Sounds of Wildernest

Most of the folks that visit us will, at some point during their visit, remark about how quiet it is here. They're really only noticing the absence of noise. There's really a lot of "sound" here! This morning, with weather like that first day of autumn each year, I'm sitting on the deck reading and there are sounds all around me. The one sound I hear that's the results of the works of man is the sound of the wind chime - and there's only a gentle breeze so there's only the occasional single, pure, one note sound. Behind that, I hear the constant hum of our little flock of hummingbirds hovering around the feeder or dashing to or from it. Every now and then one darts by my head or hovers in front of me checking out my presence here. There's the frequent light-footed "thunk" of a bird landing on the wooden feeder a few feet to my right and the sometimes, but not too often, the "peck, peck, peck" of a bird searching for the right seed. There's always the sound of the birds, some I know, most I don't. The Cardinal is making his quiet cheeping sound, a sound you'd expect to be coming from a much smaller bird. The much smaller Carolina Wren is making a sound that would awake a sleeping person, a sound second only to the Blue Jay in the annoyance factor. We've been hearing an owl recently and he is around this morning. But the best bird sound is the "schree" of the hawk. It's best when they are up very high. The one this morning isn't.

Just then there was a heavy 'thunk". It was Morris (the squirrel) dropping from the tree onto the deck rail on his way to the bird feeder. I hear the frogs at the pond - not too loud this morning and the buzzing of the bees (bumble and honey) that also frequent the hummingbird feeder. This morning there's the sound of the breeze in the trees, it reminds me of a couple days ago when I heard the wind in the pine trees - a restful and alluring sound that needs an adjective that I don't have. Every now and then an acorn falls on the tin roof - much more resonant when it hits the roof of the carport. And always there is the sound of the waterfall in the pond. It's a natural sound but I guess that one is man made too. There is now the sound of a tractor far off in the distance. It's one of those comfortable sounds of country living.

For me, there is one other sound. Most of the time, like the man who lives near the railroad tracks doesn't hear the train, I don't notice it - but it's the constant little high pitch sound of my tinnitus that always with me.

Morris just jumped from the bird feeder to the tree making the chucking sound that squirrels make and then shook the tree branches rustling the leaves as he left. No, it's not really quiet here.