Essay topic: Describe the sounds of nature heard in your area

The best time to hear the sounds of nature is late in the night when most human activities have stopped and nature is intimately present.I have, on many occasions, stepped outside my house late at night. The very first thing that strikes me is the immense stillness of nature. Stillness is not silence. Rather it is a beauty that makes the environment seem so peaceful and perfect. Within the stillness many sounds can be heard, but the stillness is not disturbed.The shrill cries of the cicadas are very evident. These sharp high-pitched sounds pierce through the night, but as I said earlier, they do not disturb the peace. In fact they are part of the peace.On a distant tree, a night-jar makes its “tok, tok” sound. Somewhere else the bark of a dog can be heard. Over by the stream, frogs sing out a croaking symphony. A breeze springs up and whistles through the stately coconut palms. The leaves of the huge angsana trees rustle in unison. All is peaceful, in perfect balance with one another. I take in the wonder of nature. Even the buzzing of mosquitoes around my head seems part of it all.Suddenly a youth on a motorcycle whizzes by, shattering the stillness. My senses are jolted for a moment. This unnatural sound is certainly out of balance with nature. But as the sound of the motorcycle recedes into the distance, stillness reigns again. Everything regains the balance.I return my house. Something inside me has been touched by the beauty of nature. I feel good. I go to sleep with the beautiful feeling.In the daytime it is not so easy to hear the sounds of nature, but they can be heard if I am observant. Early in the morning just after the sun rises, the birds start to sing. Magpie-robins, mynahs, spotted doves, sparrows and bulbubs all sing out their songs. It is a bit strange but the other members of my family do not seem to hear them. Perhaps their ears have been conditioned to hear only man-made sounds; the unobtrusive sounds of nature cannot be heard any more. But I do hear them. The sounds of nature are sweet and gentle, quite the opposite of man-made sounds.To hear the sounds of nature in the midst of man-made sounds, all I have to do is to listen without trying. Man-made sounds force their presence onto our ears. The sounds of nature do not force, so we have to be attentive. They can be heard. The clicking of a gecko lizard, the patter of rain on the roof, the roar of thunder, the howl of the wind, the rustling of leaves – all are as alive as the ears that can hear them. I have ears that can hear the sweet sounds of nature and I am glad for it.