The Sounds of Fall

Changing seasons present lots of visual elements; but there are lots of sounds that signal changes as well.

Here's my list so far:

1. The Northern Flickers signal their arrival by tapping on anything that might contain bugs. That's one in the photo. They love to tape on our eaves and then wait for a meal to drop. They are a pretty amazing bird; they can walk up and down a wall thanks to an extraordinary tail that holds them up. I heard their first taps just a few days ago. They will be gone by spring.

2. Acorns dropping out of our oak tree onto the deck make a thud sound. I've actually been hit by one as have the cats. Not something I look forward to again. They remind me of the Native Americans who roamed this area many years ago. Acorns were a mainstay of their diet. Now we just have a Native American casino; I don't go there because people are allowed to smoke. My lungs hate smoke.

3. It's almost duck hunting season so many more people are using the outdoor shooting range in Lincoln. I wake up to the pop of guns nearly every morning. Hunters refer to it as harvesting waterfowl. No matter how you view it, the ducks die.

4. My oven timer goes off more this time of year. In the summer it's the most under-used appliance in the kitchen. Now I'm cooking casseroles and other things with many ingredients. The oven goes off when it reaches the temperature I want and when the item is finished baking. Love those sounds.

5. In about two weeks the irrigation season will be over with; the ditch will go dry. Right now it makes a gurgling sound that will soon disappear until next April. I will miss it.

So those are some of my thoughts on fall. It is one of my favorite seasons. Actually I like three of our seasons; it's just summer that can be a bit tiresome.