A special event presented as part of the Maldon in Winter Festival program, ‘Deep Listening in Nature’ was an eloquent and persuasive talk by Andrew Skeoch on Sunday 6 July. The mood of the afternoon was set by the low lighting in the hall (illuminated only by historic stained-glass windows), perhaps helping to attune attendees to their aural senses.
Describing his field of Acoustic Ecology as being about a personal relationship with nature, Andrew said that while he had listened to birds since childhood, it wasn’t until later in life that it occurred to him to really start listening to them, realising “how diverse and beautiful nature’s sounds are. We are not taught to listen. We take it for granted,” he said.
Andrew proceeded to use recorded sounds or soundscapes (“the sonic equivalent of a landscape”) and projected spectrograms, which are a visual representation of sounds, to dive into the sounds made by birds. “This afternoon: get your ears tuned it, listen to specific species and how they use sound to get along in the world,” he encouraged the people in the room.
Describing the fascinating physical attributes of birds, their social behaviours and their (often sophisticated) songs or calls, Andrew wove evolution into every point in his presentation. “The birds or creatures have evolved to support the way that they live,” he stated. He demonstrated different songs and phrases, comparing them to a game and said the birds interact to change the song like a Mexican wave. “They’re not just singing, they are listening; a form of acknowledging each other, working out their home ranges,” he said. “They’re singing with a common repertoire, the same sonic identity, becoming a community of birds.”
Andrew concluded with a plea for humans to listen and learn from the diverse, cooperative relationships in nature, saying:“We have to rethink our relationship with the natural world…. Listening is a powerful way to do that.” He said that people should undertake deep listening in nature not to learn about nature but to learn from nature.
This fascinating presentation was put together by Sally Dear and Maldon Neighbourhood Centre and it was wonderful to see a full house in attendance. To learn more about Andrew Skeoch’s work and listen to his incredible nature recordings, visit: listeningearth.com/andrewskeoch.
This article appeared in Tarrangower Times, 11 July 2025.
