Cicasion
May 22nd, 2004
This post is being continually updated, so make sure to scroll down for the ongoing saga.
The cicada invasion is now in full effect in DC, and throughout the metro area people have caught Cicada Mania. Magicicada Brood X has waken from it's 17 year underground nap and is winning its battle against human domination in the district.
Last week I was disappointed with the hyped-up Brood X invasion, only seeing a few empty dried up brown shells on the wall and squished little carcasses on the sidewalk. But today, everything changed when they began their noisy mating ritual outside my window. You have to experience the sound of a million cicadas singing together to fully appreciate it, so I've taken the liberty of recording some of the beautiful sounds of nature from my window.
The cicadas should be around for about another month, then we won't see them again until 2021.
UPDATE 05.23.2004 - 9:45 a.m.: Today I woke up to a sound much louder than yesterday. It sounds a lot like a car alarm going off, but it doesn't change through all of those fancy different sirens. I tried to get a sample because the other wildlife in the neighborhood is still asleep and it's just pure cicada song right now, its very mesmerizing. Unfortunately the internal mic on my laptop doesn't pick up the high pitched sound very well and it just sounds like static so I had to scrap the sound bite.
Also, if you download yesterday's sound bite and play it through iTunes, or your favorite .mp3 player, the sound is much more clear than just listening though your web browser.
UPDATE 05.23.2004 - 11:15 a.m.: With some help from Felt Tip Software's Sound Studio I was able to isolate the cicada sound from the background static. The resulting sound bite most accurately represents the sound that the human ear perceives, at least as reproduced from my internal TiBook speakers. Once again, please download the file and listen to it through iTunes, it will sound much better. I have also included an imbedded image, so make sure you are viewing album artwork in iTunes for the full experience.
I have definitely caught cicada fever, so I'm sure more updates will follow. Now I'm gonna go get one of these killer Brood X DC baseball jerseys.
UPDATE 05.23.2004 - 7:01 p.m.: I am absolutely hooked on these little guys. I've had my windows open all day, even though it hit 90° earlier, and undoubtedly prolonged exposure to the sound of a million cicadas making love has has a strange effect on me. I found a great source of info on these little guys. The bugs were talking about here are the Magicicada Septendecim species. Listen to the sounds on the page and you can see what I'm in for when they start making Court II and Court III sounds. I heard a Court I sound earlier, but didn't get to record it.
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ew. that is beyond creepy gross. when you're ready to escape, let us know; there are no cicadas outside the windows of our guestroom.
And it keeps getting grosser. I am engulfed in cicada mania now.
Yeah they should be hitting MI any day now. SOunds like a real hoot...
If you think the website you looked up had information, check out this site which has the real information on cicadas and their murderous ways.
This is creepy and fascinating. Sounds like a vacuum cleaner that is slurping up sparkling water.
I'm coming next Friday. Hope you're free for dinner Friday and then to play on Saturday and dinner Saturday night.
Think the cicadaes will still be there? Should I bring protective gear?
Are you sure you didn't imagine all this? I've been here since yesterday and haven't seen a single one yet?
Do you have any other imaginary friends, honey?