At 6:30 this morning, it was just starting to get light and I was walking Mr. Mook. I heard the spring call of a chickadee, somewhere in the woods. Since it was December, the call was such a welcome and unexpected sound that I stood there humbly for a minute. What sounds ring deep within your heart? Is it the first flock of migrating geese flying overhead; the trill of toads in early May?
How I Got into Listening
Years ago, I set a goal to learn every animal sound within my home range. I used a sound parabola and a tape recorder. A sound parabola is a parabolic disc that magnifies the sound of an object with a microphone. I recorded the sound, identified the bird, and then replayed the sound over and over until I learned it. It didn’t take long before I could walk through a forest and identify every sound I heard. How do you think it felt to be able to connect with animals, without ever seeing them? It was like walking through a door that did not ever exist before.
Why is listening important?
Sound is very life giving, and hearing certain types of sounds triggers deep feelings within a person’s body. For example, in the spring, when I hear the call of the first flock of Canada geese flying overhead, I feel very alive and thankful. In early November, the tundra swans migrate south at night. Their call, so high in the sky, makes me feel sad about the coming dark days of winter. And yet, ever so thankful to have this connection with these wanderers, who fly over and bless the land. Also, in Spring, when I hear the first rose-breasted grosbeak high in the trees, I linger as long as I can. A grosbeak’s call is like a tonic that heals all the empty places inside me.
How to Get Started Listening
Spring is the time to start learning the spring calls. What are top six sounds you hear in the Spring?
From March to April, in Minnesota, the top six calls are: chickadee (“fee-bee”); cardinal (“Cheer, Cheer, Cheer”); robin (melodic call); blue jay (“jay, jay,); white-breasted nuthatch (“peint,peint, peint”). Canada geese (honking) and chorus frogs (cricket sounds). Once you have learned the top six, you can branch out into some of the other common sounds: downy woodpecker, goldfinch, American toad, red-wing blackbird, or mourning dove.
But “listening” is not about “collecting” sounds, it is about letting the sounds come inside you and be a part you. When you hear a chorus frog or a robin, feel the pure beauty of it, and let it ripple through your body and you will feel more alive. As each year passes, the calls of birds and frogs have a deeper meaning. Here in Minnesota, we are going into winter, a time when there is very little natural sound. I am already looking forward to hearing the beautiful call of a robin singing from the trees.
What experiences with sound are in your heart? Share a comment, so others can enjoy it too.
As I have taken walks in my neighborhood or in the woods I will listen to the birds and have always wanted to know which birds I was listening to. The sounds of frogs and toad in the spring have always been a complete joy for me.
Years ago I bought a cassette recording from Hamline U of songs of Minnesota’s frogs and toads. Early each spring I listened to it to remind of their names and sounds, and as each starting signing in turn near my home (I live in metro Mpls) it was like hearing from a long-lost friend. I didn’t have to see them. There sound was their greeting and it was intense (whenever I paused to actually listen).
The tape is worn out now, but hearing how you collected sounds of all types of creatures and replayed their sound until you could recognize it in a gentle wind reminded me of it. If you know anyone that is selling “sounds of MN forest” CDs please let us know how to find them. It was truly fun being able to know the sound of our common frogs and toads. Thanks for reminding me how wonderful it felt to actually listen to them.