I love the sound of Cicadas and other singing insects in the summer. To me, the height of summer is when the cicadas, crickets or katydids are singing for a mate. I love to sleep with the windows open for this reason or close my eyes sometimes and just listen while I’m in the garden But did you know noise pollution can harm wildlife or the lack of wildlife sounds is another indicator of habitat destruction?
Periodic Cicada: 17 year cicada on my dog’s head. Notice the red cicada eyes and wings!
Although I love the sound of the cicadas and other wildlife, I never really thought about how a lack of wildlife sounds can be an indicator of habitat destruction. Have you? I never realized how human noise can also destroy wildlife habitat until I saw this first hand. I remember watching a local Fourth of July fireworks show at night overlooking a pond, and seeing herons and other birds who were roosting in the trees nearby, flying away in complete panic when the fireworks started. Noise pollution can stress humans, pets, zoo animals, livestock, and wildlife. Noise pollution can also drown out wildlife’s territorial, distress and mating calls. The stress from noise can also cause some wildlife to to abandon their nests, leave an area altogether, or make them more vulnerable to predators, according to Wilderness.net. Mowers, fireworks, airplanes, boats, ATVs, chain saws, traffic, loud music are just a few human sounds that can cause stress. My sensitive dog Luna is very noise aversive and she made me even more aware of the amount of noise pollution that surrounds us everyday, 24/7.
So please take the opportunity to reduce noise pollution and to appreciate the sounds of nature instead. We will all greatly benefit. Plus part of the beauty of the natural world are the sounds of nature. I know if I were to never again hear the great horned owl at night or the cicadas during summer, my life would never be the same. The impact of noise pollution on wildlife sounds has been a life long study of Dr. Krause and other scientists. Learn more from naturalist and soundscape ecologist Dr. Krause on his awesome website “Wild Sanctuary” or in his awesome Ted Talk: