“As
long as I’m singin’
Then
the world’s all right
And
everything’s swingin’
Long
as I’m singin’ my song
Ummmm…makin’
music
Is
more to me than a pleasure
‘cause
me and music
We
go together like notes in a measure
Long
as I’m singin’
Then
the world’s all right
And
everything’s swingin’
Long
as I’m singin’ my…
Long
as I’m singin’ my …
Long
as I’m singin’ my song.”
~ “As Long
As I’m Singing”
~ written & recorded by the wonderful
Bobby Darin
~ 1964
A beautiful
red male North American Cardinal sings his song from a very high perch on an April evening along the Ironton Rail Trail, which
loops
more than nine miles through Whitehall Township, the Borough of Coplay and
North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.
The
cardinal is one of the most recognizable and beloved songbirds in North
America, known for its vibrant red plumage and distinctive crest. They are
known for being territorial songbirds, with males often singing from high
perches to mark their territory.
This
cardinal is likely singing to attract a mate, which is one of its primary
reasons for vocalizing.
The Ironton Railroad was a
shortline railroad in Lehigh County. Originally built in 1861 to haul iron ore
and limestone to blast furnaces along the Lehigh River, traffic later shifted
to carrying Portland Cement when local iron mining declined in the early 20th
century. Much of the railroad had already been abandoned when it became part of
Conrail in 1976, and the last of its trackage was removed in 1984.
In 1996, Whitehall Township
purchased 9.2 miles of the right-of-way from Conrail, transforming it into the
Ironton Rail Trail.
