The ghosts of car alarms long past
Mar. 20th, 2009 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaunthieWay back in the 1990s, I lived for a time (several different periods of time) in various places that had mockingbirds. I quite like mockingbirds; they're neat little birds with an impressive vocal range and sing at the drop of a hat. (They also are quite smart and have a distinct sense of humor, but that's another post.) However, there's one catch about mockingbirds: they imprint their songs based on the noises around their nests when they're chicks and fledglings. And in the 1990s, at least in the various places I lived, one of the most ubiquitous noises out there was car alarms. Specifically, one particular car alarm with a very distinct pattern. Those of you old enough to remember the 1990s clearly probably already know the one I'm talking about: starts off with a "whoo whoo whoo whoo," goes to a "dee-doo, dee-doo," progresses to a "whoop, whoop," and ends with an "err-err-err"...well maybe not exactly, but if you've heard it, you know what I mean.
The mockingbirds picked up this particular car alarm sequence like crazy. I'd say more than half the mockingbird songs I heard back then were their imitations of this particular car alarm. Very good imitations, too; you couldn't mistake it.
Fast forward to 2009. It's been at least a decade since I last heard the old 1990s car alarm. I'm listening to the mockingbirds sing...
...and a goodly number of them are singing derivatives of the old car alarm. Not exact replicas, but obviously the permutations of having heard that alarm sung over several generations. It's an imitation of songs they heard as chicks, not the actual sounds of the alarms themselves, but it's still very noticable if you know what to listen for. It's more musical, and I'm sure it will continue to change, but it's definitely still there.
I find this fascinating. I wonder what it will sound like in another 20 years?
The mockingbirds picked up this particular car alarm sequence like crazy. I'd say more than half the mockingbird songs I heard back then were their imitations of this particular car alarm. Very good imitations, too; you couldn't mistake it.
Fast forward to 2009. It's been at least a decade since I last heard the old 1990s car alarm. I'm listening to the mockingbirds sing...
...and a goodly number of them are singing derivatives of the old car alarm. Not exact replicas, but obviously the permutations of having heard that alarm sung over several generations. It's an imitation of songs they heard as chicks, not the actual sounds of the alarms themselves, but it's still very noticable if you know what to listen for. It's more musical, and I'm sure it will continue to change, but it's definitely still there.
I find this fascinating. I wonder what it will sound like in another 20 years?
