Earth Day Activity: Get Out and Listen

A recent post title from Cool Green Science, the conservation blog from the Nature Conservancy, caught my eye: Earth Day Idea: Get Out and Listen!

Here's an excerpt:

Here’s my idea for how to celebrate Earth Day: get up (early if possible), grab your coffee or other beverage of choice, go outside, sit in your comfy outdoor chair, close your eyes and listen!

The idea is to listen to the sounds of the Earth. And, since I’m a bird guy, I recommend you listen to the voices of the birds wherever you are.

What a great idea, I love the simplicity. Step outside, settle down for a few minutes of deep listening, and tune in. For the majority of us it won't all be pristine. From our yard I'll certainly be hearing some early morning traffic, an airplane gunning its engines in a pre-flight check, and our obnoxiously loud aerated-septic system.

But through it all, or above it all, the American Robins will be cheery-uping from all directions, Eastern Phoebes will be calling back and forth, Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches, and Purple Finches will be clamoring from the evergreens. The sad cooing from the Mourning Doves, the punctuated calls from the American Crows and Blue Jays, the whistled "see-saws" from the Black-capped Chickadees, all of them will make up the natural symphony of our yard. And who knows which recently arrived migrants will be joining them.

I can't imagine a better way to start Earth Day, I know I'll be inspired to carry that vibe throughout the day, throughout the year.

Read Dave's full post here, and let me know: what will you be hearing from your yard?

-