In harmony (pt. II)

In Harmony …. Part II

[okay we are back now and the responsible people, well irresponsible, actually when you think about it … .um … the people responsible for the errors on the last blog have been sacked.]

So, as I was saying before getting cut off, most living creatures are all just singing.

[oh and we apologize for all these annoying, interrupting apologies. we now return you to..]

As I was trying to say … many of us are singing, but communicating extends much deeper than just audio stimulation.  We can communicate more visually to someone who speaks a different language by our overall demeanor. Many species of animals “communicate” to one another by their visual frequency of their body. Those colors are there for a reason -- look at me, pass my genes on!

Some organisms use olfactory input. Others use chemoreceptors. All these means of “communicating” are a big part of the “pass my genes” concept. It’s interesting how all the biological systems affect one other and how each organism cuts out the clutter allowing them to focus in on only the ones that are beneficial to them individually (and hence, collectively, as a species).

It’s just one big intertwined cycle. I recall when first looking into getting a B.S. in Biology and being shocked that differential equations was a mandatory class. After a few classes, I understood just how much integrations are needed to make up predictive models.

Funny how the interaction of two crows and, then, two other songbirds took me from "singing" to/at one another to the very essence of survival.

In harmony ...

I am sitting out in the early morning shade of my backyard and enjoying being outside without feeling like I am rotating on a spit. As I type this I’m-a listenin’ to all the critters a-singin’. Sure some of them aren’t “singing” (some of them are) but it is music to my ears.

I was just watching a crow chase off another crow and squawking at him wildly. This was certainly not singing, but it had a certain musical component with its consistency – a rhythmic frequency, of sorts.

At that point, “into the picture” (meaning my peripheral view) flew a bird. I watched him as he kept “singing” out a call. Every third or fourth call a female would answer. I think I just witnessed a serenade.

After a few measures the male flew over to where the female whom had been responding was. I assumed a female because the interaction didn’t seem antagonistic prior to, nor after, their rendezvous. I don’t know what happened from there. 

In the background is the white-noise effect of crickets, chiggers, grasshoppers, and a variety of other critters that pitch in on a rather consistent note. On another frequency you have yet others of the bird family chiming in at periodic intervals.

All these frequencies are occurring at the same time. All these pieces assemble into a “song”.  Although, many of them are not “singing”, they are part of a song and engaging in a definite kind of communication. It’s up to everyone in the group to play their note.

This got me thinking about language, or specifically, communicating. There is all this cacophonic background noise, yet all of the same species can “talk” to each other and tune out the other frequencies or … noise.

Humans do this as well. Go to an international airport or worldwide multi-cultural popular tourist hot-spot and listen. You will likely hear a cross of many cultural frequencies, but the one that closest mirrors your own language, you will tune into most.

[we apologize for this interruption … ]

What the … ?  Hey! I just had a lizard scurry across my foot. Not sure, why I included that but thought it might contribute to the togetherness of biodiversity.

Anyhoo ….

[and now for something completely the same…    BLAHBLAHBLAHHHBLAHH BLAH! again we humbly apologize for this interruption, thank you for your patience in this matter while we try to resolve it. And now without further ado, we return you to ….]

So most living creatures are all “singing” and thank goodness for selective hearing to sort through the noise.   

[ahhh … bugger! sorry for the interruption again, but we are out of time for this episode. we will work out these production details promptly and again, humbly apologize for this inconvenience]