Birds have long been symbols of hope and renewal, harbingers of warmth and abundance, and a physical manifestation of spiritual freedom, inspiring artists of all stripes.

Following the success of The Singing Stream, Electric Earth Concerts and the Harris Center are continuing their collaboration with a new musical hiking experience, In Fine Feather.

Participants will download this digital “mix tape” of music and poetry inspired by birdsong, interspersed with the sounds of birds singing. (If you are using the Google Drive app to download that file, there is a dropdown menu in the upper right corner with the option to make the file “available offline.” We recommend that you select this option to ensure you don’t have any connectivity issues while on the trail, and also that you pack a portable speaker so the sounds of the forest can mingle with the music and poetry as you walk.)

A map — available at the trailhead — will guide your hike, offering visuals of the birds and tidbits about the poets and composers you’ll hear as you walk along the Harris Center’s Hiroshi Loop Trail.

On June 25 and 26, musician Jazimina MacNeil and poet and naturalist Henry Walters will offer a series of half-hour introductory talks that dig into the stories behind the music and poems, the biology of birdsong, and the ways in which humans and birds listen to and inspire each other.

These talks will be offered at six different times: Friday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 26 at 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 5 p.m. Following the talks, In Fine Feather will remain a part of the Hiroshi Loop Trail in perpetuity.

Space in each session is limited, and registration is required. To register, please fill out this online form.

To kick-off In Fine Feather, Electric Earth will also present an in-person concert on June 21 in Jaffrey, featuring Conference of the Birds — a work for string quartet and reader by composer Chris Theofanidis and poet Melissa Studdard. Conference of the Birds, inspired by the 12th-century Persian allegorical poem of the same name, chronicles the collective journey of all the world’s birds to find a new leader, culminating in the realization that through their journey they themselves have become the leader they seek. For tickets or more information, visit Conference of the Birds on the Electric Earth website.

Co-sponsored by the Harris Center for Conservation Education and Electric Earth Concerts.