Rocky Mountain National Park

Nature's Sound

nature

Утро

Dawn Choruses

August 19 2015, 7:08 AM. Okavango Delta.

Every morning is a whole new variety, I just set this one up just after dawn and let it go.

Recorded by Brian House (http://brianhouse.net, http://soundcloud.com/brianhouse) for the Okavango Wilderness Project. These sounds are in the public domain and may be downloaded and used for any purpose, but consider linking to our expedition website: http://intotheokavango.org

Equipment used: Sound Devices 702 digital recorder with Sennheiser 418 stereo shotgun microphone (M/S). Post-processing in Logic Audio (editing, normalization, EQ, limiter). Format: 96khz 24-bit WAV. 

Field Recording: Dawn Chorus Mega Mix (No Edits)

I recorded this storm along the Cow Creek trail headed up to the Black Canyon trail, in the northern part of Rocky Mountain National Park. You can hear thunder, the nearby stream, a hiker walking by, a Red squirrel, American three-toed woodpeckers, Hammond's flycatcher, and Common ravens.

As always, listen with headphones for the best audio experience!

Recorded with two AT4022 mics connected to a Sound Devices 722.

Rocky Mountain National Park Thunderstorm

This recording was made at 800am on 6/1/2016 at Finch Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. The area was still quite covered in snow since the elevation of the lake is right around 10,000ft. There are many species of birds to be heard, including Mallard, American wigeon, Gray jay, Brown creeper, Spotted sandpiper, Mountain chickadee, Hairy woodpecker, etc...

The recording was made using a Sound Devices 722 digital recorder and two Audio Technica 4022 omni-directional microphones in a binaural setup.

As always, enjoy with headphones for the best audio experience!

Finch Lake Dawn Ambient--Rocky Mountain National Park

This recording was made in Moraine Park on 5-30-2017 using a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica 4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing.

For best experience, wear headphones when listening.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education. To hear more recordings from the park, visit the Rocky Mountain National Park sound library at https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/photosmultimedia/soundlibrary.htm

Coyotes Howling at Dusk -- Rocky Mountain National Park

This is my first ever soundscape recording. I made it on May 14, 2015 along the Mauna Loa Road in Kīpuka Kī in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park at approximately 445am. I used five Rode NT1-A cardioid microphones placed in a configuration that resembles a home theater setup. My audio recorder was a Zoom H6 digital audio recorder. This recording has been mixed to be a stereo file.

Wear headphones for the best listening experience.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Dawn Chorus at Kīpuka Kī -- Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

This recording was made in Hollowell Park in Rocky Mountain National Park on 6-6-2017 using a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing. 

This recording is best experienced using headphones or a surround sound system with a subwoofer.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Hollowell Park Afternoon Thunderstorm

I made this recording on the morning of April 30, 2017 at Fort Stevens State Park in Atoria, Oregon using a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing.

For the best listening experience, wear headphones.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Waves Crashing on the Jetty -- Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon

This recording was made on the morning of September 23, 2017 in Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. The equipment I used was a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and  two Audio Technica 4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing. 

The is absolutely one of my favorite recordings I have ever made! My field assistant and I worked ourselves into position well before light on the south side of Moraine Park at around 525am. At first, the males were spread across the meadow, but as the morning progressed and light first started to break, we could see that they all were converging to within 50 yards of us, and eventually got to around 25 yards at one brief, slighty nerve-racking moment. The view and the sounds were just overwhelming and almost perfect, despite the presence of five commercial flights overhead and the sound of distant traffic in the park.

Sounds of interest:
Female calls at 11:55
Two males fighting 39:27
Males 'glug' calls 40:40
Coyote howling 42:10
Female bark alarm call 44:40

Other sounds you might hear are a distant Great Horned Owl, American Crow, Lincoln Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Mountain Chickadee, and the rustle of grass and splashing of water as the males chased each other and the females.

For the best listening experience, definitely wear headphones. 

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Elk Rut and Coyote -- Rocky Mountain National Park

This recording was made on the night of October 5, 2017 in Upper Beaver Meadows in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. The equipment I used was a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica 4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing.

The elk rut in the park was incredible this year! I got a few excellent recordings that really captured the magic of the rut. Although not an overly compelling recording from a content standpoint, the quality of this recording is unreal. The haunting echoes are so moving as they drift throughout the valley. 

The night was very cold and clear, with a large herd of elk with 3-4 bulls gathered in the meadows. I started out recording in the middle of the meadow, about 100 yards from the herd. There was clearly one dominant bull in the group, but it didn't stop other males from venturing too close. You can hear the drama that plays out echo across the landscape as the dominant male chased the cows and other males back and forth across the meadow.

After about 25 minutes of recording, I sensed that the herd was working its way towards me. I grabbed my gear and relocated about 25 yards to the other side of the road. Less than two minutes later, the dominant bull chased another bull and cows right through the exact spot I had just spend standing. The resulting recording captures all of the action!

For the best listening experience, definitely wear headphones!

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.  To hear more recordings from the park, visit the Rocky Mountain National Park sound library at https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/photosmultimedia/soundlibrary.htm

Night-time Elk Echoes -- Rocky Mountain National Park

This recording was made on July 15, 2015 in Mesa Verde National Park using a Roland R05 digital audio recorder and an omnidirectional microphone. This setup was part of a standard acoustical monitoring project by the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the National Park Service.

A pair of coyotes go on barking and yipping for nearly three hours. About 2 hours into the recording, the first bird song of the day is heard as the dawn chorus joins the coyotes. This recording site was in a canyon in a wilderness area of the park. The walls of the canyon cause the calls of the coyotes to really echoes throughout the area.

Wear headphones for the best listening experience. 

Enjoy!

Coyotes and Dawn Chorus -- Mesa Verde National Park

This recording was made during the early morning hours in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park on August 6, 2017. My equipment used was a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing. 

Wear headphones for the best listening experience.

Enjoy!

Late Summer Dawn in the Sequoias

This recording was made during the early morning hours of May 20, 2018 at Blacktail Ponds in Yellowstone National Park using a Sound Devices 722 digital recorder and two Audio Technica AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing.

In this recording, you can hear the many different marsh birds that inhabit this special place, including Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Red-Winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Common Yellowthroat, American Coot, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Sora, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Sandhill Crane, and Canada Goose.

In the distance, you can hear other species including American Robin, Vesper Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, Williamson's Sapsucker, and American Three-Toed Woodpecker. 

If you listen carefully with headphones at the 4:30 mark, you can hear the howl of a distant pack of wolves.

Finally, you can hear the noise of traffic driving by, although I've done a little work to minimize this.

Wear headphones for the best listening experience.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Dawn Chorus -- Yellowstone National Park

This dawn chorus was recorded on the morning of July 6, 2018 in Zumwalt Meadow using a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing.

Wear headphones for the best listening experience.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Zumwalt Meadow Dawn Chorus -- Kings Canyon National Park

This recording of the evening chorus of birds and frogs was made in Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington state on April 26, 2017 using a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing.

Wear headphones for the best listening experience!

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Evening Chorus -- Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington, U.S.A.

This recording of the dawn chorus at Blacktail Ponds in Yellowstone National Park was made on May 20, 2018 at 6am using a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural microphone housing.

Wear headphones for the best listening experience.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Wetland Dawn Chorus -- Yellowstone National Park

This recording was made in Rocky Mountain National Park on October 5, 2018 at around 8pm using a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing. You can hear multiple bull elk bugling, as well as a Great Horned Owl and Coyotes. Unfortunately, you can also hear distant traffic and generator at a nearby campground.

Wear headphones for the best listening experience.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education. To hear more recordings from the park, visit the Rocky Mountain National Park sound library at https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/photosmultimedia/soundlibrary.htm

Elk Rut and Rain Shower -- Rocky Mountain National Park

This dawn chorus was recorded on the morning of June 12, 2018 near Cattle Cabin in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park using a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica AT4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing.

Wear headphones for the best listening experience.

Enjoy!

Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education.

Spring Dawn Chorus in the Sequoias -- Sequoia National Park

Dawns of Deep Creek: A Seasonal Study. Recording 2.

This unedited recording has been uploaded to the Playlist collections https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/sets/dawns-of-deep-creek-a-seasonal-study and https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/sets/deep-creek-conservation-park-soundscape-perspectives for the purposes of nature documentation and future comparative referencing; as well as for its own inherent natural aesthetic and meditative value.

Recorded on Sunday 28 July in Deep Creek Conservation Park, South Australia. The recording commences at 05:57 (with a crescent honeyeater calling in the foreground) and ends at 08:14 (ACST).

The following moon and sun data for the location assume ideal horizon and clear weather, neither of which were the case: it was fairly cloudy and, given the location just below the crest of one side of a valley, the ocean horizon to the north-east was not visible because of the intervening hill on the far side of the valley. But the deep rumbling and roaring of the ocean, and the occasional crashing of large waves, can be heard emanating from both the far left and the far right, travelling inwards from both ends of the valley.

Moonrise 03:10. Moon phase between Third Quarter and New Moon (four days before New Moon). Fraction of moon illuminated 0.25. Nautical Twilight 06:18. Sunrise 07:17. (Bird activity in this valley began much earlier than I had expected. I believe that this was in response to the moonlight that preceded the solar twilight. I was on my way to my intended dawn recording location from my previous recording location (cf. https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20190728-deep-creek-the-healing-emptiness-between-the-worlds) when the birds began calling, so I stopped where I was, set up, and began recording. And I'm grateful for the result that nature forced on me. It's very peaceful, like deep, gentle breathing ... until, inevitably, the first human machine noises of the day finally pass through ... but the morning continues.)

Weather data from the local weather station at Parawa : Minimum overnight temperature 7.2° C. Wind direction and speed at 09:00: NE 6 km/h. Relative humidity at 09:00: 73%.

(Please note that the location and topography of this recording are quite different from those in https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20181212-first-light-and-sunrise-at-deep-creek-early-summer. Exact location details for all recordings in this collection will be provided at a later time, when the project is closed.)

Recorded with a pair of MKH 8020s in an AB arrangement with 50 cm spacing into a MixPre-6. (Best listened to with good quality headphones with a flat frequency response.)

2019.07.28 From Before First Light to After Sunrise at Deep Creek: Mid-Winter

Dawns of Deep Creek: A Seasonal Study. Recording 3.

This recording has been uploaded to the Playlist collections https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/sets/dawns-of-deep-creek-a-seasonal-study and https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/sets/deep-creek-conservation-park-soundscape-perspectives for the purposes of nature documentation and future comparative referencing, as well as for its own inherent natural aesthetic and meditative value.

Recorded in Deep Creek Conservation Park, South Australia. The original complete recording begins at 03:47 and ends at 07:35; the version uploaded here omits the first 51 minutes, beginning at 04:38 (but it is otherwise unedited). By this time, the earliest diurnal bird calls are quite distinctly audible(mainly Crescent Honeyeaters); but nocturnal Boobook Owls can still also be heard. In fact, however, the diurnal birds had begun calling at least half an hour earlier, soon after moonrise, although their calls were much fainter, and difficult to discern behind the crooning of the frogs.

The location and topography of the recording, as well as its lifeworld content and soundscape texture, are again quite different from both https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20190728-from-before-first-light-to-after-sunrise-at-deep-creek-mid-winter and https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20181212-first-light-and-sunrise-at-deep-creek-early-summer. But some of the astronomical conditions were similar to those of the former recording.

In particular, moonrise (for ideal horizon and meteorological conditions) was at 03:40. The moon phase was three days before New Moon (similarly in the previous recording); the fraction of the moon illuminated was 0.24 (at the time of the previous recording it was 0.25). On this occasion, the sky was clear. Once again, the appearance of the crescent moon above the hill and tree line (at around 04:13) induced a very early 'First Light' response in the birds. Actual Nautical Twilight (for ideal horizon and meteorological conditions) was at 05:08; and sunrise at 06:03.

Weather conditions were very calm, and the temperature remained at or below dew point throughout the night. Hence, lots of condensation on the foliage of the trees and bushes, which is the source of the constant sound of water drops striking plant leaves and the ground; and occasionally also the microphone tripod, stereo bar, and windshields.

The location is in a creek valley approximately one kilometre inland from the coastline, so the roar of the ocean can be heard throughout the recording (mainly in the distance to the left), though it waxes and wanes in intensity. The trickling of the nearby creek flowing down the valley can also be heard (to the right).  (This particular little creek is known as Tapanappa Creek. There are quite a few creeks flowing down to sea within Deep Creek Conservation Park, including the eponymous Deep Creek itself.)

Some of the bird species heard in the recording: Crescent Honeyeater, Boobook Owl, Grey Shrikethrush, Grey Currawong, Red Wattlebird, Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoo, White-throated Treecreeper, Common Bronzewing, Australian Magpie, Australian Raven, Honeyeaters of several kinds, possibly Thornbills. The names of others will be added, here, as they are identified by the recordist.

Recorded with a pair of MKH 8020 microphones in AB array with 60 cm spacing into a MixPre-6. (Best listened to with good quality headphones with a flat frequency response. It's also best not to set the volume level too high, as some of the sudden close bird calls (e.g., of Currawongs, etc.) can be loud and piercing.)

2019.09.25 From Before First Light to After Sunrise at Deep Creek: Early Spring

Travel over 2,000 miles during spring bird migration 2019 with project lead Dr. Jacob Job and audio producer Jacqueline Van Meter to examine the mutual challenges that migratory birds and humans face due to human activity on the planet. 'Voices of a Flyway' stimulates active, mindful listening to nature, reintroduces us to the species and places of our past, deepens our connection to the natural world, and heals our collective mindset about our place within it. 

Project lead Dr. Job is a conservationist, science communicator, natural sounds recordist, National Geographic Explorer, and bird watcher. He travels the country and world, documenting the sounds of nature in our nation's most treasured lands, building connections between people and these places, and working to advocate for their protection.

Finch Lake Dawn Ambient--Rocky Mountain National Park

Gavia immer