The Sound of Silence

This morning I awoke at 5 o`clock to the sound of birds. Cardinals, sparrows, blackbirds and an oriole shared the limited space in our back yard. They never sang in tune as each was trying to make its case in the loudest tones possible. I love birds but this am caused me to get up to see what was causing the problem. I quickly saw blackbirds trying to reach into the sparrow house which housed three fl edgings. All the other birds showed their disapproval by squawking as loud as possible. The sparrows survived another day and the birds began to settle down in their orderly melodic tones. It was beautiful once more.

While I lived in the high Arctic I had other experiences. Yes, you heard the birds sometimes but I was always struck by the lack of sounds. It became a habit of mine to drive out on the tundra on my quad with my dog Buck and just sit. Besides the breathing sounds of Buck there was the complete absence of sound. This became beautiful to me as I strained to determine far away sounds. Sometimes it would be a muskox running on the stony tundra.

Caribou slowly making their way across sparse grasslands, munching as the moved from one morsel to another. Then there was the howl of the Arctic Wolf, a magnificent creature who followed the caribou herds but preferred to feast on lemmings. The howl of the wolf caused Buck to reel back and blast forth with his own version of a wolf call as he was half wolf. Then silence again. Time would pass quickly and often an hour would seem like ten minutes.

I love any sound of nature but the sound of silence gives me the opportunity to create my own sounds in my mind. Some of my favourite sounds are:little children laughing; good morning from a loved one; a babbling brook; bagpipes from a distance and a golf ball hitting the bottom of the hole. Whatever sound you prefer, you have to listen to hear it.