On the morning of 2021 May 17, I stepped out of my tent next to my favorite Okanogan wetland to collect a recorder and microphones I'd left attached to a pole the night. It was a cool, crisp Spring morning, but the life and voices of the marsh and lake were as active as always. This recording covers the Dawn Chorus, from 23 minutes before First Light (at 22:55, 04:46:58 PDT, click the comments below to playback directly) and through Sunrise (at 50:49, 05:14:41 PDT) for almost 90 minutes of what was really hours of singing and foraging.

The wind was light, and the cool air helped project voices across the lake. As always Red-winged Blackbirds, that most North American of wetland songbirds, flew about, singing, chasing, and defining territories. I was delighted to hear a Brewer's Blackbird, a shy cousin of the Red-winged, popping in and out of the mix. Their quick almost mechanical sounding songs can be easy to miss and often confused with a squeak of a fence. They have two prominent songs, a hinge-like squeak (23:39), and a soft "shuk-shuuk" like a film camera auto-winding between frames (24:29). For the '80s kids among us, I think it sounds more like a Kodak Disc Camera, but I digress...

Also hanging out, literally, are a pair of bats just trying to get some sleep (52:14 and later). I would have easily confused their audible chatter for the Tree Swallows that harried them endlessly, but watching it happen with my own eyes confirmed what I later heard on the recording. The 15 foot pole was topped by a large bucket to be used as a nesting box for waterfowl. This morning chattery Tree Swallows were using it as a resting spot between aerial acrobatics. The sleeping bats clinging to the underside of the bucket, however, did not like this idea and would angrily chatter and chase them away, at least until they finally fell fast asleep themselves.

Speaking of chatter boxes, a Song Sparrow (23:31) took up residence on a nearby shrub and lived up to his name, delivering clear variations of his song, playing with melody like a maestro. A Common Yellowthroat (43:47) flew in and out of the same shrub, trying to sing in or around the Sparrow, but his anxious warble never quite had the same thrilling clarity.

Songbirds aren't the only residents here, though. Across the lake, Canada Geese fly in-and-out, bringing their echoing honks with them, Pied-billed Grebes whoop-whoop almost seemingly out of control (47:12).

Prominent voices in this recording include Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Common Yellowthroats, Canada Geese, and Pied-Billed Grebes. When there's a lull in the background the occasional Western Meadowlark, Chickadee, Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Yellow Chat, Tree Swallow, Mallard, American Wigeon, and Wood Duck.

Okanogan Wetland Morning

Beskid Mountains (Ujsoły) regulus, blackcap, raven and roe deer near mountain stream

Toucans and macaws making a racket at dawn in the Amazon rainforest. A Thrush-like Wren also makes an appearance.

More sounds and stories at https://mindful-audio.com

Amazon Rainforest - Dawn - Toucans and Macaws

Canoeing at dawn on a calm tributary in the Amazon rainforest. Longer version available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JmJyOx4YAk

Amazon Rainforest - Dawn Canoe Ride

1-hour long version on Youtube: https://youtu.be/NFVI7ioUe-4

It's afternoon in Maliau Basin, deep in the rainforests of Borneo. A late Barbet sings its heart out while daytime insect calls are waning. Empress cicadas prepare for their dusk calls and can be heard towards the end of the recording. A soft mist descends on the valley as deep darkness envelops everything.

Recorded in the Borneo rainforest with Sony PCM D10, Lom MikroUsi micropohones and BubbleBee Windbubbles. More sounds and stories at https://mindful-audio.com

Borneo rainforest - Afternoon in the undergrowth

1-hour version on Youtube at https://youtu.be/vKhwV1COFpo

It's 5am deep in the Borneo rainforest. Cicadas, crickets and katydids are winding down their night calls but birds haven't started to sing just yet. Gibbons climb to the top of trees and start calling to let other troops know they're around. Birds and daytime insects slowly wake up and start calling too.

Recorded in Borneo's rainforest with Sony PCM D10, Lom MikroUsi micropohones and BubbleBee Windbubbles. I left the drop rig out in the jungle for 24 hours so I could capture a full day-night cycle. More sounds and stories at https://mindful-audio.com

Longer version

Borneo rainforest - Lush dawn chorus - Gibbons and birds

On the border between Gabon and R Congo, the thick jungle gives way to sparser savanna dotted with pockets of forest. The sound of these habitats is more open and lush than what you would hear in primary or secondary rainforest. Longer version on Youtube at https://youtu.be/QPivYjhPxMQ

Gabon Savanna Morning

Sonic spooky beauty at the midst of night at the bank of the Black River.

Deep in the night, at the banks of the black river

Nielsen: Helios Overture, Op. 17 (February 2020)

Restaurant Cafe Piano Bar: Perefect Smooth Piano Jazz

Smooth Piano

Award winning sound recordist, audio director and expedition leader - Dune: Part Two | Mufasa: The Lion King | Horizon Forbidden West | Wordscapes

Amazon Rainforest - Dawn - Toucans and Macaws

George Vlad

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