The Sounds of Nature

The sound walks we went on were through campus and through the arboretum. In these places I found that the mixture between types of sound were striking. The way that sound is processed in the everyday is intriguing. I couldn’t help but wonder along the way if noises that were special to the earth were passing me by. At the end of my walk I decided that they were. The sounds of nature were things I was forgetting to hear. They were, on my walk, so much louder because I was listening for them. I picked up on trees and leaves. I could hear cars, construction, and leaf blowers also but I could really hear the leaves. I was waiting for the sounds of birds and bugs while I was walking and couldn’t quite encounter it. I did note that during a normal day I’m more inclined to hear a car and think about it or someone in heels than I would be to hear trees and grass and the way the wind hits those things. I finally heard some birds. The biggest difference between walking through the arboretum and walking through campus is that I can hear more construction through out campus. When in the arboretum, you hit a certain point and the construction is less and less audible. I could finally hear the birds I wanted to hear. It’s always interesting to experience a sound getting quieter and quieter yet knowing its still going on.  The sound walk taught me to listen much more often. I also am more aware of the different kinds of sounds around me whether they be from nature or from man. Earlier I said I was more inclined to hear the man-made sounds and notice. I think since my sound walk I take more notice of trees and the noise wind causes than anything else. While it’s hard to escape them as Courtney had said you can choose to notice something else more.