One thing that Sensei Roemke and I share in common is that we both used to go 
on patrol in nature as a job occupation. Another thing we have in common is that we both eventually had our minds blown by the language of birds.
In the video below Sensei Roemke shares a technique for moving through nature silently in a state of heightened awareness called Shinobi Yoko Aruki. This skill will come in really handy if you want to move invisibly through the forest. And, the technique relates to birds and ninjas.
Full disclosure…I used to be a “bird nerd.” Okay, actually once a bird nerd, always a bird nerd. It’s impossible not to notice them once you start paying attention.
I was a professional ornithologist for the better part of twenty years. I began as a ranger patrolling the Brooks Range in the Arctic of Alaska. While on patrol, we were supposed to record all the birds we saw. I was new to Alaska at the time and was unfamiliar with the local birds. So, I started with the easier, big birds…first learning to identify the eagles, then gradually moving to smaller birds such as ravens, owls, hawk owls, and falcons. Eventually I learned to identify the LBBs (a.k.a. the Little Brown Birds).
I then moved to Hawaii where I had to learn an entirely new suite of birds as a wildlife biologist. These birds were sometimes really tiny, lived at the top of the dense forest canopy, and often made quiet "whisper" songs. In other words...they were a real challenge to learn.
Eventually I figured those birds out too. At that point, I thought I knew a lot about birds.
Then I met people who new about the ancient art of “bird language”. Mind blowing stuff.
What is bird language? In short, the birds are communicating to each other about all the threats that are moving through the forest, including us. Learn this, and you have the keys to moving "invisibly" through nature.
But I’ll take a Shinobi Yoko Aruki step or two to the side and let Sensei Roemke take over to tell you his story first about meeting someone who understood this language.
Tag. You're it Sensei…
When I was in the army we were taught to use our sense of sight, smell 
and hearing to try and detect the enemy when on patrol. My martial arts awareness training complimented this military training. Through years of martial arts training, I learned how to heighten my awareness.
I thought I was pretty good at finding ambushes and booby traps using my senses until the day I went on a hike with a tracking instructor.
I really love being a student and am always seeking new teachers. When I met a local tracking instructor, we soon realized that we had a common interest in the natural world. He was interested in ninjutsu, so we decided to trade skills with each other. He would take me tracking, and I would teach him ninjutsu.
He took me to a trail in the nearby redwood hills near where I live in Santa Cruz. A few miles into our morning hike we stopped. He turned to me and said, “Let's just stand here for a minute and tune in.”
We stood there quietly for a few moments, paying attention to the sounds of the forest.
All of the sudden, a large group of birds flew down the trail over our heads. The instructor turned to me and said,“There's going to be two people coming down the trail in about two minutes. Start your watch.”
I looked at my watch, and we waited.
Then, in exactly one minute, fifty-nine seconds, two people came hiking down the trail.
“Good morning!” they said with smiles on their faces. I stood there looking at them in disbelief.
I just had my mind blown.
I learned more in those two hours of training with my tracker friend about sensory awareness than I did from all of my training in the military.
What I learned was that the birds can teach you so much. They give you an understanding of what is around you.
That morning made me think about the ninjas of old times, and how they could use their observations of birds to tell where people were. I have heard Hatsumi Sensei say, “Go back to nature to learn.”
He wasn't kidding.
It really helps to have a mentor or instructor to help guide you down the path. I feel lucky to have met a lot of great teachers in my life.
But I know what you are thinking…
“Lucky you! You had a tracking instructor living near you.”
Yes, but not to worry.
If you don’t happen to have one on your street corner, we have one lined up for you in the next blog. Master tracker and naturalist Jon Young will be dropping by in the next blog to give us some tips about learning bird language.
Until then, if you want to move silently through the world, and not freak out all the birds (who are more than happy to give your location away), I have a skill for you to practice.
It’s a silent walk that the ninjas developed called Shinobi Yoko Aruki, or “silent sideways walking”. This move also allows you to avoid looking at your feet so that you can expand your awareness around you. I also include a technique that we used in the military to spin 360 degrees while doing this move.
I hope you enjoyed this one. This video is part of our White to Black Belt training series at Ninja Training Tv.
If you want to hear another bird language story, checkout another previous post The Sword and the Whisper Song.
Bird language is amazing stuff. Get ready to have your mind blown in this series on the birds and learn what it truly means to become invisible in nature.