As a child of the 1980s and early ’90s, I always knew that when I headed out I needed a quarter for the pay phone. Cell phones weren’t as common during those years and way more money than my family could afford. But now, with cell phones everywhere, payphones are a thing of the past.

At least, in most places. But outside Mansa Kunda, a restaurant in Takoma Park, Md., there is a special pay phone with a banner waving above it. Hatib Joof, Mansa Kunda’s owner, said that he has grown accustomed to seeing a line of people, including elementary school students, all waiting to use the pay phone.

The Bird Calls Phone now has a canary-colored receiver. P:hoto by Tom Huizenga

“The phone attracts a lot of attention,” Joof said. The phone, which has a bright yellow receiver, isn’t an ordinary pay phone. You don’t need a quarter to use it. You can’t call anyone. But when you pick up the receiver, and press one of the numbers on the pad, you get something to brighten your day: free birdsongs.

… it’s fascinating to watch people’s expressions when they use it,” Joof said.

The phone was installed years ago, Joof said, and is still just as popular as the first day.  “Once I put the phone out there, it just took off,” said David Schulman, a Takoma Park violinist, composer and audio producer who created the Bird Calls Phone. He said he hot-wired an old pay phone back in 2016 for a contest that the city of Takoma Park was running to find a new interactive public art project.

If you press ‘1’, you get to hear a yellow-crowned night heron. Number 7 gives you a pileated woodpecker’s call. Instructions for the pay phone are in three languages that make up the Takoma Park community: English, Spanish and Amharic, for the Ethiopian community.

The Bird Calls Phone has been a popular attraction in Takoma Park since 2016. Photo by Brendan Smith

“I wanted as many local people as possible to enjoy the experience,” Schulman said. He also made sure an assortment of birds native to the area were featured. Schulman even included Roscoe, a rooster that became the city’s mascot in the 1990s. Roscoe was notorious for escaping animal control officers and roamed the city.

In all, 10 birds are featured on the phone. “The Bird Calls Phone is unique public art that meets people where they are instead of in a museum or an art gallery,” Brendan Smith, arts and humanities coordinator for Takoma Park.

Schulman said he’s happy that people are still enjoying the pay phone all these years later.  “One thing I like about the Bird Calls Phone is that it’s the opposite of a loud broadcast,” he said. “Only one person can listen at a time, and each person will take away their own individual experience.”

Schulman said he would love to see his idea replicated in other towns to help draw awareness to the local wildlife. “I like to imagine Bird Calls Phones all over the country, featuring [each city’s] local birds,” Schulman said. “I’d love for it to become an experience for everyone.” Watch below for a look at this mix of old technology and nature!

Sources: Washington Post | WJLA