Celebrating the Voices of the Natural World
It is dawn in a vast prairie wetland in central North Dakota. I sit quietly in my canoe, alongside a dense stand of cattails and rushes. The marsh is alive with bird sounds, but I am here specifically to record the resonant, gulping onk-ka-chonk (or pumper-lunk ) of an American Bittern, hidden in thick vegetation less than a hundred feet away. The post Thunder-Pumper appeared first on Music of…
While exploring the Comanche National Grassland in southeastern Colorado, I visit Picture Canyon and discover a large communal roost of Rock Pigeons, nesting on ledges and in nooks and crannies along an extended sheer cliff rising about fifty feet above me. The post Pigeon Roost at Picture Canyon appeared first on Music of Nature .
In late July, I accompany two researchers to Great Island, a protected seabird sanctuary in Newfoundland’s Witless Bay. The island is the home to over 250,000 nesting Atlantic Puffins and the primary goal of my visit is to record their unusual buzzy snores, which sound like miniature chainsaws. The post Puffin Snorefest appeared first on Music of Nature .
During a late April visit to Aravaipa Canyon in southeastern Arizona, I camp next to a gently gurgling waterfall. At midnight, I awaken to the melodic hoots of a Mexican Spotted Owl and the sweet whistles of a fledgling, no doubt begging for food ... The post Spotted Owl and Gently Splashing Waterfall appeared first on Music of Nature .
As autumn begins revealing its colors, there is still a pleasing insect chorus at night in the forested hills of upstate New York. In late September, after an evening thunderstorm passes through the area, I visit nearby Shindagin Hollow in search of meditative nightscapes. I soon come across a soothing mix that transports me into an altered state of deep communion with nature.... The post Calming…
In late June, I visit Olympic National Park and camp near Ozette Lake in the Olympic Peninsula. At the break of dawn, I amble along a trail leading to the Pacific Ocean and encounter an exciting constellation of wild sounds typical of old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest ... The post Olympic Thrush Tones appeared first on Music of Nature .
It is early autumn in the Finger Lakes National Forest in upstate New York. In the wee hours of the morning, I awaken to whimpering notes, squeals, and occasional water splashes. These are the sweet, endearing calls of muskrats, given while swimming slowly along the marshy edge ... The post Muskrats Nattering appeared first on Music of Nature .
I travel to Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska. I am there to record the sounds of ducks and I soon discover a waterfowl mecca where ducks streak by overhead, making spine-tingling hair-raising whooshes that are absolutely amazing to behold ... The post Spine-Tingling Duck Wing Whooshes and Whistles appeared first on Music of Nature .
In my never-ending quest to celebrate the songs of our native thrushes in spacious binaural sound, I search for soundscapes that offer a pleasing balance between the songs of the thrush and the background ambience. This recording of the Veery's twilight song ... vespers if you will ... I think captures that sentiment. The post Veery at Dusk appeared first on Music of Nature .
PLEASE HELP ME IDENTIFY THIS MYSTERY SOUND! I recorded this rather amazing vocalization made by an unknown animal (presumably a mammal) in the American Prairie Preserve in Montana. At dusk, I set my microphone near the edge of Second Creek, just south of the Buffalo Camp campground. This unusual sound event occurred not long after midnight. Does anyone know what animal made these extraordinary…
At dusk, we visit a lakeside swamp in Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky. The scene is exquisite, with a white-tailed deer silhouetted against the red sky. As darkness descends, we make our way to a swampy area next to a lake and are shocked by the number of whip-poor-wills in the area, their repeated songs mixing with the bright notes of spring peepers and the chirps of field crickets. The post…
In early July, I camp at the bottom of Shinagin Hollow in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, a short distance from a small mountain brook. Around midnight, I am awakened by a distant barred owl that screams and hoots from the other side of the hollow. Other owls join in. The concert lasts for over fifteen minutes, finally ending with a lone owl giving a slow-paced series of simple…