Excerpt from recording about 6pm in a deep ravine on Lago Maggiore in Italy.  Telinga SSM and Sony D50. Recorded July 11, 2013.  Some of the low frequency noise from traffic/boats on the nearby lake were filtered.

Afternoon at Pian D'Evan (capinera and frenguello)

Sunday afternoon, May 15, 2022, ~ 4:40pm, thunderstorm arrived, rain starting, strong wind gusts whipping trees/grasses and blowing the wind chimes.   

Recorded with Lom Usi-Pro (XLR cable)mics on DIY Olsen wing array, on tripod ~ 5 feet above floor, on back porch of suburban home. Recorder - Zoom F3, 32-bit float, 96,000 Hz. No filtering was applied. The only processing was -10 dB gain reduction and one -4 dB spot gain reduction of the loudest thunder peak.

Afternoon thunderstorm, Little Rock, Arkansas, May 15, 2022 (2)

Setting:  Ouachita National Forest, Wildcat Mountain Area, Jessieville Ranger District, Arkansas, USA.      34.83364° N 92.81623° W    Large heavily forested area, hills & small mountains, dirt roads, no towns or cities nearby.

Tech:  Clippy mics (Fel Communications, Micboosters), Zoom F3 recorder, tree-ears (see photo), mics facing small stream, deployed from ~ 1730h to ~ 0930 the following morning.  There was a small stream about 30 feet from the mics, slightly audible, light wind less than 5 mph, overnight temperature ~ 60°F.

Audio file (Wav), no filtering, spot gain reduction for loud bird call, Original file 32-bit float/48000 Hz.  Wav 24-bit/48000 Hz.

This excerpt is ~ 13 min at 0630 on May 29, 2022.

May 29, 2022 - Ouachita National Forest, Wildcat Mountain area, 0630 h

Peaceful clear night, around midnight, near small pond (photo) in forest near the Ouachita Trail in Arkansas.   Zoom F3, Lom Usi Pro mics.   Modifications to original file were a 5 dB gain increase,  -10 dB low shelf at 150 Hz and fade-in/out.  Distant highway and city noises can be heard in background.  I chose not to filter out the highway sounds, but only to attenuate the lowest frequencies (< 200 Hz) that seem exaggerated by the recording setup.

May 06, 2022 midnight frog chorus at pond near Ouachita Trail

Warm, breezy summer evening by a small inlet of a lake in central Arkansas, surrounded by mixed hardwood/pine forest.  Recorded on 4th of July weekend, so fireworks in the background were inevitable.  On a background cricket and katydid chorus, a single frog starts at about 10s, others soon join creating interesting rhythms.  The overwhelmingly loud cricket frogs join in at about 50s.  I will guess at the identity of other frogs and add later to this description. 

Recorded with Earsight mics (Immersive Soundscapes) into a Zoom F3 recorder.  Only processing was a -10 dB low-shelf at 80 Hz, overall  gain reduction (needed for the incredibly loud cricket frogs) and fade in/out.

Arkansas forest in summer - frog chorus

July 3rd, middle of the night, calm, warm, on a background chorus of crickets and katydids, frogs start at about 10s into this excerpt.  

Recorded with Earsight mics (Immersive Soundscapes) into a Zoom F3 recorder.  Applied a -15 dB low-shelf to attenuate fireworks booms (4th of July weekend), no other filter or processing.

Warm summer night - frog chorus

Warm summer morning on July 3, 2022, in the forest on the edge of a small inlet from a large lake.  I was standing in a tangle of vines near the mics, about to stop the recording, when I heard this very nearby!   I've heard the call of the great blue heron many times, but always from a distance, but never as up close as on this day.   Great blue herons live year-round in most of the U.S.  Their wingspan can reach over 6 feet.  

Recorded with Earsight mics (Immersive Soundscapes), attached to a vine about 50 cm apart, on a Zoom F3 recorder.  The only processing was attenuation of low frequency rumble and fade in/out.

Great blue heron - central Arkansas

This is a humble 2 minute recording of a windy summer morning in a remote mixed hardwood/pine forest in central Arkansas.  The first 1.5 minutes set the stage for what is about to happen.  Wind blowing through the trees and a few calling birds, including a mourning dove.  At approximately 1 min 30 seconds into this clip, a large tree suddenly collapses and falls to the ground.  Interestingly, the birds seem unphased by it.  That's it.  

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"   In this case, a recorder was 'around' and recorded the sound waves produced by the falling tree.  The question itself has an interesting history going back at least 150 years and some say over 300 years.  A quick Google search reveals that people still vigorously debate this question.  ;-)  

Recorded July 10, 2022 with Earsight mics (Immersive Soundscapes) into a Zoom F3 recorder (see photo).  The photo shows the location and setup where this was recorded.

Windy morning in the forest - a tree falls

July 10, 2022 - A warm, windy summer morning in a forest in central Arkansas.  Insects buzz, coyotes howl and yelp in the distance on background of the morning avian chorus, including mourning doves, crows, possibly a northern flicker and a yellow-billed cuckoo.

Recorded using Earsight microphones (Immersive Soundscapes) into a Zoom F3 recorder.  Low frequency rumble attenuated.

Warm, windy summer morning in forest - coyote calls

I hesitated to post this at all.  22 minutes of rain/thunder in a suburban environment, in Little Rock, Arkansas.  I find it relaxing and actually fell asleep listening to it at 2pm in the afternoon while preparing it for upload to SoundCloud!  Nothing happens except the everything of those 22 minutes at this location and time.

Only 'processing' was gain adjustment and use of a limiter on one occurence of thunder.   The mics (Earsight pair, Immersive Soundscapes) were mounted in open windows on the back of my house (3rd floor) about 48 inches apart, facing a heavily forested hillside.  Recorded on a Zoom F3 in 32 bit float, which is excellent for this purpose.   

Best with headphones, preferrably open back.

Summer thunderstorm - July 30, 2022

August 14, 2022...    forest soundscape at ~ 5 am.   Quiet, still, calm, little wind, dominated by insect sounds typical of this time of year.  Recorder & mics located on the edge of a still pool in Brown Creek, not flowing this time of year due to lack of rain in late summer here.  There actually is a very slight flow of water, which can be heard thoughout the recording.   Photo shows site of recording.  Near the beginning of the recording there are calls of an eastern screech owl.  Later, a few frogs chime in.   This night was relatively cool for August (temps in the high 60°F range).  

In the forest here, this is the the quietest time of the night, 1-2 hours before dawn.  After dawn, the cicadas will start, the wind will pick up and it won't be quiet again until late afternoon.  As night falls, the evening summer soundscape here is dominated by (very loud) katydids, crickets, other insects and sometimes frogs/toads, for hours...   continuing through most of the night until early morning quiet time. 

Recorded with Earsight mics about 50-60 cm apart into a Zoom F3 recorder.  Low frequencies were attenuated and volume was adjusted.  

Headphones recommended (as always).

Arkansas forest in late summer ~ 5 am August 14, 2022

This recording:    Approximately 3:50 am.  Steady light wind persists, but katydid sounds are decreasing leaving crickets and other insect sounds to predominate.    Insect sounds span from about 1.5 to over 20 kHz; loudest between 2-4 kHz and 5-8 kHz.    Recorded using Earsight mic pair (Immersive Soundscapes) into a Sony A10 recorder.  Mild attenuation of low frequencies (< 200 Hz).

3:50AM - mountain pond, warm, windy summer night, August 28, 2022

This recording:  August 28th, 2022 between 1:37 and 2:17 AM , windy summer night near a small pond in a mixed pine-hardwood forest on a mountain ridge in the Ouachita National Forest, above the valley of the North Fork of the Saline River.   The wind continues, with occasional gusting, katydids, crickets and other insects continue their hours-long chorus, with a few frogs.

1:37 AM - mountain pond, warm, windy summer night, August 28, 2022

This recording:   August 27th, 2022 - about 7:40 pm, windy summer evening near a small pond in a mixed pine-hardwood forest on a mountain ridge in the Ouachita National Forest, above the valley of the North Fork of the Saline River.  There is a 'call' that could be (guessing) an owl (frog would be more likely but it don't sound frog-like).  Suggestions/corrections will be welcomed.  This is early evening, still daylight and the soundscape is dominated by cicadas and high-frequency crickets.  Over the next ~ 20 minutes, as darkness falls, the cicadas fade and are replaced by a multiple (frequency) bands of cricket sounds.   Katydids join in at about 8:15 pm, reach maximum volume within about 20 minutes and continue for many hours (still going in next recordings, 5-8 hours later).   There are no paved roads nearby, but distant rumbling can be heard occasionally; possibly a passing vehicle on a distant, forest dirt road.  The mics (Earsight pair) were attached to branches of small pine trees that moved in the wind, creating occasional 'knocking' sounds.

7:40 pm - mountain pond, warm, windy summer evening, August 27, 2022

Test of the Sony PCM-D50 with wind protection (Micover Slipover-Mini for Sony PCM-D50), using built-in microphones.  It was set up on a tripod, about 50cm above the ground, in the pine, hickory, oak forest behind my house.  Conditions: hazy sunny day, windy, about 78 deg F (26C).  Environment: urban, hills, greenspace between houses in West Little Rock, AR.  Post-processing: 200Hz high-pass filter (6db).  Total recording time was 1 hour 50 minutes.

[ref: 2011 dismalhiker sun may-8-11 Sony D50 110508 00 (33,20-33,53)]

Sunday morning, Little Rock AR - birdsong 3 (test of D50)

Test of the Sony PCM-D50 with wind protection (Micover Slipover-Mini for Sony PCM-D50), using built-in microphones.  It was set up on a tripod, about 50cm above the ground, in the pine, hickory, oak forest behind my house.  Conditions: hazy sunny day, windy, about 78 deg F (26C).  Environment: urban, hills, greenspace between houses in West Little Rock, AR.  Post-processing: 200Hz high-pass filter (6db).  Total recording time was 1 hour 50 minutes.

Sunday morning, Little Rock AR - birdsong 1 (test of D50)

Frog chorus (from 1 hour recording) during sunset-twilight at Ouachita Mountain pond.Numerous species of frogs/toads were calling, along with cicadas, crickets and a distant owl (not audible due to loudness of frogs/toads). The pond was small, only about 40-50 feet in diameter, with a gurgling stream running in from the top (right) and rushing outflow stream (left).

Recorded with Shure MX391/O (omni) mics ($35 each on Ebay, thanks to Rock Scallop (John Hartog) and pipmics (Mike Rooke) for bringing to my attention and advising on re-wiring), input to Sony PCM-D50 (gain 5, 48KHz, 24bit). Post: high-pass filter to reduce non-specific low-frequency rumble (these mics are very good at picking up bass).

Eastern Narrow-Mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis; sound like "baaa" of sick sheep), Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis; loud trill), Blanchard's Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi; clicking), Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans; like pluck of loose banjo string); Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea; high-pitched quack-like call) and others.

Location: USA, Arkansas, Ouachita National Forest. LAT: 34° 50.927' N, LONG: 92° 49.113' W. Elevation: 1137 feet. Setting:pond, with stream running into it from above and outflow from below. Water with heavy growth around edges.
[ref: 110813 05]


Evening frog chorus at pond in Ouachita Mountains Aug-13-2011 (Shure MX391/O)

This is a 3 minute, monotonous recording of a rushing forest stream, mainly to test using Shure MX391/O mics in a "tree-ears" configuration, into a Sony D50. The gain was set at 5. No post processing. The photo shows the relationship of the mics (mounted with velcro on strap, on tree) to the sound source. Sounds best with headphones. I want to test these mics in a very quite environment...but I can't find one!  We have had a lot of rain and every location in the forest has a rushing stream within earshot.  Will have to wait for drier weather.
[ref: 110813 02 ]


Ouachita Forest stream - Shure MX391/O+Sony-D50 - Aug 13, 2011 (mic-test)

Afternoon sounds at Alpone di Curiglia in Val Veddasca (Italy).  There is some background noise of me walking around.  Not a stellar recording but it records what it sounded like there on this particular day in July 2015.  There is a running fountain/stream about 100 feet from the microphones.

Capriolo Alpone di Curiglia (Italy)

Recorded August 29, 2015 on a forested mountain ridge in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, USA.  About mile 182.5 on the Ouachita Trail.  It was about 80 degrees F with a light wind in the tree canopy.  For this recording I turned up the gain (probably too much) to pull in a moaning squirrel in the distance.  Recorded using a Sony D-50 recorder and a Telinga Soundscape Mic.

Squirrel sounds - Ouachita Mountain Forest

Afternoon in a swamp near Harris Brake, Arkansas.  This area is normally very wet and swampy, but on this hot afternoon, after a very dry summer, it is bone dry.   In spite of the drought, there were still quite a few birds and the constant sound of crickets, including some that are > 10 kHz and not audible.  

September afternoon in a dry swamp - Arkansas

Woodpecker calls and chatter, early evening (about 6pm), in a dry swamp.  Harris Brake WMA, central Arkansas, USA.  Possibly red-bellied woodpecker?  There is also intense cricket chirping ~ 7-9 kHz and other insect noises (inaudible to me) up to 18 kHz.  The photo shows the place (North side of Harris Brake WMA, "foot trail" near the Fourche LaFave River) where the recording was made (taken on same day).

Woodpecker chatter in dry swamp, September afternoon, Arkansas

Recording made on November 13, 2016 in Flatside wilderness area, central Arkansas, USA in a remote area.  Microphone was about 12 in. off the ground on a mini tripod, near several trees with evidence of woodpecker activity.

Pileated woodpecker drumbeat - soundscape, Flatside Wilderness 11/13/16

Recorded July 12, 2012 in a birch & pine forest on the slopes of Val Veddasca (Italy, Varese, Lombardia) at about 1100m altitude, about 6pm, on an overcast, gray windy day.   AT4025 mic into Olympus LS-100 recorder, mic input 'hi', gain 7.   Post: HPF at about 300 Hz and an overall 6 db increase in volume.   

Although the Blackcap is a very common bird in this area, this may be of interest for those contemplating the AT BP4025 mic.  It's OK for a quick draw, easy setup mic for use on the run while hiking.   This forest was full of individual singing birds that would go on and on and on...  too bad I didn't have the parabolic mic with me (it's not that easy to travel with a parabolic dish).   This is not my usual recording area, so I am not 100% sure of the bird ID.  In the background there are distant church bells and assorted other noises.

Birch-pine forest - Val Veddasca (Italy) - Capinera (Blackcap) - (AT BP4025)

Recorded in a mature, thick, dark pine forest on the slopes of Val Veddasca (Italy, Varese, Lombardia) at about 1100m altitude, about 5:30pm, on an overcast, gray windy day. AT4025 mic into Olympus LS-100 recorder, mic input 'lo', gain 10. Post: HPF at about 200 Hz and an overall 9 db increase in volume.  The Chaffinch (Frenguello)  is a very common bird in this area.  

This forest is marked for cutting and large parts of it are already decimated.  The local authorities have apprently deemed it too "heavy" for the steep mountain slopes and say that it must be cut in order to avoid landslides.   Next year when I return to this place, this mature pine forest will be gone.

Pine forest - Val Veddasca (Italy) - Fringuello (Chaffinch) - (AT BP4025)

Tornado sirens March 9th at 1015 hr (2019).  Thunderstorm, tornado warnings in area.

Tornado Sirens Spin Down

Quiet late summer afternoon deep in the forest, in the bottom of a valley.  Not much happens except the quiet, crickets, cicadas, pileated woodpeckers and other bird calls.   

Best with headphones.   Recorded while out hiking on the Ouachita Trail using an Audio Technica BP4025 mic into an Olympus LS-100 recorder.  This 18 minute file consists of extracts from the original 2.5 hour recording.   A lot of the cricket sound, in the original recording, is above 10KHz and is not well preserved in the mp3 version (but its inaudible anyway).

Ouachita Mountain forest - quiet summer afternoon I

Hummingbirds at a backyard feeder on a (relatively) quiet Sunday morning (suburban location).   They are quite aggressive and make a lot of sounds that we usually don't hear up close.   The hummingbird feeder is near a wind chime, which 'chimed' near the end of the recording.  There are also other birds, barking dogs and protesting squirrels.  Photo was taken at this same feeder a few days before.  

Recorded using a pair of Shure MX391/O mics in a "tree-ears" configuration attached to a post near the feeder, into a Sony D50. The gain was set at 5.   This 7 minute mp3 file consists of excerpts from the original 40 minute wav recording.

BTW...   the pic was taken hand-held with a Panasonic GH2, with 100-300mm lens.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds, bees and a wind chime

Excerpt of hummingbird recording (Telinga SSM microphone), while the hummingbird was hovering, with recurrent "squeak" sounds when she changes orientation.   At first I thought the high-pitched sounds were vocalizations, but on closer inspection, it looks like they correlate with changes in hover position and I suspect they are made by the feathers (not vocalizations).   See picture for a magnified view of one of these "squeaks".    Edited in post to reduce traffic noise.  However, I still left quite a bit of low frequencies because the wingbeat sounds of the hummingbird are at low frequencies.

Also, just uploaded an HD video of the same bird...   http://vimeo.com/49974380


Hummingbird feather sounds while hovering?

January 20, 2020.  Monday morning in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.  Recorded with old cheap mini-omni mics in my back garden.  Noisy crows with additional sounds of wind chimes, water drips and distant traffic.

Crows in back garden with wind chimes and city noise

Around 5 am it was raining and the spring peepers were singing.  The microphones were not under any sort of cover.  They just got rained on.  Doesn't seem to be a problem.

5 Am Peepers Other Frogs And Rain At Lunsford Corner

[Experiment] Trying the Shure MV88 mic on a iPhone for field recording (nature).   Not that I would want to do this very often, but it could be useful when better mics/recorders are not available in a given moment.   The photo shows the location where this recording was made (holding the iPhone, standing about 5 feet from the grass in lower middle of photo).

[Setup] Shure MV88 on an iPhone 10 with foam windscreen. Settings on app:  mid-side mode, max compression, flat EQ,   The quality is not bad for what it is.

The Shure MV88 is *not* a sensitive mic and certainly not great for nature field recording.  The manual even says it was designed to record in very loud environments like concerts, so it would not be good for recording a quiet soundscape.   However, for loud environments it seems OK.   These cricket frogs were so loud that I wore the headphones for ear protection even when not recording.  Without ear protection the frog calls were painfully loud (to give an idea of the ambient sound levels being recorded).

BTW, on an iPhone X I was not able to find a way to monitor audio while recording.  Gain was set by watching the meter on the app.  On phones that have plug-in headphones, apparently there is a way to monitor audio while recording.

iPhone field recording using Shure MV88 mic (frogs in forest)

Excerpt (1 am, March 19, 2020) from a 14 hour long recording made in this location using MikroUsi (Lom) mic pair (head-spaced) attached to a tree with an elastic band, about 40 cm above ground, into a Sony A10 recorder (128 Gb micro-SD card) powered by an Anker power bank (USB connector).  This recorder can record at 48,000 khz, 24 bit for many days with this configuration.  The area is temperate deciduous forest in the Ouachita Mountains area of central Arkansas.  

This is an ~ 10 minute excerpt during a light rain, with spring peepers (frogs), Leopard frogs, some cricket frogs, other frogs, crickets and other insects calling constantly.  The entire forest is reverberating with these sounds in all directions, creating a blend of hundreds (or thousands) of sounds that drone on all evening and all night. When I was there setting up the mic and recorder, the nearby frogs where so (painfully) loud that I wore my headphones as ear protection.

Middle Of Night Frogs And Insects In Light Rain, Lake Maumelle, Arkansas, USA

Mainly nature field recordings from the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Some recordings are done in northern Italy, near Lago Maggiore, mostly in Val Veddasca.

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