Whip Poor Will

On cool summer evenings on our farm in Virginia we would fall asleep with the windows open listening to whip poor wills. Their calls were unmistakable and carried throughout the whole farm. We haven't heard a whip poor will on our farm for over twenty years. Recently my mom and I were talking about these memories and wondering why the whip poor wills had disappeared (I suspect it is because fescue has taken over all of our pastures where we graze cows). She told me that she had recently been hiking with friends in the mountains of Virginia and they heard a clear, plaintive "whip poor will! whip poor will! whip poor will!" and she stopped everyone in their tracks to listen for it! They stopped, but one friend grabbed her cell phone. It was her ring tone on her phone. My mom started crying, as the noise reminded her of her best years on the farm with the house full of family and windows open to the summer night sounds. But it was not to be anymore and may not ever be anymore.