Night Symphony

Chirp, creak, hum, buzz, screech.  Whoever said the forest is a quiet, peaceful place has never tried to fall asleep on BCI.  In a room enveloped by trees the raucous symphony playing outside our windows often makes sleep elusive.   As soon as the lights go out, the night swells with the music of a congregation of astonishing new voices.

Creeping from the forest’s silhouette, the night brings out a new cast of players.

Every inch of the forest is alive and the more intently I listen, the more life I hear.  Buzzing insects; screeching bats, tiny chirping tungara frogs; mammals rustling in the leaves on the forest floor; the whispered wing beats of night birds.  Even the robust hammering of rain pellets against my roof, and the ticks, snaps, and thuds of distant branches falling to the ground or on the roofs of buildings, fill the night with their steamy melody.

Of the 120 mammal species found on BCI, it’s the 72 species of bats that rule the night.

Everything moves.  Everything breathes.  Everything is animated with music and energy.  Listen long enough and the weary trekker, nestled in the cocoon of her bed, begins to appreciate the lullaby of the always-awake jungle symphony. 

- Katrina Macht