An interesting article at spiegel online: "Why noise makes birds go dumb": manmade noise can reduce for birds and other animals and insects the ability to find food and to find a proper mate by 50%. The scientist, behavioral biologist Christopher Templeton from the Pacific University in Forest Grove Oregon, who made the study got the idea since he couldn't concentrate properly because of fan noise in his office. Maybe this is also why I feel that more often than not quiet, gentle and peaceful music reflects the experience of being in nature better than loud urban beats.
