Nature’s sounds in winter may be louder and clearer

Perhaps at no other time of year are sounds so sharp. Even faint sounds can be louder in winter. That’s because cold mornings typically bring a temperature inversion — the air is colder near the ground and a bit warmer higher up. Sound waves travel slower in cold air, allowing them to go farther and produce sounds that seem louder and clearer. Also, with hardwood trees bare of leaves, there’s less foliage to absorb sounds.

So, if you’re strolling outdoors on a cold day, take a minute to listen to nature’s harmony. You’re likely to hear, for instance, small birds — chickadees, titmice, kinglets, nuthatches, creepers — in mixed winter-only flocks constantly calling to one another. Flock members use chirps, buzzes, squawks, soft whistles and other notes to help keep their group together, locate food and warn of danger.

Many other bird species — red-winged blackbirds, blue jays, American robins, cedar waxwings — also form noisy flocks in winter. A waxwing flock, for instance, communicates with constant, high-pitched, thin “seee” or “trill” calls, especially when flying or feeding on berries.

Winter nights also are full of sounds. Hooting among the big owls — barred and great horned — is more vocal and vociferous in winter as the birds try to attract mates and defend territories. And screams and barks coming from the woods on a winter evening likely mean a pair of red foxes are courting or mating.

IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, retired Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon is first quarter today. Mercury is low in the east just before sunrise. Saturn is in the west and Jupiter rises in the east at dusk. Venus and Mars are not easily seen now.