This is a recording of some interactions on a black grouse lek in the highlands of Scotland. 

It was recorded with a Sony M10 and a matched pair of Clippy EM172 mics.

AVIEMORE  - BLACK GROUSE LEK - EARLY MORNING - VERY CLOSE COOING AND HISSES 2.0 M10

During a mid-March visit to Big Bend National Park in Texas, I recorded this immersive binaural soundscape at dawn in Santa Elena Canyon. It features wind blowing through a dense thicket of Carrizo Cane (an invasive species from Asia that is now common along the Rio Grande), which produces clicks and clatters as gusts pass through the stiff, bamboo-like reeds. Ravens nest in the canyon and croak repeatedly as they fly up and down the Rio Grande River, their calls echoing off the steep cliffs above. Such a pleasing, enveloping mix of the sounds of the wind, ravens and reeds!. Please wear headphones for optimal immersion!

Recorded by Lang Elliott on March 17, 2021 shortly before sunrise. © Lang Elliott, All Rights Reserved.

Wind, Ravens, Reeds

The main goal of my trip to Lorraine in the east of France was to record Common Midwife Toads. The location was an old disused quarry just outside Lérouville and knowing the toads begin calling after dusk, I arrived early to have time to scope out the location. I was immediately greeted by a group of very vocal Pool Frogs, their calls echoing around the quarry. I captured this recording much later that night, just after midnight. 

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8040s (ORTF)
Recorded on 05.06.2022
Photo credit : Holger Krisp (Creative Commons)

Pool Frogs - Lorraine, France

Braying outbursts of Wild Burros recorded at night next to Taylor Lake marsh in the Picacho State Recreation Area north of Yuma, Arizona. 6 April 2022. © Lang Elliott All Rights Reserved.

Note: This is a binaural soundscape. Please Wear Headphones for a natural, spacious sense of immersion.

Wild Burros of Picacho (with Coyote Finale)

Haunting Red Deer rutting in the forest of Orléans

A long soundscape across Dawn in the Queets River Valley rainforest of the Olympic National Park. Starting in Astronomical Twilight, a small herd of Roosevelt Elk walks in from a distance, though a small forest glade, an away towards the Queets River bed.

Early Autumn rainfall and dropping Maple Leaves are the dominant sounds to begin, their pak-pak-spaks are a reminder that time passes, even in the still quiet of a moss-covered forest.

Highway 101 in less than 12 miles away, and distant traffic is funneled up the Valley, showing the difficulty of escaping human-generated sound. This has been mitigated somewhat with light processing, but close listening and inspection will make remnants evident. There are no other edits or processes committed.

I love the crisp cold air of the rainforests in the fall. Sounds, natural and human generated, carry into the distant. Tucked into my sleeping bag, I lay back in my small tent, listening to the forest awaken. Where once there was just the soft distant wash of the river, the elk are joined by the local birds. Steller's Jays shriek their song with grating-yet-amusing "CHA-CHA-CHA-CHAs". A Northern Saw-whet toots in the forest canopy. Young Varied Thrush practice their songs, not quite reaching the beautiful and haunting signature fluting of their predecessors, instead emitting a silly buzzer-bell-like noise. Pacific Wren singing at the end of their season and the occasional Kingfisher make an appearance as well. Noe of these complete with the sheer vibrance of the elk.

Roosevelt Elk or Roosevelt's Wapiti or Rainforest Elk are the largest remaining elk species in North America and thrive in shadowy silences of the Pacific Northwest's temperate rainforests. Bull's bugles and roars echo through the trees, becoming one of the signature sounds of the Olympic Mountains. The cows mew and squeal in return, listening for one another to not wander far astray.

The small herd is a tight-nit family group, a with one, maybe two, dominant bulls, five or six cows in their harem, and a handful of young. The dominant bull leads the group on a daily hike, down from the upper valley to the river and back again. Their bugles urge the group, both signaling the direction to go and scolding those that dawdle. As they pass through the glade, their heavy footfall on the vegetative floor thump-thump-thumps their presence as much as the vocalizations and the continued crushing of vegetation as they push by.

I can't get enough of their energy. They pull back frequently. No matter how many times I encounter them, Elk never cease to awe me.

Click through the comments below for some highlights!

Northwest Soundscapes

Queets River Valley Rainforest Dawn with Elk

Exquisite dawn chorus featuring several Wood Thrushes sounding off at first light, with a gurgling brook nearby. Recorded at 5:15am, July 20, 2023 in Shindagin Hollow, near Brooktondale, New York. © Lang Elliott, musicofnature.com

Please listen with headphones!

Wood Thrushes Singing at Dawn with Stream Gurgle

Wood Thrushes Singing At Dawn with Stream Gurgle

Several Wood Thrushes sounding off at dusk with light rain falling. Recorded July 18, 2023 at 8:30pm. © Lang Elliott, musicofnature.com

Please listen with headphones!

Wood Thrushes Singing at Dusk in Light Rain

The sounds of a new day in the African bush. This album was recorded in Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana and features the diverse sounds of birds and wildlife in an ecotone of mopane woodland and arid savanna.

Botswana: Dawn in Tuli Wilderness

Botswana: Dawn in Tuli Wilderness - Album Sample

A lovely binaural night-scape featuring a cricket chorus set against the gentle tinkling of Aravaipa Creek (listen especially for the gentle pulsating chirps of a Snowy Tree Cricket). Recorded 30 April 2017 on Nature Conservancy property near the eastern edge of the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness Area in southeastern Arizona.

Please Listen Using Headphones!

Gentle Crickets (Aravaipa Canyon Waterscape)

Full Story + Photos: https://acousticnature.com/journal/field-recording-trip-vermont-ice-storm 

I recorded this soundscape at my friend's cabin in Vermont near the Green Mountain National Forest. The forest was covered in a thick layer of ice from a recent freezing rain storm. 

While I was chopping wood, I noticed the sound of ice crystals falling to the forest floor and shattering. The sound was constant and gusts of wind caused larger crystals to fall. 

As soon as I became aware of this subtle sound, I knew I had to record it. Because I didn't know how much battery life I would get in the frigid temps (15°F), I waited until 11pm to setup my recording gear. I did this to maximize my chance at a noise-pollution-free recording hoping that most people would be asleep.

To setup the recording I wanted to bungee cord my binaural microphone to a tree, but it was too difficult and too cold to have the patience necessary to get it right. Instead, I simply put the microphone on top of a snow bank facing the forest and the D100 in a dry bag next to it.

I was shocked to find the D100 still recording when I returned at 7:26am.

In total, I recorded for 8hr 22min and ended up with 23min of usable audio (≈4.6%). In post-production, I added a lo-cut filter at 180Hz, 12dB/octave to remove some low-frequency wind rumbling, and increased the loudness slightly to -30LKFS. 

Recorder: D100
Mics: DIY Binaural Housing
Sensitivity: 4
Lo-cut: OFF
Time: 11:04pm
Wind Protection: 2 Winter Hats

To learn more about me, my gear, or field recording in general, please visit my website at www.acousticnature.com

Thank you for reading and listening. ♫
-Jared

Shattering Ice Forest | Freezing Rain Aftermath in Vermont

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.

Wild Burros of Picacho (with Coyote Finale)

Lang Elliott – Music of Nature

Recent comments

ΩMAIRA

Related tracks