Sleeping with the windows open: the morning orchestra
Western Kingbird
I absolutely love sleeping with the windows open. That crisp, clean night air cools me off at first and then makes me wrap up tighter in the blanket by morning. Unfortunately, our temperate weather pattern here in Nebraska doesn’t give us much opportunity to sleep with the windows open. October through March – too cold, not a chance; late June through early September – much too warm and humid, no thanks. So that leaves us with April into June and parts of September, and you better watch the rain forecast in April and May so April showers don’t make a mess on your floor.
Right now, we’re really getting into the prime sleep-with-your-window-open season. When you do, you might fall asleep listening to a distant Great Horned Owl hooting away to proclaim his territory. If he is not too close — they can be loud — you can get to sleep quickly and enjoy the “morning” show that starts in just a few hours.
About the time the first hint of light starts to appear on the eastern horizon, the American Robins start singing away, followed shortly by the Kingbirds (both Eastern and Western). If it is calm, you will be amazed at the amount of sound these little birds can make in the cool dark of the morning. Gradually, your ears and brain get used to these sounds and you may start to drift off back to sleep, but then...
A Brown Thrasher chimes in and the House Wren starts chattering away in the tree in your back yard. Apparently they, too, were awakened by the robins and kingbirds and had to join in. Soon after, the Northern Cardinal starts whistling his familiar call, then as the sun rises, literally all the birds in your neighborhood join in and even the trained birding ear will have problems picking everything out. And while I often get a little less sleep because of our feathered friends when I sleep with the windows open, I always feel refreshed by the cool night air and the sounds of the birds.
Sleeping with the windows open is good, but for me, the best place to appreciate a morning symphony is in a campground, especially at a place where you may not be entirely familiar with all of the local bird songs. You may wake up and be wondering what this call or that one is, and you may even find yourself crawling out of that tent or camper before the sun gets up to catch a glimpse of the birds that are singing. Then as long as you’re up, you can get that campfire restarted, make yourself a cup of hot coffee, sit in the cool morning air and listening to the morning orchestra.
Bird songs are beautiful and diverse and bring the natural world into your house like the scent of flowers on an evening breeze. And the wonderful thing is, like the flowers, you don’t have to know or understand anything about bird calls to appreciate them. Just relax and listen.
Why not sleep with the window open tonight?
T.J. Walker
Wildlife Biologist
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
North Platte
About the Chicken Dance Trail
The Chicken Dance Trail is actually a collection of great bird watching locations in southwest and south central Nebraska, between the Platte and Republican Rivers. Because the area includes the narrowest section of the hourglass-shaped Central Flyway, the Chicken Dance Trail is uniquely situated for birders. Millions of different birds come through here during spring and fall migrations, making the Chicken Dance Trail one of the best places in the country to see a wide variety of species in a relatively small area.
Our bird watching sites were developed by local naturalists and birding experts and are collected into a series of bird watching “adventures” which are described in detail, along with interactive maps, on our Web site at www.chickendancetrail.com. Other resources include a birding chart, useful birding links, and guides to restaurants, lodging and activities in the area.
Our wildlife and bird watching sites were developed by local naturalists and are collected into a series of “adventures” which are described in detail, along with interactive maps, on our Web site at www.chickendancetrail.com. Other resources include a birding chart, useful links, and guides to restaurants, lodging and activities in the area.
Come and visit and learn why we say, “Birds love this part of Nebraska...and you will too!”
Special Thanks to:
Nebraska Game and Parks, Birds of Nebraska
www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/guides/birds/findbirds.asp