Get off Twitter and tune into a different kind of tweet. In a bold attempt to reconnect Prospect Heights to the sounds of the natural world, local resident Jenna Spevack has founded Birds of Brooklyn: An Aural Landscape. The project provides local businesses with outdoor speakers to project the birdsongs of displaced Brooklyn birds.

Birds like the Ring-necked Pheasant, Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern Blue Bird once dominated Brooklyn. Because of urban development, these birds have nearly disappeared from the neighborhood.

"Many neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including Prospect Heights, lack green space for bird habitats," says Spivack. "Those birds that have adapted to concrete city life are often drowned out by noise from cars, buses and construction."

"Many of the birds featured in the Birds of Brooklyn are threatened or have been extirpated from Brooklyn due to urban development, pesticides, airport management practices, and climate change, as well as shrinking grasslands, marshlands and forests."

Three local establishments, Breukelen Coffee House, Lava, and Monti Studios, have become collaborators with Birds of Brooklyn.

"Without their involvement, the project wouldn't exist," noted Spevack, "but it's also mutually beneficial. Host sites get a little publicity and many have said that their customers really enjoy the birds."

Breukelen Coffee House was featured on ABC7 news alongside Birds of Brooklyn.

As Spivack was beginning the project, she noticed that over half of the people passing by the host sites were plugged into their iPods or cell phones.

"They actually don't hear the world around them, she noted. "This dislocation from their environment became another aspect of the project."

"My hope is that if people take time to listen and reconnect with the sounds of the birds, they might also start to notice other sounds in their neighborhood, think about what else is lacking, and realize that we live in a diverse ecosystem that requires our participation and attention."

Perhaps Birds of Brooklyn's greatest feat will be to stimulate a sense of community – not only in humans, but in the bird community as well.

"Studies show that conflict and violence decreases in cities that offer greater access to green space. For me, hearing birds is akin to seeing trees and grass. If others are able experience this connection, then perhaps they will be more apt to support community gardens and other green space initiatives. This will in turn support both the bird and human communities."

Birds of Brooklyn is sponsored by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council. However, their support only covers a portion of the costs for equipment. Spevack hopes to expand the project to other areas of Brooklyn through individual and institutional contributions.

Birds of Brooklyn "sitings" can be heard in Prospect Heights from 8am to 8pm daily at Breukelen Coffee House, located at 764 Franklin Avenue, Lava, located at 524 Bergen Street, and Monti Studios, located 925 Bergen Street. Each spot features approximately twenty bird calls. To contribute to Birds of Brooklyn, click here. To learn each bird's call, or see a complete list of sittings, visit www.birdsofbrooklyn.org.