have come to believe deeply: habitat restoration is not about making land look wild. It is about rebuilding the relationships between plants, insects, birds, and the land itself.

The work is not finished. In fact, it is just beginning.

My goal now is to continue improving this property and make it the best whip-poor-will habitat I can. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, I am confident their call can once again become a common sound on summer nights.

Sometimes restoration isn't about adding something new.

Sometimes it's about bringing home something that was missing.

Have you heard a whip-poor-will lately?