In my garden, I often see Japanese tits (shijukara). They usually come as a pair, but sometimes they come in a mixed group. Many birds start talking at the same time, and the garden becomes full of sound. Then, suddenly, it becomes quiet again. When I see this moment, I feel happy that I live here.

During this short “noisy” time, I feel that I am also living together with other living things.

I finished reading “I Can Understand the Language of Birds” by Toshitaka Suzuki. The more I read, the more excited I became. Every page made me feel happy. It has been a long time since I felt this way about a book.

Birds use their voices as real language. They call their friends, give warnings, and show love. Their voices are a way to communicate.

Language is not only for humans. This idea reminds me that humans are also just one kind of animal.

The author’s research process was slow and careful, but it also felt like an adventure. He made hypotheses, watched birds again and again, and sometimes found new ideas from things that looked unrelated.

I felt that learning is not a straight road. It is like walking through a forest.

To keep your curiosity, to think flexibly, and to collect many experiences— these things can create a new field of study.

Many people today live far away from nature and other animals. But this is not natural for humans.

The morning sound of sparrows, the sharp call of brown-eared bulbuls, the light voice of swallows— each sound has meaning.

Humans cannot understand these sounds anymore, but other animals still listen and live with them.

Listening to the language of other animals can change the way we live.

I remember walking to school when I was a child. At that time, bird sounds were only “noise” to me. If I had read this book then, my daily walk might have been richer and more fun.

When bird voices have meaning, the world becomes lively and full of the presence of many living things.