Soundscape

Most people know exactly what a cricket sounds like, and expect to hear them at night. This fellow was the only denizen of the field that was silent this morning. There is the bird chorus--the red winged blackbird makes an odd, metallic sounding call, quail sort of mutter at each other, crows (the most acrobatic flyers I've ever seen) shout raucously to each other as they careen around the sky after each other, and hawks also have a very unmelodic call which is very recognizable but difficult to describe--a sort of piercing scream. Then there are the mockingbirds, which mimic all the other birds and even the odd man made sound. I often wonder when I hear a mockingbird whether each one has its own signature series of birdcalls that it imitates, or do they change on a whim to a different medley? (They are often found in close proximity to humans, and can drive them crazy when they begin their ceaseless (and loud) song at 3am. )Insects and bees buzz and crackle, and if you listen carefully you might be able to hear the grasses, which have grown tall and ripe, bursting open and sowing their seeds for next year's crop. The wind rustles in the trees.

Although it can feel like you are miles from anything, there are often sounds from the humans who are not that far away.There is the distant, and not so distant sound of dogs barking, and the echo of the human voices of other dog walkers, or people standing on their decks. During the weekend, the kids build tree forts and ride their dirt bikes around the hills. At this time of year, there is always a mower going somewhere. Sometimes the the cattle and horses are in their pastures, but life must be good, because they are usually silent but for the sound of chewing. Only very rarely does a plane fly far overhead.

This evening the cricket will wake up, the birds will go to sleep and the night chorus will begin.