Before birds in ancient forests sang
swirling winds made grasses rushy sound
leaves flutter crisp on autumn branches.
Ocean waves on crumbly beaches
pounded sounds on shalely shores.
Rain splash, tornado whirl,
branch break fall into needle leaf
fern rustle – winter ice crack
snap of spring in river gurgle
noisy ramble down to silent lakes.
On, on the sounds of tumbling water
in rivulets to the sea or whishing
soft silent into the air spin
whispering around the world til plop!
N’er a chirp or cacklecaw, by Gawd,
for there were no birds
to sing the morning praise! 

Portland, Oregon – March 12, 2020

So say the geologists, the first trees appeared in the Peleozoic era/Devonian period while birds first appeared in the Mesozoic era/Jurassic period. There may have been millions of years between the time of the first forests and the first birds.(https://www.infoplease.com/math-science/earth-environment/table-of-geological-periods)