Just step outside, close your eyes, and listen. The environment is alive with a variety of sounds, each playing a role in the intricate harmony of nature. These sounds can be classified into different categories, each contributing to the essence of our surroundings. Also take time to listen to bird songs.
Little Whale is a children’s book on the mesmerising whale song that can be heard over thousands of miles, and also looks at relationships within the pods and huge annual migrations. It also covers how whales manage to jump high out of the water, despite being the biggest mammals.
Types of Natural Sounds
- Birdsong: The sweet tones of birds can uplift your spirit and provide a sense of peace. Each bird has its own unique call, which serves as a means of communication and territorial claim.
- Water Flow: The gentle babble of a brook or the powerful rush of a waterfall creates a calming atmosphere. Water sounds can induce relaxation and remind us of the comfort of natural landscapes.
- Wind: The soft rustle of leaves or the howling of a gust can evoke a range of emotions. Wind weaves its way through trees and grass, creating a comforting white noise that can soothe the mind.
- Animal Calls: From the distant howl of a wolf to the chirps of crickets, animal sounds enrich the audio tapestry of nature. They remind us of the life that exists beyond our immediate environment.
Nature’s sounds are more than just background noise; they have acoustic properties that can affect our psychological and emotional states.
Research shows that specific frequencies and rhythms of natural sounds can induce relaxation, lower heart rates, and improve concentration. These sounds can stimulate the brain’s relaxation response, reducing stress hormones and promoting a general sense of well-being.
Benefits of Tuning Into Nature
Feeling overwhelmed? Nature’s sounds can help. Listening to birds chirp or water flow can reduce levels of anxiety and depression. These sounds create a sense of connection to the Earth and the beauty around us, fostering a positive mental state.
Studies show that spending time immersed in nature or even just listening to natural sounds can significantly lower stress levels and enhance mood.
Ever noticed how a gentle breeze or the sound of rain can help you concentrate? Certain natural sounds can improve focus and productivity, making them ideal for work or study environments.
Sounds like rustling leaves or flowing water can mask distractions and create a calming backdrop that encourages deeper thinking. Imagine completing a task while the serenade of nature plays softly in the background.
Just after the pandemic, fishermen were mystified why a pod of orcas (killer whales) were repeatedly ramming boats, something they had never done before. Experts believe it was because they got so used to the peace and quiet, they didn’t like it when all the noise and commotion of fishing vessels returned.
How to Listen Out for Nature’s Sounds
Listen Up! is a book on how the sounds of nature are being drowned out by humans, and that’s not good for anyone. Every living thing emits sound (birds sing, whales whistle, streams burble and trees pop and fizzle).
Young readers are now introduced to all the sounds of the natural world, from the first Big Bang to the complex soundscapes of the rainforests. And how invasion of human sounds (aeroplanes, traffic and machines) is threatening survival of species that have adapted to their habitats over thousands of years. C
When writer George Michelsen Foy clamped his ears to his head one day, when two trains screeched into a New York subway station at once, he went off round the world to find the world’s quietest place.
It wasn’t Antarctica (the screen of an albatross is deafening). But it was a lab in mid-west USA where you would go inside. And it was so quiet that he could hear the sound of his heart beating and even the sound of his scalp moving across his head. He did not like it – and realised that actually we are not searching for absolute silence, rather quiet nice sounds that relax us.
