Last night me and my wife where outside and we started talking about how quiet our neighbourhood is. I don't want to get all sentimental about this subject but coming from a country where noise is always present I thought I would make a list of sounds I really enjoy hearing here.
Top 5
1. Hearing nothing
This is definitely number one on the list for obvious reasons. Experiencing stepping out of the car in the middle of nowhere and hearing nothing has been a very scary experience for me. Hearing only but you own breathing is weird. Holding that breath and listening to your own heart beat is even scarier. Yes it happened to me once!
2. Waves crashing on a shore
Nothing is more relaxing then this. I was at Ghost Lake this summer where I was sitting in a corner of the lake shooting rocks when it daunted on me. I was hearing nothing, not even the wind, except for these waves. Very relaxing. I almost forgot to photograph that scene. I was in a state of trance.
3. Sounds of coyotes howling
When I am out at night shooting the aurora or the night sky I am always amazed how close these guys sound. I am sure there howls are carried a long way. But sometimes I just get scared hearing them. It's like there sitting right next to me.
4. Ice cracking
The first time I've heard that booming noise of ice cracking on a frozen lake I was startled. It is amazing how loud this can get. I had a really weird experience when I was out shooting Patricia Lake last spring. I was standing on the shore line when all of the sudden a loud boom echoed in that valley! I think I jumped a meter high!
5. The sound of birds/frogs
This is a tie. Just wonderful to hear these creatures tell me that they think I am too close for their safety. Or hear the sounds of birds in flight chirping away at each other. I even watched 2 geese last week recreating a little Top Gun scene with each other. They where flying in formation when all of the sudden one broke away dove straight down. The other one closely followed. That gave a total different meaning to 'I feel the need, the need for speed!'
Have you encountered some sounds you really like listening to? I would love to hear what those are!
Ar river running on top of a mountain :D
ReplyDeleteThe silence can be bad but I think the worst I've had was the sound of branches breaking behind me on a trail at dusk. I turned around and saw nothing, kept moving, and heard it again. Naturally my brain, trying to make things worse, thought up the word cougar and the walk back to the car was suddenly not as relaxing.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of rain coming down on the roof, a child's giggle and when I get up very early just as the sun is rising when all you can hear is all the wildlife just starting to stir.
ReplyDeleteNice list. I experienced for the first time silence in nature few weeks ago. Now I understand why you ranked it in first position. It's a truly amazing experience!
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this article. I like to listen nature sounds. It helps to relax and forget about my problems. My favorite one is the sound of birds. Also, I found this website: http://relastation.com/ where you can watch videos and listen to nature sounds.
Storm in the tropics - very evocative!
ReplyDeleteI recorded the following in Chitwan National Park, Nepal -
https://soundcloud.com/wildambience/jungle-monsoon