Day 58: Monotone

Central Woods and Hemlock Hill, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, MA, 6:45am-7:45am
chilly, breezy, cloud-covered

Deep listening is meant to be all-inclusive, hearing the whole environment, but not everything is pleasant to listen to. Today I'm hungry to be in natural environment unpolluted by humans, their vehicles, and their dogs.

For a while this morning, my needs are almost satisfied. The Arboretum, especially Hemlock Hill, is pretty quiet on an early Saturday morning, seemingly free of birds and humans alike. Traffic is a distant dull roar - I can deal.

As I wind down to the "Central Woods", I'm absorbed by some fascinating trees new to me, especially the eerily-human, smooth and intricate musculature of the European Hornbeam, and the furry red strip-bark of the Cypress.

Spotting a light-colored bird by the creek, I meander down a slope and find myself in the cross-fire of two funny nuthatches. They do some subtle rhythmic variations on their otherwise very straightforward monotone call.