![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithHuman noise is stressing birds worldwide - but we can help
Birds don’t just “put up with” our noise. A new analysis suggests that traffic, construction, and other human-made sounds are changing how birds behave, how stressed they get, and even how well they reproduce.
Some of these shifts look small on their own, but together they paint a picture of animals constantly adjusting to a louder world.
Anthropogenic noise is bad for many kinds of wildlife. It is also terrible for humans. There are things you can do about it.
>>The article doesn’t list specific interventions in detail, but the logic is clear: sound can be managed.
Road surfaces, barriers, building materials, vegetation buffers, construction practices, and urban design can all change how noise spreads. <<
Okay, let me just fill in that gap.
* Noise bounces off hard surfaces, especially flat ones.
--> Reduce or eliminate hard surfaces in a landscape to reduce noise.
--> Prefer porous to rigid surfaces, such as gravel instead of pavement.
--> Break up the flow of noise near hard surfaces by installing baffles, such as a woven fence or a hedge; and spongy areas, such as mulch alongside a driveway.
* Noise is absorbed by squishy or fluffy materials.
--> Use copious mulch such as bark chips or straw. Spread it around trees, cover paths with it, use it to suppress weeds in a garden, etc.
--> Earthworks can help in some areas.
--> Most plants absorb noise well, from ground covers through shrubs to tree leaves. Layered plantings work best because tree trunks are less useful at ground level.
--> Evergreens make fantastic sound absorbers, even in winter.
* Anything that breaks up the flow of air can disrupt the sound waves carrying noise.
--> Plant trees, bushes, tall grasses, vines, etc.
--> Open, airy structures such as pergolas, arbors, and woven fences not only disrupt sound waves but offer places to grow climbing plants.
--> Wind toys such as spirals and spinners may be hung from eaves or shepherd's hooks.
* Create natural sounds.
--> Birds like to sing, and they often seek perches with a good view and broadcast area. Include a few perches out in the open for this purpose.
--> Birds and other wildlife are strongly attracted to water sounds. A fountain, waterfall, or dripper creates pleasing sounds. Water sounds are also soothing to human ears, hence things like a shishi-odoshi bamboo fountain.
--> Plant tall things such as grass, cattails, bamboo, reeds, etc. that rustle in the breeze.
--> Look for plants with seedpods that rustle or rattle for fall-winter interest. Many plants with ornamental seedpods do this.
--> Evergreens tend to sigh or whistle in the wind, plus they smell good and provide shelter during winter.
--> Plant larval host plants and flowers to attract lots of insects. Some of them will sing. Some will produce larvae to feed birds. Look up pollinator plants for your ecoregion.
Here is a handbook for reducing urban noise. Encourage your town to do that.
Birds don’t just “put up with” our noise. A new analysis suggests that traffic, construction, and other human-made sounds are changing how birds behave, how stressed they get, and even how well they reproduce.
Some of these shifts look small on their own, but together they paint a picture of animals constantly adjusting to a louder world.
Anthropogenic noise is bad for many kinds of wildlife. It is also terrible for humans. There are things you can do about it.
>>The article doesn’t list specific interventions in detail, but the logic is clear: sound can be managed.
Road surfaces, barriers, building materials, vegetation buffers, construction practices, and urban design can all change how noise spreads. <<
Okay, let me just fill in that gap.
* Noise bounces off hard surfaces, especially flat ones.
--> Reduce or eliminate hard surfaces in a landscape to reduce noise.
--> Prefer porous to rigid surfaces, such as gravel instead of pavement.
--> Break up the flow of noise near hard surfaces by installing baffles, such as a woven fence or a hedge; and spongy areas, such as mulch alongside a driveway.
* Noise is absorbed by squishy or fluffy materials.
--> Use copious mulch such as bark chips or straw. Spread it around trees, cover paths with it, use it to suppress weeds in a garden, etc.
--> Earthworks can help in some areas.
--> Most plants absorb noise well, from ground covers through shrubs to tree leaves. Layered plantings work best because tree trunks are less useful at ground level.
--> Evergreens make fantastic sound absorbers, even in winter.
* Anything that breaks up the flow of air can disrupt the sound waves carrying noise.
--> Plant trees, bushes, tall grasses, vines, etc.
--> Open, airy structures such as pergolas, arbors, and woven fences not only disrupt sound waves but offer places to grow climbing plants.
--> Wind toys such as spirals and spinners may be hung from eaves or shepherd's hooks.
* Create natural sounds.
--> Birds like to sing, and they often seek perches with a good view and broadcast area. Include a few perches out in the open for this purpose.
--> Birds and other wildlife are strongly attracted to water sounds. A fountain, waterfall, or dripper creates pleasing sounds. Water sounds are also soothing to human ears, hence things like a shishi-odoshi bamboo fountain.
--> Plant tall things such as grass, cattails, bamboo, reeds, etc. that rustle in the breeze.
--> Look for plants with seedpods that rustle or rattle for fall-winter interest. Many plants with ornamental seedpods do this.
--> Evergreens tend to sigh or whistle in the wind, plus they smell good and provide shelter during winter.
--> Plant larval host plants and flowers to attract lots of insects. Some of them will sing. Some will produce larvae to feed birds. Look up pollinator plants for your ecoregion.
Here is a handbook for reducing urban noise. Encourage your town to do that.
