Thank you! This is my family's farm in Pennsylvania and I'm so happy that you are able to capture these sounds that I so admire and miss when I grew up there thank you again

You only really hear the low end rumble, none of the cracking part of the sound. Really interesting perspective!

ZEN FROGSCAPE: Several species of frogs and toads sounding off near midnight, with Barred Owls hooting in the distance. Recorded May 26, 2016, around 1am at Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area near Ithaca, New York. © Lang Elliott.

Microphone: quasi-binaural SASS (Stereo Ambient Sampling System) modified for use with Sennheiser MKH20 mics.

THE NIGHT before leaving on a weeklong journey, I drove to a nearby wildlife refuge to see what the frogs and toads were up to, knowing full well that changes were in the making and the amphibian soundscape would likely be quite different upon my return. I really didn’t plan on doing any recording. I just wanted to pay my respects to nature before leaving town. Little did I anticipate the wonderful mix of sound I would stumble upon.

Stopping alongside a large beaver pond, I noted that quite a number of Pickerel Frogs were snoring, so I decided to capture a soundscape featuring the chorus. To my delight, a lone American Toad soon began trilling from the other side of the pond and several Barred Owls started hooting from different locations way off in the distance. Wow … the addition of the toad and the owls elevated the chorus to a whole new level, producing a fantastic mix possessing a meditative zen-like quality … frog and toad “audio-haiku” at its best.

It is extremely difficult to get a pleasing, natural mix of frogs and toads where one species or the other is not overwhelming the soundscape. While the Pickerel Frogs may be a tad too loud, they do strike me as acceptable, especially given their prominence along the shoreline. What I truly appreciate about this recording is its extraordinary depth, with the different sound-objects originating from a variety of distances and directions. Especially delightful to me are the intimate water sounds (produced by small fish?), which inform the listener that the pond is only a few feet away.

If you set the volume so that nothing is overwhelming your ear, you should be able to relax into a very pleasurable and soothing listening experience. Please let me know what you think. I’m hopeful that this recording will transport you into nature and provide a taste of the magic to be found there.

Species in Chorus:
Spring Peepers (a small chorus that varies in intensity)
Pickerel Frogs (snoring sounds)
American Toad (a single male producing long, musical trills
Green Frogs (a few croaks here and there)
Barred Owls (distant hooting)
Gray Treefrogs (way off in the distance at the very beginning)
Minnows (I’m guessing they are making the occasional splashes)

Zen Frogscape

ERIE THUNDERSTORM: Distant thunder along boardwalk at Erie National Wildlife Refuge. Recorded 5:30am, 2 June 2016, near Cambridge Springs in northwestern Pennsylvania. © Lang Elliott. Note: the low rumble of the distant thunder can only be fully appreciated by listening with headphones or speakers having good low frequency response.

Microphone: quasi-binaural SASS (Stereo Ambient Sampling System), modified for use with Sennheiser MKH20 microphones.

IN EARLY JUNE, at the end of my rather frenetic recording expedition, I visited a friend in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, not far from Erie. I spent one night there, sleeping on my friend’s porch and enjoying periods of heavy rain. As usual, I rose early. The rain had stopped, so I headed to a boardwalk trail in nearby Erie National Wildlife Refuge, hoping to record birds singing against a backdrop of drip from the trees.

Arriving on location at the break of dawn, I headed down the boardwalk but was surprised by a loud thunderclap followed by a major downpour. I ran full-speed back to my car. After about fifteen minutes, the heavy rain subsided, so I donned my rain jacket and ventured back on to the boardwalk, walking until I found shelter under a large hemlock tree that would protect my microphone from the drizzling rain.

Closing my eyes, I was struck by the simple beauty of the soundscape … the pitter-patter of the rain, subtle bird songs (including Scarlet Tanager and Wood Thrush), and distant thunder. I recorded for nearly twenty minutes, all the while completely absorbed by the sounds. I would have gone longer, but another downpour ensued that was so violent that it sent me once again running back to my car, with my rain jacket wrapped tightly around my recorder and microphone.

This was the last recording of my journey. That day, I drove back to Ithaca (my hometown), mostly in the rain, quite happy that my last capture was such a relaxing and immersive soundscape.

Erie Thunderstorm

LONE TREEFROG CALLING: A lone Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)with drip from pines and cricket trills. Recorded 1am, 8 August 2016, on a backroad near Moro Bay State Park, Arkansas. © Lang Elliott. 

Microphone: quasi-binaural SASS (Stereo Ambient Sampling System) modified for use with Sennheiser MKH20 microphones.

DURING A RECENT visit to Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arkansas, a large thunderstorm blew through at dusk. I took shelter in my car due to the high winds, but the storm soon subsided. In hopes of homing-in on a frog chorus or two, I began driving the backroads near the refuge. 

I was initially disappointed … everywhere I went there was nothing but the sound of drip from the trees. I guess it was too late in the summer for the frogs to jump into action. So, I gave up my frog-quest and headed back to camp, stopping and listening every so often, just in case. And that’s when I got lucky. I found a single Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) sounding off from shrubbery next to a remote sandy road. 

Listening closely, I realized that I had stumbled upon a quite a jewel, a sublime soundscape that features not only the lone treefrog and drip from the storm, but also the continuous trills of crickets … a perfect combination to produce a meditative and immersive listening experience.

Imagine actually being there. A hot summer night after a rain storm, pitch black darkness, gentle drip from the the pine woods, crickets softly trilling, and one frog punctuating the soundscape with intermittent rattling calls. Simple yet complex. The music of nature at its best.

Lone Treefrog Calling

EVERGLADES THUNDERSTORM: track 14 from EVERGLADES SOUNDSCAPE, available here: http://store.musicofnature.com/products/pure-nature/everglades-soundscape

Recorded at 3pm, 4 June 1994 in the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida.
Microphone: quasi-binaural SASS (Stereo Ambient Sampling System) modified for use with Sennheiser MKH20 microphones.

EVERGLADES SOUNDSCAPE features a series of 14 tracks that convey the extraordinary variety of sounds that can be heard in the Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Pre- serve, and surrounding areas in southern Florida. From pleasing choruses of insects and hooting owls to a rousing thunderstorm and cacophony of frogs, sit back and enjoy this amazing assortment of pure nature recordings!

EVERGLADES THUNDERSTORM track description: A thunderstorm passes by in the middle of the afternoon in Big Cypress Preserve. A Green Treefrog sounds off in the rain while crickets trill and chirp.

Everglades Soundscape

Everglades Thunderstorm

BARRED OWL REUNION:  Featuring Barred Owls, stream trickle, and distant frog chorus. Recorded 3am, 31 May 2016, in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area near Maumee, Indiana. © Lang Elliott. Please play at a moderate to low volume to simulate a natural listening experience.

Microphone: quasi-binaural SASS (Stereo Ambient Sampling System) modified for use with MKH20 mics.

DURING MY RECENT recording expedition, I spent the night in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area near Maumee Ohio. I camped along an inlet stream about a hundred feet from a large lake. I set my mic near a small riffle in the stream and fell asleep.

At 3am in the morning, I awakened to the hoots of a Barred Owl, set against the distant chorus of bullfrogs and green frogs sounding off from a swampy portion of the lake. I started recording and crossed my fingers. At first, the owl gave several down-slurred hooo-aw calls. Then it switched to the classic who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you’all. After several minutes, and to my absolute delight, another began answering in the distance. I was quite pleased, lying there in my tent not daring to move for fear my mic would pick up the noise.

And then things got even more exciting. The distant owl flew closer and was met by the other. An excited outburst ensued, a vocal performance termed “caterwauling,” in which two or more individuals (probably a mated pair in this case) participate in quite a noisy exchange of hoots and hollers … a “vocal reunion” of sorts, which I believe to be a animated celebration of family life. How could they not be having fun?

This was a high point in my journey. I was thrilled to capture such a nice mix. I even believe I have a “thing” going on with Barred Owls. They seem attracted to me. No need to “hoot them in” by imitating their calls. All I need to do is camp out in likely habitat and wait patiently for their appearance.

Do you like this soundscape? For me, it is supremely dimensional and engaging, yet has a meditative quality. Such a lovely, immersive mix of owl, frog, and water sounds … with emphasis on the owls of course (they’re loud, but not too loud). I doubt that I could orchestrate a nicer soundscape that features the caterwauling of a pair.

p.s. listen closely at the end and you’ll hear several howls from a distant coyote.

Barred Owl Reunion

The gentle gurgling of a mountain brook. Recorded at 8am on New Year's Day 2017 in Shindagin Hollow near Ithaca, New York. This is the location where I've just produced a video for my new Patreon page.

Gurgling Mountain Brook

A winter soundscape from the rolling hills of upstate New York. 8am, 16 March 2013, Shindagin Hollow, near Brooktondale, New York.

Incredibly relaxing, with varied bird sounds set against the gentle trickling of a mountain brook. Listen for the songs and calls of Blue Jay, Pileated Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, and American Crow.

This is absolutely my favorite winter soundscape to date, at least from the area around where I live. During most of the winter months, the landscape is rather devoid of natural sounds, except (of course) for the excited gurgling of brooks and whooshy breeze in the forest canopy.  On this fine day, however, birds kept chiming-in, no doubt in anticipation of the unfolding of spring.

Winter Birdscape

A wonderfully soothing mid-morning soundscape recorded at Lost Maples State Natural Area near Vanderpool, Texas. 9:30am, 7 March 2017.

Features the gurgling of the Sabinal River and the sounds of various birds, including the downward-cascading whistles of Canyon Wren, the complex songs of Bewick's Wren, and the low coos of White-tipped Dove.

Recorded using a binaural microphone setup.

Lost Maples Morning Chorus

Night chorus at Mattie Spring in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area near Sonoita, Arizona. Listen for the snores and chuckles of a Chiricahua Leopard Frog and the toots of Western Screech Owls. 8:19pm, 6 April, 2017. © Lang Elliott, musicofnature.com

Mattie Spring Nightscape

Mattie Spring Dawn Chorus (with Gray Hawk) – a relaxing dawn chorus recorded at Mattie Spring in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area near Sonoita, Arizona. 7am, 12 April 2017. © Lang Elliott, musicofnature.com.

Listen for the sounds of Gray Hawk, Yellow Warbler, White-winged Dove, Gila Woodepecker, and more!

2017 Nature Soundscape Recording Expedition

Mattie Spring Dawn Chorus

Light rain with the sounds of blue jays and spring peepers. Recorded 5 September 2017 at 10 am in Shindagin Hollow near Ithaca New York.

This is a remarkably immersive binaural 3D field recording that is best appreciated by listening over headphones. The raindrops provide a wide, relaxing soundstage against which blue jays sound off with a variety of nasal sounds and jay-calls. Occasionally spring peepers give brief series' of bird-like peeps ... their "autumn piping" from trees and shrubs, often occurring quite far from their breeding pools and ponds.

In my appraisal, this lovely soundscape cradles one's spirit  and promotes a sense of calm freshness ... such a gentle soundscape that will instantly transport you into the wild (especially if you listen using headphones or earbuds).

When I make a recording such as this, I remember exactly why I do this kind of work.

For a more detailed discussion of this recording, please check out my blog post: https://musicofnature.com/light-rain-and-blue-jays/

Rain and Blue Jays

Hi Friends! I am a professional nature recordist who travels to wild areas throughout North America and sometimes beyond. My current focus is to gather  immersive binaural 3D soundscapes that effortlessly transport listeners (using headphones) into nature and have a positive and healing effect on the mind, body and spirit.

Erie Thunderstorm

Lang Elliott – Music of Nature

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mika lee

World-Sounds.org

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