Over the last few weeks I’ve been sharing lots of these little retreats/ creative practices, circling the power of observation, or noticing, mostly to do with the sense of sight — shifting our gauge between seeing with eyes, externally, to seeing inside, so as we might garner insight. Today I am bringing in another form of ‘seeing’ — with our ears. (Ironically, my own trusted sound recorder which has travelled the world with me broke this week. So, for the moment, I am recording on my phone- hence the sound quality of the narrated version of the piece is a little less sharp than I would like. Please bear with me until I find a replacement).
There is a little walk I do most days when I am home in West Cork. It skirts the top of the village, tracks a small wooded stream, then brings me to the harbour. In those 750m or so, sounds shift from car engine, kids on their way to schull, from dogs barking to waves lapping. And between it all: the birds.
I’ve been learning, slowly, to distinguish the bird sounds and calls, and their changing patterns through the seasons. The robin, wren and blackbirds are particularly consistent, and joyful, and right now, the newly arrived chiffchaff is particularly rambunctious marking territory and busy prepping for a brood.
Ears open, the path becomes alive to the different levels and layers of life. I am suddenly aware of the sonic patterns and variations constantly shifting. Nothing is static.
Technology can play a tutelage role here too. I’ve been using The Merlin App — which remarkably can sample a few fragments of sound and offer suggestions of the bird making it.
At the start of the path, I press ‘Sound’, then begin to walk slowly. In just a few steps: a robin, a goldfinch, a pair of collared doves, a chiffchaff. The app lights up a cornucopia of names.
Above me, the trees tell part of the story too: branches rustle with the arrival of a lusciously plump collard dove, and leaves brush in tandem with a flirting sparrow. Towards the shore, as the hedgerow thins, it begins to get quieter. As I walk, my own soundscape becomes part of the story too: a wren silences as I approach, a chiffchaff gets defensive.
It’s a hot day, and I’m expecting the usual squalls of herringulls but in this high noon sun, they are absent. I suspect the clatter will return at dusk. I don’t hear any oystercatchers either and wonder if the winter resident population have flown north already, perhaps to the coast of Iceland or the Faeroe Islands. The sounds tell of coming and goings, over seasons, over years. As I listen, I am aware of absences. No swallow sightings yet, their arrival from Southern Africa imminent. I wonder in what numbers we will see them this year too. Absence is as much an indicator as presence.
In that small path, my world has expanded. My sensory ones, ears and now eyes alert, awake. And my perceptions of time, space, orientation and interconnection have altered too. I return home, bringing this alertness into my work, into my day, and want to do the listening walk again: at dawn, at dusk, in winter, in summer. Turns out, this tiny path from my home is a pathway to the sound of life itself: the little stream, the story in the trees, my breath in rhythm with my footfall, the incantation of the waves, the buzz of the bumblebee, the call of the robin and the ebullience of the blackbird. The song of life is everywhere.
Whether urban or rural, Ireland or elsewhere, you can do this too! I recommend a path or walk that is already familiar to you- maybe on your way to your office, or dropping kids to school- it’s a great thing to do with them too.
The Merlin App may also be available in your region. It’s currently ‘available for birds in the US, Canada, Europe, with some common birds of Central and South America, and India’
(same path, last autumn)
Field Notes
After your walk, you may like to write about your experience.
Take 5 minutes jotting down some field notes. Here are some prompt questions:
What did you notice about the sounds around you?
What did you notice in yourself?
What insight/s are arriving as a result?
For those in ireland another great resource, is the work of ’Nature Boy’, Sean Royane, over on Irish Wildlife Sounds. I highly recommend the documentary about his path into ornithology, ‘Bird Song’.
Thank you for listening, literally.
Clare. xx
A note about the art work on The Wild Edge: I’ve been having quite a few queries about the illustrations here. These are all my own, drawn digitally using procreate in an iPad. I don’t sell prints at the moment, maybe down the line!
I’ve also had people ‘wondering’ if I am using AI to generate some of my photos. No! They are from my own lens- often using wide apertures to capture light in unusual ways, like the one above. It’s a rather sad state of affairs when I feel I have to defend my creative methods against the AI takeover. Alas, we press on).
Coming up on The Wild Edge
For paid subscribers to The Wild Edge. Membership starts at just €1.53 per week (if taking out annual membership, or €1.84 if monthly).
Owl Hours: Creative Practice.
These are hours to gather together, with intention, to work on your own creative projects.
8-9pm Irish/UK Time (Please note that we are in Summer Daylight Saving hours now. You can check your time zone conversion here).
April Dates: Thursday 24th
May Dates: Thursday 8th, Thursday 15th, Tuesday 20th, Thursday 29th
Poetry Salon: This coming Sunday!
Sunday 13th: April, 6-7pm
Running now for over 15 years, my regular poetry salon has gathered hundreds of people from across the world. This is an hour of reading poetry together, and sharing insights, learnings and stories the poem evokes. Participants have described them as ‘a sanctuary for a turbulent world’, and ‘a spa for the mind; helping retreat from the busyness of the day’. You can find out more about the salons here.
Seasonal Salon: Bealtaine
Friday 2 May, 7-8.30pm Irish/UK time.
Following the rhythm of the Celtic Seasons, the Bealtaine Salon will combine writing, reflection, poetry and seasonal ritual.
Tickets are included in ‘Gold Membership’ of The Wild Edge. Or can be purchased here.
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