I have a ritual at this time of year. Every night around sunset, wherever I happen to be, I step outside into the gathering night and quietly listen.

I’m actually listening for Spring.

Yes, you can hear Spring. It’s particularly audible in the evenings when spring peepers, wood frogs, and American toads all start lustily belting out their desire to find a mate and reproduce. This Spring aria is the oldest song in the world and still one of the most beautiful — if  you walk away from the noise of civilization and take some time to listen.

The first songs of Spring aren’t sung by amphibians, though. Sometime in February, you’ll get those first long, warmer days that tell you the sun is making its journey northward. That’s when you’ll hear the chickadees start singing out a clear, drawn-out two-note, high-low call, that I hear as “Spriiiing Soooooong.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard it after the leaves are on the trees—or maybe I just haven’t noticed it in the hubbub of other singers. In winter, it stands out as clear as sunshine.

But the spring singers everyone looks forward to are the peepers. Scientists call them Pseudacris crucifer after the x mark on their backs. Old timers called them “Pinkletinks” for the chime-like quality of their song heard from a distance. I like that.

What’s so amazing about peeper is how LOUD they can be, especially when hundreds or even thousands sing in the chorus. Remember, only the males are singing and the whole critter producing that sound is only about the size of your thumbnail.

Peepers seem to be natural ventriloquists—it’s awfully hard to pinpoint exactly where all the sound is coming from as it fills the air around you. That’s a handy survival aid if you are trying to make as much noise as possible to attract a mate and still not be found by someone who might eat you. One assumes, from the numbers of peepers around in the spring, that the females have no trouble pinpointing the singers.

You probably don’t need to travel far from your home to hear the spring chorus. A couple of years ago, I listened to the spring singers along the Charles River in Boston, trying to out-compete the roar of traffic on Storrow Drive, so I’m pretty sure you can find peepers wherever you choose to listen.

The trick is listening. Take a walk around your own neighborhood on a spring evening and really listen, head toward any riverbank or wide spot in a drainage ditch and chances are you won’t have to travel far before you hear spring calling you.

Of course, if you happen to be traveling for other purposes, be sure you sep out the door wherever you are and listen. Last spring, my wife Marilyn and I were at the AMC’s Highland Center just after the ice went off the local ponds. We were there to hike to some of the waterfalls in the area, but in the evenings, the peeper chorus provided a perfect excuse for an after-dinner stroll.

The important message here is to turn off the TV and the computer, ditch the iPod and get yourself out the door. Listen for the sound of peeper in the distance, then let your feet take you toward. If there’s a child handy, take him or her by the hand and let yourself be the follower. Walk beside the water and let he sounds of spring overwhelm you.

Spring Songs: Identify the Singers

If you want to be able to identify spring singers, New Hampshire Fish and Game has a marvelous page on their website: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/nongame/reptiles-amphibians.html. They have pictures and sound recordings of each species of frog and toad so you can easily sort out who’s who in the chorus you are hearing. With knowledge comes a deeper enjoyment.

New Hampshire  has a program called RAARP (sounds like a frog-croak, doesn’t it) where volunteers report sightings of reptiles and amphibians from spring peepers to snapping turtles. Observations are used to determine the distribution of all reptiles and amphibians within New Hampshire. Bring along your camera and take photos, they’ll help verify your findings.

You’ll be doing good just by getting out in the outdoors, paying close attention to the world around you, and having a wonderful tme. What more could you ask?

Spring Songs: Vernal Pools

A fleeting phenomenon of spring, worth seeking out  and exploring (especially with kids along) are vernal pools where fairy shrimp, wood frogs and mole salamanders breed. Vernal pools are defined as seasonal pools that don’t contain fish because they periodically dry up completely.

The woodlands of New England hold lots of vernal pools, and the critters that live in them are fascinating to study.

There’s a wonderful website for adults and kids at www.vernalpool.org which will get you started looking for and understanding this wonder of spring.

Take a kid and go looking a vernal pool. You’ll both learn something.