Love this! I feel like there’s a hardwired response here, too. When you’re outside, and the birds “stop” it’s usually because there’s a predator or “danger” of some sort around. The flip-side of that is that if they’re singing their little hearts out, then they aren’t aware of anything lurking. Somewhere - not even TOO far back - in our lizard brains we know this instinctually. Birds = safe(er). I have to imagine our nervous system responds to that feedback. Have fun in the warm!
When we first moved to Missoula, we rented a house high on a hill above town. The views we spectacular -- we experienced the weather in the horizontal more than the vertical, and a few times we were in the sunshine above the inversion, while in town it was gloomy. Then we had to move, and ended up in a valley, near a creek. We can hear the water running, especially in the spring, but the biggest difference is in the birds. So many like the habitat at the new place.
I like winter, but what a lift it is when you hear the first returning western meadowlark.
I sleep with my window open as much as possible, only closing it when the rain blows in or the temp gets into the 20s or less outside (we're pretty temperate). Our house is next to the neighborhood storm drainage pond, so for about eight months of the year, my nights are filled with the ducks that sleep there, and the local barred owl who sounds like a cartoon. The ducks squabble all night long, and the owl, when we heard it the first time, we couldn't believe that they actually sounded like that! Just like in a movie!
We wake up with the birds in the morning, but when the sun starts to rise at 4:30am, that means the birds are up and yelling over the feeders by 3:30am. Like the train tracks nearby, it was an adjustment, but now it's my favorite sound to doze off to.
We just spent three weeks living in Whale Beach, Australia, which is they very northern part of the city. And there were so many birds! The kookaburras woke me at dawn every morning but I was okay with that because I loved their manical laugh. There were Australian magpies, lorikeets and all sorts of other birds that I loved. The cockatoos were a little less lovable but seemed so exotic that I even tolerated them!
"My instinct based on how miserable everyone seems to be is that no one is getting enough nature or birdsong." I agree.
I love the sound of the surf, but to me a trip to the beach isn't quite complete without the cries of seagulls.
I'm lucky to live in a place where birds are still around in winter. The other day I spotted robins mobbing our holly tree .... and through that found out that robins love holly berries! There is always something more to learn about the creatures that share this land with us.
I am 100% here for this bird-related content. I live with three birds, including a budgie (parakeet) who says things like "I'm a fancy boy!" "I'm a chicken hawk," and "McNugget!" My house is never quiet; we also have an African grey who likes to beep and whistle, and a "tropical bluejay," a Sunday conure. When we travel, it's unsettling to be in silent spaces. Side note: I wish Petco didn't sell budgies because they so often have no idea how sensitive and intelligent these birds are, and the people there to buy them often have no idea how to care for them. I hope you're enjoying your live bird content on your getaway; it sounds like it's just what you needed.
I'm absolutely stealing this idea. I live in the middle of the city so we do get some bird sounds but with an underlying hum of traffic, sirens and people yelling. I already use playlists of rainsounds so the birds in the rain playlist is the perfect supplement.
Thank you for this. It actually reminds me of other bird-related “homework” I need to do before spring: order and install bird deflector stickers on our windows. I’ve resisted because of how they’ll look and interfere with our view. But I can’t handle the guilt anymore of hearing a thud as a bird flies into our window. Birds think the reflection of the outdoors on the glass is the real thing, and then they hit the glass so hard, they break their neck. Birds are dying fast enough as is; I don’t want my house to add to their demise. So thank you for this story nudging me.
Buen viaje! Espero que tengas unas vacaciones especiales llenas de pájaros.
Thank you for this suggestion—I put on a bird playlist this morning and I do feel lighter and more alert. So does my bird dog, who would really like to know why she can’t smell them when they are so clearly in the room 😂
Also I had forgotten where I saw the rec for the Scholomance but thank you for the reminder! I have devoured the first two and am waiting for my library hold on the third to arrive.
Mother Nature provides the answer to many questions. Birds carry the medication. I believe you forgot a 'not' in the first sentence about the study. Enjoy the natural noise that heals. 😀
I love this and I don’t know why it never occurred to me to just play birds around the house. (I also love that you are experiencing El and the Scholomance for the first time.)
Love this! I feel like there’s a hardwired response here, too. When you’re outside, and the birds “stop” it’s usually because there’s a predator or “danger” of some sort around. The flip-side of that is that if they’re singing their little hearts out, then they aren’t aware of anything lurking. Somewhere - not even TOO far back - in our lizard brains we know this instinctually. Birds = safe(er). I have to imagine our nervous system responds to that feedback. Have fun in the warm!
Wild! When I was in Helsinki airport the bathroom had bird sounds. 🐦 I thought it was very cute.
Leave it to the Finns
Have a great trip, Kelton!
When we first moved to Missoula, we rented a house high on a hill above town. The views we spectacular -- we experienced the weather in the horizontal more than the vertical, and a few times we were in the sunshine above the inversion, while in town it was gloomy. Then we had to move, and ended up in a valley, near a creek. We can hear the water running, especially in the spring, but the biggest difference is in the birds. So many like the habitat at the new place.
I like winter, but what a lift it is when you hear the first returning western meadowlark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRgU4xS06sM&t=16s
I sleep with my window open as much as possible, only closing it when the rain blows in or the temp gets into the 20s or less outside (we're pretty temperate). Our house is next to the neighborhood storm drainage pond, so for about eight months of the year, my nights are filled with the ducks that sleep there, and the local barred owl who sounds like a cartoon. The ducks squabble all night long, and the owl, when we heard it the first time, we couldn't believe that they actually sounded like that! Just like in a movie!
We wake up with the birds in the morning, but when the sun starts to rise at 4:30am, that means the birds are up and yelling over the feeders by 3:30am. Like the train tracks nearby, it was an adjustment, but now it's my favorite sound to doze off to.
How fitting that there’s a photo of a Superb Owl on Super Bowl Sunday.
“Bird lovers are obsessive people — not very surprising given that birds are the Pokemon of the real world.” 🤣 Truth!
We just spent three weeks living in Whale Beach, Australia, which is they very northern part of the city. And there were so many birds! The kookaburras woke me at dawn every morning but I was okay with that because I loved their manical laugh. There were Australian magpies, lorikeets and all sorts of other birds that I loved. The cockatoos were a little less lovable but seemed so exotic that I even tolerated them!
"My instinct based on how miserable everyone seems to be is that no one is getting enough nature or birdsong." I agree.
I love the sound of the surf, but to me a trip to the beach isn't quite complete without the cries of seagulls.
I'm lucky to live in a place where birds are still around in winter. The other day I spotted robins mobbing our holly tree .... and through that found out that robins love holly berries! There is always something more to learn about the creatures that share this land with us.
I am 100% here for this bird-related content. I live with three birds, including a budgie (parakeet) who says things like "I'm a fancy boy!" "I'm a chicken hawk," and "McNugget!" My house is never quiet; we also have an African grey who likes to beep and whistle, and a "tropical bluejay," a Sunday conure. When we travel, it's unsettling to be in silent spaces. Side note: I wish Petco didn't sell budgies because they so often have no idea how sensitive and intelligent these birds are, and the people there to buy them often have no idea how to care for them. I hope you're enjoying your live bird content on your getaway; it sounds like it's just what you needed.
I'm absolutely stealing this idea. I live in the middle of the city so we do get some bird sounds but with an underlying hum of traffic, sirens and people yelling. I already use playlists of rainsounds so the birds in the rain playlist is the perfect supplement.
Thank you for this. It actually reminds me of other bird-related “homework” I need to do before spring: order and install bird deflector stickers on our windows. I’ve resisted because of how they’ll look and interfere with our view. But I can’t handle the guilt anymore of hearing a thud as a bird flies into our window. Birds think the reflection of the outdoors on the glass is the real thing, and then they hit the glass so hard, they break their neck. Birds are dying fast enough as is; I don’t want my house to add to their demise. So thank you for this story nudging me.
Buen viaje! Espero que tengas unas vacaciones especiales llenas de pájaros.
Thank you for this suggestion—I put on a bird playlist this morning and I do feel lighter and more alert. So does my bird dog, who would really like to know why she can’t smell them when they are so clearly in the room 😂
Also I had forgotten where I saw the rec for the Scholomance but thank you for the reminder! I have devoured the first two and am waiting for my library hold on the third to arrive.
Hope you’re enjoying a lovely bird-filled trip!
Mother Nature provides the answer to many questions. Birds carry the medication. I believe you forgot a 'not' in the first sentence about the study. Enjoy the natural noise that heals. 😀
I love this and I don’t know why it never occurred to me to just play birds around the house. (I also love that you are experiencing El and the Scholomance for the first time.)
And I just downloaded a birds playlist from Spotify. It's lovely.