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Frogs, Crickets, Owls: The Sounds of the Forest at Night
Our Northwoods forest has been uncannily quiet at night this summer.
I love nights when it’s cool enough to have the air conditioning off. The open windows direct a breeze over the bed as we sleep. At our cabin, this is the norm.
Another advantage to having windows open at night is that you can hear the sounds of the forest at night. In the spring, frogs croak in unison to create a chorus of singing, hoping to attract mates. In summer, crickets calling fill the night air especially when it is warm and humid. And owls, hoot from their unseen perches high in the trees waiting for their unsuspecting meal to catch their careful observance.
This summer, our first living full-time at our lakeside cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, has been different. It’s been eerily quiet. Aside from a Great Horned Owl, asking questions in the dark (who, who, who cooks for you?), it’s been super quiet.
Yes, we’ve had our share of rain and the nights have been cool for mid-August, but the quiet is unexpected. It makes me wonder if something is off…Let’s face it something is off. Our climate is changing. Its change is affecting our wildlife, and not in a good way.
