Sounds of Nature in the Neighborhood

I so enjoy the sounds of the night.

I don't sleep well, and I often awaken during the early morning hours. I live in a city of some 90,000 people, but in a wonderful area with unpaved roads and 1/2-acre lots. One lot next to mine is vacant. Once in a while I will hear a vehicle driving down the road, or a small airplane flying overhead. But it is a very peaceful neighborhood, which is one of the things I love about it.

One morning I woke up at 12:45 a.m. and was unable to go back to sleep. So I listened to a pack of coyotes howling. Then I heard my dog, sleeping on the floor at the end of my bed (he refuses to sleep on a dog bed or blanket), groan a couple of times. 

Some early mornings I hear a great horned owl hooting in a nearby tree. It used to sit in one of my big pine trees, but it seems to have taken up residence elsewhere. I have repeatedly tried to see it (my neighbor told me about it after seeing it in the tree, and after it tried to carry off one of the family's miniature dachshunds). I never did get to see it.

Sometimes during the day I can hear the distinctive call of a Cooper's hawk. For a few years, Mr and Mrs Hawk had a large nest in one of my cottonwood trees. In 2019 they raised five baby hawks. They did not nest there last year, although I still hear their call from time to time. My dog goes crazy when he hears the hawk, and I swear the bird is laughing as it sits safely in a tree and antagonizes my dog. 

In winter and early spring, the honking of geese and the distinctive vocalizations of sandhill cranes flying overhead or feeding in nearby fields are daily occurrences. I also hear crows and quail in the neighborhood. Once in a great while I will hear (but not as often see) a road runner making its distinctive clacking sound.

Living in the desert, I rarely see or hear songbirds. Bald eagles have been spotted along the nearby Rio Grande River during the winter, but I have yet to see one.

My favorite thing of all, however, is the magnificent view of the Sandia Mountains visible from my back yard and from several rooms in my house. While the mountains themselves lack the beauty of Arizona's and Utah's magnificent red rocks, they are home to many spectacular sunrises.

I love being able to enjoy nature while still having the convenience of urban living.