By Emily J. Weitz
When you turn off the TV, silence the cell phone, and switch off the music, what’s left to hear? Is it all-consuming silence?
Not in the slightest.
At this time of year, there is a natural chorus that’s louder and more omnipresent than any Pandora station, even on the strongest WIFI connection. It consists of grasshoppers and katydids, bats and owls, cicadas and tree frogs. When you actually unplug from the multimedia frenzy, you might be surprised at the volume at which the natural world communicates.
This Saturday, August 13, nature educator Crystal Possehl will lead an exploration into the sounds of the field at SoFo Natural History Museum.
“The field offers a unique opportunity to listen to many different animals,” says Possehl, who is herself curious to see who will make themselves heard this Saturday. She expects there will be a chorus of “birds as the sun is setting. They are getting ready for the goldenrod bloom.”
The pollen from the goldenrod, which to most humans means a lot of tissues, means to birds a lot of insects, and that translates into a lot of food.
Grasshoppers and katydids are among the most abundant at this time of year, “and they bring in lots of bats and frogs to the field,” says Possehl. Once the sun sets and the birds settle down to sleep, that’s when the other musicians emerge.
“We’ll hear mostly insects,” she said. “In the spring it’s mostly birds, but now it’s mostly insects and amphibians.”
Even though Possehl predicts participants will hear close to 20 different species in the field, all of them have a common reason for their noise-making – they’re marking their territory and calling for mates. Most of the time the voices you’ll hear are the males, and they’re saying “Listen to how strong I am,” explains Possehl. “They’re saying ‘you don’t want to mess with me’. Maybe he’s staked out a great place. Then the female goes to that place to lay her eggs…. Sound is one of the first ways to mark territory... Sound resolves most conflicts.”
Even though there may be a competitive reason that the males are making their calls as clear and strong as possible, they still fall into an orchestral pattern.
“Sometimes insects will sync calls so they are all calling at the exact same time, on the exact same note,” Possehl said. “They work together, like an orchestra. That way they can all be heard and can all attract mates.”
Different species of the same animal also may have different sounds, that almost work like harmonies.
But Possehl warns that “Our human ears can’t hear the full chorus. Some sounds are too high. Some grasshoppers have a very high frequency call that if you’re even the slightest bit hard of hearing you can’t hear. Kids often hear things parents and grandparents can’t hear.”
The evening is perfect for kids, especially those who have a fascination with/fear of the dreaded “monsters”. Monsters constitute anything unknown, and everything out beyond the trees after the sun goes down falls into that category. But since the sounds of the night are so strong and so identifiable, when kids learn about the sources of these sounds, they feel empowered.
“Everyone’s born with natural curiosity,” says Possehl. “If they can identify ‘monsters’ out there it becomes a lot less scary.”
The evening will be more than just listening to the sounds of the field. Upon arrival, guests will be led to the beautiful deck behind the museum, where they will listen for a while. Then Possehl will lead a slide presentation where she identifies each creature heard in the field, with photos and sounds.
“When the slide show is over they should be able to pick out the different species,” Possehl says. She hopes that this will pique the interest of kids and adults alike, to wonder what is making a given sound and what’s beyond the darkness.
“Our hearing brings us to a lot of adventures in our backyard,” she says. Plus, the chorus that nature provides every summer “is free,” she says. “It’s real. It’s not coming out of speakers.” All we have to do, she says, is “just go sit on the back deck with a little mosquito repellant, sit back, and enjoy it.”
Summer Night Sounds will take place at 8:30 on Saturday evening at the Sofo Natural History Museum on the Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike. This event is free for members and, for nonmembers, $7 for adults and $5 for children. Please call ahead to make a reservation at 537-9735.
