lines can haunt you

2006-10-16

How to spot geese with your ears

Seven hundred Canada Geese just flew over my house*. I recognized their characteristic honking and ran outside, suddenly feeling transported to a Saturday in the fall, years ago. There were Snow Geese too, which you can recognize by the whiteness of their bodies, which are similar in size to Canada's, and their characteristic black wingtips. Who knows where they were going? They came in from the west, from the sea, wave upon wave in giant V formation, but also, at the end of each V, there would be more V's, branching off like the dichotomous nature of our nomenclature for living things. If not this, that; if this, then not that.

You wouldn't believe how loud they can honk! They were very high up, maybe a thousand feet, and often I would have to defocus my eyes as I looked up, waiting for the specks of black to pass through my field of vision. But how you can really find them is just from their honking! The collective honking gets successively louder as they approach overhead. Just before you should look straight up (and just left or right), they will reach maximum honkage.

That is how you find Canada Geese when they are flying very high over your house.

There they are again! I'll be right back!

Nope. False alarm. It is possible to be fooled by the sound of approaching geese.

And I just realized some of you (if there are any of 'you' still out there) won't know what the characteristic Canada goose honk sounds like: some of you have probably never heard it. The best way I can think to describe it is if you take the sound a female French tennis player makes right after she hits a good backhand and combine it with...wait! There they are again.

No false alarm that time. I had to use my ears like a ~~bat~~ cat. I turned my ears this way and that to figure out where the honking was coming from in the sky. Not like a bat though, which is what I originally wanted to say, because I'm not very talented with the shouting and then figuring out what's in front of me in the dark. That's called echolocation, and I doubt it would work to find geese flying overhead. Besides, it's daytime here!

Anyway, if you take that French tennis player, right after she hits a solid backhand, and you mix that sound in with the sound of a slide whistle, and then you audibly think 'Honk!', well, then you might be close. I find the biggest problem with my comparison to be that, if I think slide whistle, I immediately think "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite. I don't know if you know this song, but once you've heard it, it is highly addictive. I'm thinking about it right now, and I can't stop!

Here's where you can hear real Canada Geese honking: Honk! Honk!

More geese overheard. Getting bored with geese now.

In conclusion, thousands of geese flew over my house today. They made a lot of noise! Where they were going and why will always remain a mystery to mankind. Or, you can check with Google. Regardless, now you will know how to find these geese, just by using your ears and powers of imagination**.

* I stand by my powers of estimation.

** Some vision may be necessary.


Navigation previous entry next entry latest entry archives profile notes e-mail How lines can haunt you... Recent Forays 2009-03-10: The names 2008-05-21: in medias res 2007-11-14: The things I meant to write about: 2007-07-29: More than meets the eye 2007-04-13: Where the words have gone. Links Abroad in medias res Modern Drunkard Ftrain The Onion Exploding Dog McSweeney's Internet Tendency The National Pist Higher Blogs Palinode's Palace Schmutzie Friday Films Luvabeans Sprigs Fairlywell Dirty Laundry Boombasticat f-i-n jonquill Stray Sparrow Swordfern Pablo Ashahands Erasing		2006-10-16 How to spot geese with your ears Seven hundred Canada Geese just flew over my house. I recognized their characteristic honking and ran outside, suddenly feeling transported to a Saturday in the fall, years ago. There were Snow Geese too, which you can recognize by the whiteness of their bodies, which are similar in size to Canada's, and their characteristic black wingtips. Who knows where they were going? They came in from the west, from the sea, wave upon wave in giant V formation, but also, at the end of each V, there would be more V's, branching off like the dichotomous nature of our nomenclature for living things. If not this, that; if this, then not that. You wouldn't believe how loud they can honk! They were very high up, maybe a thousand feet, and often I would have to defocus my eyes as I looked up, waiting for the specks of black to pass through my field of vision. But how you can really find them is just from their honking! The collective honking gets successively louder as they approach overhead. Just before you should look straight up (and just left or right), they will reach maximum honkage. That is how you find Canada Geese when they are flying very high over your house. There they are again! I'll be right back! Nope. False alarm. It is possible to be fooled by the sound of approaching geese. And I just realized some of you (if there are any of 'you' still out there) won't know what the characteristic Canada goose honk sounds like: some of you have probably never heard it. The best way I can think to describe it is if you take the sound a female French tennis player makes right after she hits a good backhand and combine it with...wait! There they are again. No false alarm that time. I had to use my ears like a ~~bat~~ cat. I turned my ears this way and that to figure out where the honking was coming from in the sky. Not like a bat though, which is what I originally wanted to say, because I'm not very talented with the shouting and then figuring out what's in front of me in the dark. That's called echolocation, and I doubt it would work to find geese flying overhead. Besides, it's daytime here! Anyway, if you take that French tennis player, right after she hits a solid backhand, and you mix that sound in with the sound of a slide whistle, and then you audibly think 'Honk!', well, then you might be close. I find the biggest problem with my comparison to be that, if I think slide whistle, I immediately think "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite. I don't know if you know this song, but once you've heard it, it is highly addictive. I'm thinking about it right now, and I can't stop! Here's where you can hear real Canada Geese honking: Honk! Honk! More geese overheard. Getting bored with geese now. In conclusion, thousands of geese flew over my house today. They made a lot of noise! Where they were going and why will always remain a mystery to mankind. Or, you can check with Google. Regardless, now you will know how to find these geese, just by using your ears and powers of imagination. I stand by my powers of estimation. ** Some vision may be necessary. Tell me when this blog is updated email: